Jaret Waters is an undergraduate student at Fisher College of Business finishing his last year.

Having the opportunity to study abroad has been a fundamental piece of my growth here at Ohio State. Being from a small town where I lived in a bubble of comfort, I grew up having serious difficulties with situations in which I was outside of my support system. The growth I have seen in myself-—from being the child clinging to my mother's leg on the first day of first grade to the fearless adult boarding a plane by myself to the southern hemisphere—has empowered me with a sense of confidence that has spilled over into every other aspect of my life.

I can say with certainty that the experience I was afforded because of the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship has completely shifted my plans for the future; it has allowed me to fully discover and explore the passion I have for Latin America, informing my current decision to move to Brazil following graduation.

Amidst an environment where one can be easily swayed by the whims and pressures of one's peers, the FLAS Fellowship has allowed me to escape such constraints to envision a career for myself centered on that which drives and inspires me.

I cannot wait to serve as a cultural ambassador between the U.S. and Latin American both in my personal and professional life going forward, and I owe this realization entirely to the FLAS Program.

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships are available for Ohio State graduate and professional school students who are pursuing a course of study which requires advanced foreign language and area studies training, as well as select undergraduate students. Learn more about FLAS.