Michael Decastro

Hello! I am a second-year structural engineering student at Seventh College. This past summer I participated in the Geology in the Swiss Alps global seminar and studied abroad in Bern, Switzerland! Before this trip, my travel experience was extremely limited and I am still surprised that I was able to make this trip happen. I chose this program because of all the things I have heard about the natural beauty that Switzerland had to offer. Plus, I have an interest in painting and I saw this as an opportunity to paint some nice landscapes.

One of my favorite parts of the trip had to be floating down the river with a group of classmates to get back to the student lodge! The clean and fresh environment made any outdoor activities ten times more enjoyable. They even had random spouts dispensing clean-drinkable water, straight from the mountains, on every corner of Bern. Our professor gave lectures anywhere ranging from traditional Swiss classrooms to directly on top of some of the largest glaciers in Europe. I had some of the best times of my life here, but if I were to do it again I would plan my personal excursions before leaving and budget my money a lot better!