Hello everyone! My name is Sydney Hopkins and I am a senior studying Public Management, Leadership & Policy with a minor in City & Regional Planning originally from Waldorf, MD. I first learned of the power of the passport in seventh grade when I traveled to Costa Rica for two weeks with an organization called the Passport Party Project. It was my first time out of the United States and I vowed to not make it my last. Being a Buckeye means embracing the endless opportunities afforded to us and utilizing the world as the best classroom. Ohio State’s motto of “Education for Citizenship” reflects the belief that true learning and education extends beyond the classroom, shaping individuals through lived experience. To be a Buckeye is to use our knowledge to be of service to others, and champion people first in every space we enter.

Rather than allowing myself to be confined to a particular academic path, I have always taken the road less traveled, a recurring theme throughout my educational journey since childhood. The Ohio State Panama:AgriCulture & Sustainability study abroad experience was transformative for me as I eagerly embraced being uncomfortable with no previous agriculture experience. I rode a horse, tried jackfruit for the first time, visited an Indigenous village where we ate food from a leaf, touched a brahmin, improved my Spanish language skills and even got close to a capuchin monkey among other encounters! Each moment challenged me and expanded my worldview. No student should not be able to participate in an opportunity due to financial hardship. We make each other better people when we educate ourselves to leave the world a little better than we found it.

Fundraising for The Ohio State Fund for Study Abroad will allow all students to experience the power, joy and access a passport can provide. Thank you for your generosity.