Alyssa Geiger

Name: Alyssa Geiger

Email: ageiger@explorica.com

Phone Number: 1.888.310.7120 ext. 375

Bio:I grew up outside of Boston in Boxford, MA, in a large family (middle child among an older sister and younger identical twin brothers).

With such a big family, it was too expensive for us to do any traveling outside of the country.  Instead, we enjoyed summers up in the White Mountains hiking and tenting.

In high school, I found my niche within the theater and chorale department. My most unforgettable role was playing the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz-there were a lot of lines to memorize in that play!

College, for me, was a chance to break away and be on my own for the first time-I was the first and only child of my family to ever go away to college-although UMass, Amherst is still in MA (close enough for laundry visits!).

I began learning German in high school, and was lucky enough to continue my language studies in college. My third year at UMass, I participated in an exchange program with the University of Freiburg, Germany. This experience allowed me to learn German along side other international exchange students. I was completely surrounded by another culture and way of life!

My roommates and I were able to decipher some of the differences between our different, yet similar cultural expressions–for example, in English when someone is on cloud nine –in Germany they are on cloud 7!

I became fluent after a year of study, and ended up extending my study abroad experience to two years, so that I could take regular classes along side other German students.

While abroad, I was able to travel and discover most of Europe, including Switzerland, Austria, France, Sweden, Ireland, England, Scotland and Spain. It’s unbelievable how inexpensive it is to travel Europe using RyanAir!
I returned to the states to finish my bachelor degrees in Political Science and German, and obtained an International Relations Certificate. Instead of going into politics, I decided to help other students begin to take the kinds of journeys I experienced in my youth.

I’m now a Senior Program Consultant and enjoy helping teachers convey the importance of travel to their students, by organizing tours-bring learning outside the classroom for them and into the world.

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