My name is Brooke Emery and I am a rising senior at the College of Charleston with a major in Public Health and a minor in Chemistry. I have the opportunity to attend a Maymester trip to Paris, France and Geneva, Switzerland alongside two public health faculty. This program offers an Immigration and Public Health class that both appeals to my career interests and counts towards the completion of my major. Additionally, we are visiting various museums and organizations that are centered around global health, which is one of my greatest interests. Therefore, the part of the trip that I look forward to most is our trip to Geneva, Switzerland where we have the opportunity to tour the World Health Organization as well as listen to some presentations. The public health major in me cannot wait to be inside such an important and influential facility!

Throughout this trip, I aim to avoid spending my downtime in my room. Having never been abroad before, I hope to take full advantage of the opportunity to explore an unknown city and cram as much exploring as possible into the short three weeks I have. Over the last few weeks, I have done endless research on unique things to do within Paris as well as Nice, one of the excursions for the trip. I am a huge foodie, so I have also been learning a lot about the cuisine found in Paris and creating a list of places to try. Food in Paris ranges from quaint cafés to extravagant Michelin Star restaurants. I look forward to enjoying the food as well as immersing myself in the French culture for the next couple of weeks!