Transformation Through Travel

Watching the planes go by

Aidan Howell ’22, an international relations major, grew up watching planes arrive and depart from the Portland airport from her family’s home in Camas, Washington. The thought of passengers crisscrossing around the world always excited her.

“One night during high school, I was sitting outside by the fire with my mom,” Aidan remembers. “As we watched the planes fly by, my mom looked at me and asked, ‘you just want to travel, don’t you?’”

Her mom was right.

Aidan pursued her passion for exploration, global studies and travel throughout high school and college. Eventually, she experienced international study during a semester abroad in Ireland through Linfield University.

Today, as a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines, Aidan flies regularly for work and enjoys travel benefits in her time off. It’s a career that allows her to see the world and take off from the very same airport she grew up around.

Choosing a globally focused college

Aidan participated in Running Start, a dual enrollment program in which high school students complete their last two years at a nearby community college and earn two years of college credit simultaneously. She took several courses from Clark College with global focuses, including Japanese and international relations. When she graduated from high school, she knew that she wanted her major to have a global focus as well.

“I think being around people that had so many different experiences than me at Clark College made me want to explore the world," she said. "I grew up in a small town that didn’t really provide me much global exposure, so I wanted to be exposed to new cultures and ideas in college.”

When it came to choosing a college, she considered multiple small schools, looking for one with a pretty campus, friendly people and the opportunity to study abroad. It became clear to Aidan that Linfield was the best option.

“Linfield had the best study abroad programs in my opinion because there were so many locations to choose from and they had the Jan term programs as well. Learning about that made me excited that the whole world was open to be explored.”

Adapting amidst uncertainty

While at Linfield, Aidan majored in international relations which allowed her to explore global cultures and systems, especially through the study abroad program.

“Originally, I was planning to go to Ireland and Japan back-to-back,” recalls Aidan. “Unfortunately, the pandemic altered those plans and traveling to Japan was no longer an option. Even though it’s not what I expected I still really enjoyed my time in Ireland, and I can’t wait to go back in the future.”

Despite COVID-19 complications, Aidan's adaptability allowed her to make the most of her experience.

Round-trip airfare provided

One challenge with study abroad for many students is affordability. 

“Intercontinental flights can cost several thousands of dollars and that’s unfortunately not feasible for many students.” 

Linfield removes this barrier by covering the cost of the round-trip airfare for every student’s first study abroad trip.

Experiencing independence abroad

Aidan’s study abroad journey was transformative, offering significant personal growth.

“It was the first time that I had experienced real independence,” she said. “One day I was downtown Dublin in the square and I had just gotten my bus card which I would be using for the first time. I couldn’t figure out which bus was going where. I finally found the screen that tells you and I found the bus I needed, number 16, but I was too far away from it to reach it on in time. I saw that the next one didn’t come for another 20 minutes, and it was getting dark, so I was nervous. I made it to my destination, but it was stressful.”

Experiences like these in an unfamiliar environment helped her navigate unfamiliar systems in the future without being phased by them.

A career in travel

Aidan's international experience fostered resilience and fueled her passion for travel. Since graduating from Linfield in 2022, she has worked as a flight attendant for Horizon Air and more recently, Alaska Airlines. It's a career that's fulfilling and allows her to see the world.

“I get to have a mini study abroad every day” Aidan says. “I feel like I’m fulfilling my dreams."