Ella Bowman

Hi, my name is Ella Bowman, and I am a freshman at UGA. Throughout my life, I have always been driven to explore. This passion has led me to take any traveling opportunity I could get my hands on. I grew up going on family trips filled with excitement and different excursions, but they lacked any sense of independence. So, as soon as I got into middle school, I signed up to go on an exchange trip to Quebec, Canada. On this trip, I was mesmerized by their different ways of life and culture. I experienced so many new things, like dog sledding and ice fishing, and I even spent the night in a hotel made of ice.

After this trip, I became hooked on traveling and began looking for the next adventure I could take. I shortly found a program that took ten high school-age kids camping for a month on the beaches of Hawaii. I signed up immediately and had the time of my life. I got my scuba diving license and swam with sharks and manta rays, all while sleeping under the stars of this tropical paradise. Hawaii helped me to become more independent and adventurous as I conquered my fear of heights by cliff-jumping into the ocean. I made so many lifelong memories and friends that I still keep in touch with to this day.

After I got home from this trip, I realized that I loved pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and started looking for yet another trip to go on. Luckily, I stumbled onto the perfect program in Barcelona, Spain, that included college-level Spanish courses and cultural immersion experiences. However, this trip was slightly different from the others. I would be traveling to a foreign country on my own to live in a solo apartment for the entire summer. As a freshly sixteen year-old, I was terrified but excited to be on my own and meet new people. The day of my flight finally came, and all was well until I landed in New York, only to find out my flight to Barcelona had been canceled. I was stranded alone in New York with no luggage and no place to stay. Somehow, it worked out, and I caught a last-minute flight to Spain and then a train directly to the beach to meet up with the rest of my group.

I met some fantastic people on this trip. One person in particular told me about her dream college: UGA. I had never really thought about applying, but a year later, when I came to visit her, I fell in love with the place. I ended up applying and getting accepted!!