Hello my name is Alaniya and I’m from the Maldives which is a small island nation in the Indian Ocean. 3 years ago I got selected to study at Pearson College UWC in Canada which was life changing for me. As a 16 year old at the time I never thought of being able to study abroad all alone thousands of miles away from home as not a lot of people from my country get the opportunity to study abroad at such a young age.
During these two years I got the opportunity to do things I could never do back home like hiking through the wilderness carrying a heavy backpack I could barely lift and learning cultural dances from across the world even though I am a terrible dancer. I also found a home away from home thanks to the amazing people I got to meet from all over the world.
At Lewis & Clark College I hope to have another transformative experience like the one I had in UWC and make wonderful friends. Although, I’m undecided I am leaning towards studying Biology or Biochemistry as a major since I have always been interested in science but I’m hoping that Lewis & Clark College would help me define my interests and passions more clearly.
In my spare time I love swimming in the ocean and snorkeling. I also really enjoy diving and hope to dive more in the future. I also love baking although I’m not the best at it.
During the previous year I had been on a gap year in which I got to travel within my country and to other countries as well. So far, my favorite place I have traveled has been Krabi in Thailand. I really enjoyed driving around the city and going island hopping. I really enjoy traveling and one of the reasons I chose Lewis & Clark College is because of the many opportunities to do a study abroad.