Leslie is a Gilman Scholar alum and a senior psychology research student at Elizabeth City State University. She is an advocate for international education and a study abroad ambassador for her university.

1. How has travel impacted your life and how has it changed you?

Travelling overseas truly changed my prospective to who I am as an individual and made me fall in love with the rich culture of the people around me. Currently, I am studying as a research psychology student but now I am convinced I want to do international studies. I used to be very reserved when I was around new people but since my time abroad, I challenged myself to be more social and met many other students from different states and countries. This has also helped me gain the confidence to showcase great networking skills and opportunities I have since been practicing at my university. I came back to campus thriving on campus, enhancing my LinkedIn connections and have been given great opportunities at school due to my time abroad.

2. Where was your most recent travel experience and what did it teach you?

I spent the summer in Barcelona, Spain. Emerging myself into a new country, alone, taught me how to face my fears and gain independence. I disciplined myself to practice my Spanish skills while discovering that Catalon was their official language, something I never knew. Every day I found myself discovering more about myself within one summer than I had in all my adult life. Being in Spain taught me how to push me out of my comfort zone and try new things that I never would have agreed to back home (their hikes are NO JOKE). I also realized how privileged we are to have American passports in comparison to other countries surrounding Spain and made me want to learn more about other cultures around the world. One weekend after classes my roommates and I hopped on a plane and spent a day in Paris. If I had studied longer, I probably would have attempted to visit Germany and Italy as well.

3. What has been your most favorite travel experience and why?

My favorite experience was Tulum, Mexico with my girlfriends. It was my first time out of the country with friends for one of their birthdays. We got to get dressed up and hit the nightlife, drove atv’s in the jungle, got matching tattoo’s, ate fresh fruit from the mango man, and absorbed the sun. Everyday was a new adventure. If you have a responsible great set of friends, set it up, make the payment plans if necessary and book the trip together. We made the best memories that week and now we plan on doing a girl’s trip once every other year.

4. Do you have any tips or advice for people who want to travel more?

Apply for that passport! Everything else after that is easy. If you are a student at any level, ask your language professors if your school has a study abroad program and who to speak with. Ask financial aid if they will help fund your trip so you have less to pay out of pocket. Apply for all the scholarships you qualify for! Don’t wait until you hit a certain age or save enough money. There are plenty of places you could visit for less than a trip to Disney World. If you are unsure of what country to visit first, consider your hobbies and do a quick google search of events that match your interests and start there.

5. What are the must have items in your packing list?

My essentials will always consist of charging adapters, power banks, a small favorite blanket, a handheld fan, and a tripod to ensure awesome photos! I learned very quickly that strangers may mean well but are not always the best at taking photos. I would also suggest packing a few of your favorite snacks from home because there will be times you face culture shock with different foods as well as the lack of 24/7 convenient stores. Always pack a pair of comfortable walking shoes that you don’t mind getting a little dirty and always make sure you download Google Maps, with the offline option, so you never get lost.

6. Why do you think is it important for black women to travel?

It is important to know that YOU DESERVE TO TRAVEL, and it is possible to travel. Growing up and still to this day, there is a sever underrepresentation of black women traveling the world and living their best soft girl life. I would also say to learn a few basic questions and phrases before traveling abroad in case that area or population does not speak a lot of English. Always be kind and respectful. To my surprise, many people were so intrigued by my natural hair and complimented how beautiful my skin was. We may not always realize it in our hometowns, but different countries are fascinated with our beauty and some people will stare (literally) in awe and look at you like the beautiful queen that you are.  Do not feed into generational fears of hopping on planes and experiencing the change of a lifetime. Do not worry about finances, money will always find its way back to you. Find a place within your budget and gain a life changing experience.

7. Can you tell us a little about yourself and what inspires you to travel?

I grew up as a military brat. I love to travel because I identify as biracial, and I grew up with multiracial children being in the military life. I was introduced from a very young age how to be inclusive of other differences. I even was learning different languages from my friends’ parents. I was friends with kids from Somalia, the Philippines, Bulgaria, Japan, Mexico, etc. By the time I was 10 I knew a few words and phrases from at least 3-4 languages. I have a genuine passion for learning. I think that would be my most inspirational reason to travel. I like to learn how we as a people are alike and yet so very different.

8. How did attending an HBCU impact your life?

Attending an HBCU was a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I am biracial. My mother is Hispanic, and my father is Black. I was raised by my mother and when she married my stepfather he adopted me as his own. I grew up with a white father and a Mexican mother looking, striding, breathing in all my brown melanin. So going to school in Wisconsin where it was predominately all white folks in the 90s was TOUGH. I hated being THE minority. I kid you not my graduating class of 2008 (showing age here) there was literally five of “us” and that was including me. I wished so bad to go to a school where I could learn in peace, not get called terrible names or be teased because my hair gravitated towards the sun and not the ground.

Attending Elizabeth City State University taught me to love the skin I’m in. It showed me how brilliant we can be when given a safe space to learn. It opened doors for me I never even knocked on. Since attending an HBCU I have travelled abroad, participated in a Internationalization Symposium in Washington, D.C. with incredible Black doctors and professionals from all around the world, I have been living my dreams studying radio, and have been given a platform to perform human behavior research. Things I would have never been considered for at a previous PWI I’ve attended in the past.

9. Can you tell us about your international service work for HBCUs and their affiliates?

At Elizabeth City State University specifically, upon my return overseas I expressed my interest to intern at my Office of International Programs. After building a relationship with the Director I was given a paid work study position in the office as well as become a Study Abroad Ambassador on campus. I recently have participated in a event were we assisted all interested students in applying for their passports. We were blessed to receive a grant which would cover the costs for a few qualified and selected students. We had such a great turn out that a few staff members even volunteered to sponsor a student’s passport application fee.

It has been fun! I also was entrusted by my director to represent him and ECSU to network with international companies and professionals at the Howard University last month. Little did I (and the other professionals) know I was the only student in attendance of very prominent scholars. One of them being the newly announced 18th president of Howard University, Dr. Ben Vinsen III. I’ve only been back for four months but I am convinced I have found my calling.

You can follow her travel journeys here:

Instagram: @lovemeles and Linkedin: Leslie Billotte