Lexi Sauerwein '16

 

• Senior marketing major, management minor from Belleville, Illinois

• Advanced Leaders campus group
• Phi Kappa Phi national honor society
• Sigma Beta Delta business honor society
• Phi Beta Lambda student business organization

Lexi Sauerwein’s study abroad adventures read like a bucket list.

“I rode camels in the desert, climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower, went island hopping in the Mediterranean, climbed a mountain in Snowdonia, and celebrated Easter at the Vatican. I was in awe of every single country,” said the McKendree University senior, who spent the spring 2015 semester at London’s Birkbeck University.

“Exploring the world and immersing myself into new and interesting cultures have always been a passion of mine,” said Lexi, who spent a month in Germany with a host family during high school. “It really prepared me for this experience. I knew what I was getting myself into and was ready to jump into this journey head on.”

Among her goals for the semester was “to see how companies around the globe operate and discover some of the top fashion cities in Europe.” Lexi aspires to earn a master’s degree in fashion marketing and management. She manages social media, blogs and writes articles on fashion, beauty and lifestyle for BeautyLiciousInsider and her friend Chelsea Crockett, whose YouTube videos have attracted over a million subscribers.

When she wasn’t attending class, studying or exploring her home away from home in London’s cosmopolitan Notting Hill neighborhood, Lexi was on the go, filling up her passport. “It was truly the best four months of my life,” she said. “I was blessed to be able to travel to nine countries and a nation while I was abroad. Besides England, I visited Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Czech Republic, Morocco, Italy, Spain and Greece. Thanks to study abroad, I now have 20 new best friends and the experience of a lifetime. Let's just say I cried a “few” times when it was time to leave.

Lexi calls the opportunity “the most enriching experience of my life."

 

“It makes you realize how small you are among such a vast world full of different cultures and people. I grew so much in these short four months and feel like I can take on the world.”
 

Her advice to any student thinking about studying abroad is an enthusiastic “Do it! You’re young, go! Be spontaneous, go out on your own, meet new people, fly to faraway lands, and soak in all that life has to offer.”

Read more about Lexi's adventures on her Study Abroad Blog.

Learn more about McKendree University and the Study Abroad program.