Meet Hayley Kaiser: the 20-year-old junior from Alexandria, Virginia. She is an International Affairs and Political Science double major and Economics, Latin American Studies, and Spanish triple minor (yeah – we didn’t know it was possible either!). But don’t let her intense academic record fool you; Hayley makes time for a lot more than schoolwork. In fact, Hayley tries to travel as often as she can. While most JMU students consider the bus ride from Fox Hills to Copper Beech a long journey, Hayley has trekked all over the world.
This summer, Hayley interned in Germany. After going abroad for ‘Maymester’ to Germany two years ago, Hayley returned last summer, this time getting some very valuable job experience. She worked at AirPlus International, working for the media and communications department. When she wasn’t working, she enjoyed sight-seeing. Her favorite sight was the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
Hayley has also traveled to Australia, Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, England, Iceland, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Canada. Her favorite place so far? Iceland, because it is so different than anywhere else she has been.
She’s also been all over the good ol’ USA too. The Virginia native took a road trip to Yellowstone once, passing through Colorado, Oklahoma, and Arkansas on her way back home.
But when she’s stuck in Harrisonburg, she uses her love for traveling to volunteer at the Office of International Programs. While there, she works as a Global Duke. Hayley is an Exchange Student Mentor, helping foreign students get acclimated to JMU. She enjoys talking and connecting with people from other countries and learning about their culture.
So if someone surprised her with a Christmas vacation getaway, where would this globetrotter go? Hayley says she would go to India – to get away from the cold and finally cross Asia off her bucket list.