I'm Oonagh (ooh-nah), a junior at Grinnell College, and a Political Science major who fancies herself an occasional artist and a lifelong doodler. I'm very excited and mildly terrified to start my stay in Quito, but I'm very much looking forward to immersing myself in the language and culture.

My name is Kathryn Sommer and I study at Haverford College, a small school right outside of Philadelphia. I am a premed student majoring in biology, though I also have a passion for art, especially drawing and photography, both of which I enjoy the most when traveling. I was fortunate enough to grow up traveling the world, mainly Europe, as I was born and raised in Germany. On one of my shorter trips in my childhood, I have visited Rome and I cannot wait to get to know the city, the culture, and the people better.

My name is pronounced like "Erika" (Erica and Erykah) with a "y" in front of it. I am the daughter of Honduran immigrant parents, and my hometown is Chicago. I am a first generation undergraduate at Pomona College. In my free time you will find me connecting with people, writing, reading, occasionally attempting to knit, watching videos on YouTube, and enjoying all things nerd.

I am a Literature major at the University of Rochester and am attending Oxford through IES Direct Enrollment in the fall semester of 2015. As an aspiring academic, I am far too invested in the contents of my bookshelf and can often be caught printing an extra copy of completed papers for my own safekeeping. I am fully prepared to take on a completely new and exciting abroad experience both in and out of the classroom, and my love for writing makes each experience even more exciting to share.

Jonathan Thibeaux hails from Lafayette, LA and is a 5th year biology major at Morehouse College. A self-proclaimed "media enthusiast, writer, motivator, and certified dreamer,” he is working hard to catapult himself from a pre-medical past into the world of media and television. At Morehouse, he served as the Senior Co-Chair of the Campus Alliance for Student Activities, Co-Campus Based Leader for the Gates Millennium Scholar Group, Maroon Tiger Columnist, and Presidential Ambassador. Choosing to defer his degree for a year, he will be spending a year in Shanghai, China and Cape Town, South Africa for an immersive educational experience. Through his blog and affiliations he hopes to provide a safe and inspiring space for teenagers and adults to document and experience their lives, without the pressure to conform to social constructs. He hopes to one day work in Marketing as a television executive and possibly even becoming the talent of his own show. This fall he will be blogging for Shanghai, China.

My name is Micky Ferguson and I am a rising junior at Claremont McKenna College studying Government and Philosophy. I am from Pasadena, California, which, in 2014, was named the Snobbiest City in America. But I will be the first to say that the people who conducted the survey were probably just jealous because they know that we are better than them. I have a passion for photography, video production, and puns. I love taking portrait photography, but I like taking candid photos more - I think that photos tell more of a story when they aren't posed.

My name is Alison Castañeda and I'm a junior double majoring in Communicative Disorders and Spanish at the University of Redlands. I grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, California and I have a passion for traveling, exploring new places, trying new food, and taking tons of pictures. In my free time I like to go thrift shopping, drawing, taking trips to Los Angeles, and spending time with my family. Studying in Barcelona this fall is such a blessing and I couldn?t be happier with my decision.

Hi! My name is Isabelle McCarthy. I am currently double-majoring in Earth & Environmental Science and English at Lehigh University. Even though I'm from Brooklyn, NY and might be referred to as a "city kid", I also love the outdoors and exploring. I'm a big risk taker and am always down to do something out of my comfort zone. I am so looking forward to gaining some incredible experiences in Freiburg!

I am a graphic design student at Georgia State University. I work in a number of mediums including drawing, painting with oils, acrylics, and watercolors, and screen-printing. I tend to draw inspiration from artists such as Chuck Close, Dan Flavin, Roy Lichtenstein, KAWS, and Jeff Koons. I also enjoy studying different artistic styles as a whole, including: surrealism, pop art and Japanese ukiyo-e prints. Other than art and work, the majority of my time goes to listening to music and attempting to learn anything new from photography to playing a saxophone to transcendentalism. **attached creative sample is titled "A Groovy Portrait of a Universal Soul". 19.5x25.5. Micron pen and watercolor on paper.

I am a rising junior at Wake Forest University from Los Angeles, California. My interests are sports, hiking/backpacking, and photography. This next semester in France will be the first time for me going abroad.