Hey! I’m Kaitlin. I’m from a small town in Pennsylvania, but during high school, I decided I wanted to pursue a bit of a lesser-known path for my post-secondary education. At 18, I moved to Milan, Italy, to attend the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (NABA)’s Bachelor of Arts in Painting & Visual Arts. This was the best decision I ever made. I spent the most amazing years there, meeting people from all around the globe, hearing and participating in languages I had rarely heard, if ever, growing up in a small town in the US. I was, for the first time in my life, genuinely and authentically learning about new cultures besides my own. In fact, it made me reflect and realize a lot about my own culture that is difficult to pinpoint when you have lived in one place your entire life.
After graduating my bachelor’s degree summa cum laude, I proceeded to Paris, France to attend KEDGE Business School. Here, I joined their Master of Science program in Arts & Creative Industries Management. In this transition from higher education in Italy to France, I learned so much about how education systems can vary as well as the bureaucracy you must go through to live in these places.
My path then led me to Marseille, France, to do an intensive French language course at the Alliance Française. For my personal goals/interests, which are the arts, and specifically theater, I realized that I wanted to assimilate more than ever before into the language and culture of the country I was living in, thus opting to intensively learn the language.
This brings me to today, over five years after this whole whirlwind of a journey started. I learned so much by myself, with the help of the internet, stringing together information from various universities’ websites, regretfully using AI which has almost always led me wrong, and most recently, I finally decided that I deserved a lawyer! I know it can be exhausting and frustrating to need to piece together all of the information by yourself, and that’s why, since day one of my journey, I knew that one day I wanted to do something, anything, to make it easier for the next person to take the path of studying in Europe. All I want to do is be a friend abroad for you, and that’s how Your Friend Abroad was born!
About Us
Hey! I'm Hunter. I'm from small-town rural North Carolina, but I've spent the last few years building a life across Europe, visiting 25+ countries and living in Prague, London, and Glasgow.
At 17, after COVID canceled my high school exchange program to France, I discovered Anglo-American University in Prague, where I spent three years studying International Relations and Human Rights. What started as a Plan B became the foundation for everything I do now. I served as Student Council treasurer, reformed university policies, and became a student ambassador—but what really shaped me was mentoring fellow international students. I coordinated housing and airport pickups for exchange students from 10+ countries and realized I'd found my calling: helping others navigate studying abroad.
After graduating, I pursued my master's at King's College London, where I was constantly contacted by friends, family, and strangers asking for advice about moving abroad. This led to real opportunities: I worked with AFS-USA conducting 62 interviews for prestigious State Department programs (NSLI-Y and YES Abroad) and recently worked at Northeastern University as Global Student Success Coordinator, supporting 160 first-year students abroad for the N.U.in Scotland Program in partnership with The University of Glasgow.
I've seen firsthand how most study abroad "consulting" companies charge hundreds or thousands for basic information. I know how overwhelming it is to piece together visa requirements, housing, and cultural adjustment on your own. That's why I'm here—to be the resource I wish I'd had when I first stumbled off that plane in Prague. Your Friend Abroad exists to make this journey easier for the next person ready to take the leap!
What We Offer
Whether you’re lost on where to start researching degree programs or dealing with some uncertainty on if moving to Europe to study is right for you, we can offer tailored support to send you into this next phase of your journey with confidence, comfort, and excitement.
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Receive guidance from people who have done deep dives into English-taught bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Europe for years, in every corner of the internet!
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Multiple countries offer visas to students who come to intensively learn their languages!
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Any move requires a lot of hands-on effort, but moving abroad can be another story. We’ll help you consolidate and navigate all of your upcoming tasks in order to ensure your move goes as smoothly as possible.