My participation in the Costa Rica First-Year Business Program was very beneficial to my college experience. This program further encouraged me to continue with my aspiration of learning and minoring in Spanish. I had to use Spanish with almost everyone that I encountered outside of our scheduled visits, and it was exciting to be able to successfully communicate with someone in their own language. This was also my first time leaving the country without my parents, and I feel as if I have a tight, experience-based bond with everyone on the trip. It is calming to know that as I progress through college, I will have a group of people that are like-minded and hard-working to help me.