By Matteo Travers, Community Manager
A 3X Verto alumna, Marissa’s return to Verto as a staff member on our student success team marks a meaningful new chapter for both her and our entire global community. As someone who began her study abroad journey right after high school, Marissa now brings her lived experience full circle, helping first-year students find their footing as they begin their own transformative semester abroad in Prague.
Marissa’s experience shows how Verto can be more than just a semester abroad. For many students, it becomes a meaningful part of their lives long after the program ends.
We caught up with Marissa before the semester began. Read on to hear how her experience as a student is shaping her new role — and what advice she has for the next cohort of Verto participants.
Looking back on your time as a Verto student, what parts of that experience most inspired you to return as a staff member?
I remember doing my first Verto semester and experiencing things that I had no idea how to navigate. The normal first year of college, things such as cooking for myself for the first time, taking college-level courses, and trying to balance a social life, were all made more difficult by homesickness, having to start from scratch with friends, and not speaking the local language fluently. I remember coming to my Student Support Advisor and being really frustrated that things hadn’t fallen into place after the first week. She sat with me while I expressed my feelings and listened while I tried to put into words what I was experiencing. Other staff members I talked to encouraged me to keep going, to find things that made me feel the most like myself, and surround myself with the people who made me feel good. In combination with their advice, I took time to really reflect on what I wanted to get out of this experience and in which direction I wanted to steer myself.
I remember very vividly thinking that it would be my dream job to be able to help students go through what I was going through at that moment, because I knew how scary all of those things could be, but I had also learned that I was capable of navigating them. I watched my friends go through similar experiences, and I realized that although they weren’t exactly the same, none of us were alone in our struggles. We all had the ability to walk through this experience and be better humans because of it. I saw the transformation that was possible within myself and those around me because of a semester with Verto, and from that moment on, I knew if there was ever a way I could contribute to the Verto Community after my semester, I would do it.
I believe wholeheartedly in the Verto Way and want everyone to be able to prove to themselves that they are capable of doing hard things and growing into the person they want to be.
How do you see the Verto values—compassion, responsibility, vulnerability, and transformation—showing up in your day-to-day work with students?
My favorite value from the very first day of my first semester was vulnerability. At the time, I didn’t consider myself to be very open, as I was pretty independent and didn’t like to rely on others. But I loved the idea of one day being able to share when I was having a hard time or needed someone to help me out. I learned over time by working with students and other staff that vulnerability is not a weakness, but rather it is incredibly brave. Being able to be the best version of yourself often involves knowing when to ask for help, and vulnerability only inspires those who may be going through similar trials also to reach out and ask for support. I try my best to model this for my students so they know they can always come to me with whatever is on their mind, knowing that I am in their corner. I think this inspires them to do the same for each other; they show up as more compassionate humans every day and learn to take responsibility for making their time abroad as meaningful and fulfilling as suits them. They will inevitably leave their semester changed in ways they might not have expected, but that led them to be better friends, family members, and global citizens.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to students who are just beginning their study abroad journey with Verto?
I would tell future Vertoans to go into this experience with an open mind and an open heart. They should never stop learning, both about the new world around them, but also about themselves and how they want to show up. It is never too late to change your trajectory, and in transformational times such as a semester abroad, it’s not really a matter of “if” you make a mistake, it’s more of a “when,” so remember that you have Verto staff supporting you the whole way. Everyone wants to see you succeed, so never be afraid to ask for help and express vulnerability. Don’t wait on those around you to want to do the things you want to do, if there is a sight you want to see or a museum you want to visit, be the one to invite people with you. If you sit waiting for invitations all day, they are not guaranteed to come.
How does it feel to return to Verto, now in a professional role, and support students in a self-authorship journey that you followed yourself?
It is a dream come true, as cliché as that may sound. I really empathize with students at this phase in their life, and I want to do everything I can to help make their experience not only the best it can be, but also something they are proud to have gone through and one they feel made them a better person.
Want to see if a Verto start to college can work for you? Apply today to get started.
