Hello, my name is Casey O’Brien and I am a rising junior at the College of Charleston. The program I chose is called CofC in Ecuador: Chemistry and Environmental Studies. I chose this program because it relates to my studies as a biochemistry major and Spanish minor. Also, my grandparents are Ecuadorian and grew up in Quito. They have gone back to visit and I would like to see the city where they grew up. Most of the research has been from listening to them talk about how proud they are of their home country and how beautiful it is. We have also been assigned some pre-reading materials about industry’s impacts on Ecuador’s environment. My goals for this trip are to test out my Spanish, explore the city my grandparents grew up in, and learn about the impact industries have on the environment in Ecuador.