As the next stage in their academic journey, four students from the class of 2026 will attend universities outside of the United States. The B spoke with each of them about why they decided to commit to colleges overseas.

Bella Brosnan

Every summer since freshman year, senior Bella Brosnan has traveled with a group of high school students around the world for two-week-long projects. She has gone to Mexico for community service and to Iceland for photography.

In the fall, Brosnan will attend the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, majoring in history and Spanish. Her love for travel, combined with Scotland’s proximity to the rest of Europe, compelled her to apply and eventually commit to St. Andrews.

“I love travel, and so I think that really stuck out: being in an international school where I’m meeting a bunch of different people, and then the aspect of getting to travel and being so close to so many different other countries, because I’m in Europe,” Brosnan said. “I think that was a really big part of why I wanted to go to St. Andrews.”

Since he was young, senior Jian Acoba has dreamed of being a commercial pilot. When going on vacation, one thing he always looks forward to is the plane ride.

In the fall, Acoba will attend De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila, Philippines, as an economics major. At DLSU, Acoba will be able to earn his bachelor’s degree in three years rather than the traditional four-year timeline. After graduating, he plans to attend the two-year Philippine Airlines pilot training program.

Acoba also has family in the Philippines and hopes to build a stronger connection to Filipino culture while attending DLSU.

“One of the biggest reasons is my parents want me to be connected with Filipino culture more,” Acoba said.

Though nervous about attending college overseas, Acoba said he looks forward to adapting to a new environment.

“I’m really excited for this opportunity to just step out of my comfort zone a little bit and try to adapt to my surroundings,” Acoba said.

For senior Grace Nash, finding a major that could complement all her interests was a priority, which is why she chose the University College Dublin (UCD) in Ireland.

Nash will study English, drama and film in the fall through a combined major program, something she could not find in U.S. colleges.

“I was trying to look for a program like that in the U.S., but I didn’t feel like there was anything affordable or [that I could] get into,” Nash said. “So when I was looking at schools abroad, and I found this program, it just sounded really interesting to me, and with the different pathways, I thought I could use it well.”

Nash is also excited to reconnect with family and Irish culture while attending UCD.

“My family and I are from Ireland, and most of my family is from there anyway,” Nash said. “So I thought it would also be a nice opportunity to spend time with people that I don’t really get the opportunity to see.”

Having grown up in London, senior Chloe French-Evans always wanted to return to her childhood home. In the fall, French-Evans will be studying human nutrition at the University of Westminster.

“I chose it because I’ve always been interested in going internationally, and I think it’s a good opportunity to gain my global experience,” French-Evans said.

French-Evans also said she is excited to be living in a big city.

“The school has a big international population… and I look forward to being in central London in a big city,” French-Evans said.

With parents from Ireland and Australia and many friends living in the United Kingdom, she saw going abroad as a good opportunity to reconnect.

“Both my parents are immigrants, and so being international is normal to me,” French-Evans said. “I have some friends that I’ve grown up with. They’re all going to university in the U.K., but not in London, and it’s exciting to be there.”