Katie Ferry on studying abroad in Spain and Mexico

It’s always interesting to see what Anacapa graduates have been doing with themselves after high school, and today’s visitor may have opened the eyes of some of our students to a potentially new path in life. Katie Ferry graduated in 2003 and went on to study linguistics at U.C. Davis, but she did not spend her entire college experience in “cow town” (as some people lovingly call the small Northern California city). Katie took advantage of the U.C. Education Abroad Program and spent a significant chunk of time studying and soaking in the culture of Spain. Living in another country was such a wonderful experience that Katie decided to go abroad again, after earning her bachelor’s degree. This time Katie was not studying; she was teaching English in a small town in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. Having grown up in Santa Barbara and lived in fairly affluent areas her entire life, the experience south of the border was far from ordinary for Katie. Many of the people lacked electricity and running water, but the quality of life was generally still very high. The people there loved life and really knew how to celebrate, especially during El Dia de Los Muertos. Katie made some lifelong friends during her time in Mexico and recommends that anybody who is even remotely interested in seeing the world should consider teaching abroad and expanding their horizons.