The Enlightening Eighteen

Maddie Dill is a junior Phi Mu from Atlanta, Georgia, majoring in Anthropology, International Affairs, and Spanish. Maddie has a passion for exploring new places and has had the opportunity to travel extensively with the support of the Foundation Fellowship. Maddie spent 9 months of her first two years of college abroad, visiting 18 countries on 3 continents.

The summer after her freshman year, Maddie studied abroad at Oxford University in England and backpacked around Europe. Last spring, Maddie spent the semester in Valencia, Spain, taking Spanish literature, culture, and history classes. Maddie loved being immersed in the community, making friends with Spanish students, and getting to travel to cool places like Morocco on the weekends. She also traveled from Spain to South Korea to spend spring break visiting Buddhist monasteries. This past summer, she interned with the South African Government in Cape Town, South Africa. Maddie researched and wrote education policies, focusing on improving literacy rates among 4th graders in the country. Maddie said, “While I loved the experience of working and living in a place as cool as South Africa, perhaps the best parts of the summer were all the adventure activities I got to do. From jumping off the world’s highest bungee bridge and skydiving to diving with great white sharks and going on a safari, there were always exciting things to do!”

Maddie also remarked, “Despite being very different trips, all three of my study abroad experiences have challenged me and changed the way I view the world. As trite as it sounds, the things I learned – both in the classroom and out – and the friendships I made – both with UGA students and locals – are invaluable.” Maddie is back in Athens for the time being, but she’s looking forward to traveling to Bali, Australia, and New Zealand in the next year!