AUIP welcomes Maya Johnson, from Virginia Tech, to the team as a Student Blogger for the 2017-18 Antarctica Program. Maya writes:

Each student’s journey began at a different place, whether it be a flyer in the bathroom stall, an email from an adoring professor, or a visit to the study abroad office. Conveniently, I passed the flyer in the hallway, but saw it just past the due date of the application. But, with a spontaneous and pleading email to the faculty advisor and a gracious response back, I’ll be in Ushuaia, Argentina this Saturday!

So you can get to know me a bit better, here’s a little bit about what I do with my time! I am a sophomore at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia and I moved there from Wilmington, Delaware. I spend most of my time with the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad since I joined last January, which is an all-student-run volunteer EMS squad where we respond to all 911 calls on the Virginia Tech campus. In addition, I also serve as the treasurer for the Volunteers Around the World chapter at Virginia Tech which is a national organization completing medical relief trips around the world. I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Cambodia with them last May where I conveniently broke my foot the second night there. After hobbling around Cambodia for two weeks on crutches, I think I’ll be able to handle just about anything Antarctica throws my way, even any seasickness (hopefully). In the past few months, I’ve had a bit of a mid-college crisis and have decided to change my major from Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise to Public Health with a double minor in International Studies and Green Engineering. My dream job in another life would be a National Geographic photographer, so hopefully my photography skills will do Antarctica justice! But, I would also love to get a position with the Peace Corps and work with non-profits in developing countries to improve health care as an ultimate career.

As an avid traveler, I don’t think it surprised my parents one bit when I asked to attend this trip, but whenever I tell someone I am going to Antarctica they always ask me why. I think it’s so important for students who have the opportunity to study abroad to take that chance, especially if it’s in a place you don’t believe you would ever go on your own. What drew me to this trip is that even though many of the students attending this trip may not be studying geography or biology, the topics we’re studying are pertinent to us no matter what our major is. It’s important to understand what impacts we have on the environment as humans, and I think the opportunity to see these effects in a place like Antarctica will be one of the greatest opportunities I get in my college career. Although neither the students nor the faculty will be with our families for the holidays, I think it will be really great to have a Christmas that isn’t focused around presents, but instead focused on truly appreciating where we are and this amazing opportunity we’ve all had. After a week of finals, I know each and every student will appreciate the long travel time it takes to get to Ushuaia to replenish all sleep lost this semester as we prepare to begin our research in human impacts on the fragile ecosystem of Antarctica.