Reghan Haley finds confidence through study abroad

When a study abroad representative visited senior kinesiology major Reghan Haley’s class near the end of her freshman year, the possibility caught her attention. Haley, from St. Clair Shores, Mich., had little experience traveling independently, but she began researching programs and spent the next year preparing. Eventually, she chose a program in Prague and boarded her first solo international flight.

“I didn’t know a single person going, and I flew by myself for the first time across the ocean,” Haley said. “It was scary.”

Like many students adjusting to an unfamiliar place, Haley initially felt overwhelmed. She was alone in her room, still learning how to get around and unsure where she would find food she liked. By the next morning, however, she had joined the other students on the tram and met the program guides.

“The guides were all so welcoming, and I could finally breathe again,” Haley said. She soon made friends she still keeps in contact with today and began settling into her new surroundings.

Learning to trust herself

Haley’s course in Prague explored the psychology of health and illness. Although the subject did connect with her interests, some of the most valuable lessons came from navigating daily life in another country and discovering that she could handle unfamiliar situations on her own.

After about two weeks, Haley took the tram into Prague’s Old Town alone early one morning. She explored the square, climbed a tower and attended a church service in the largest castle complex in Europe without waiting for someone else to go with her.

“I finally built up the courage after a few weeks of being there to do it alone,” Haley said. “Then I realized, I could totally do this again. I could be all alone. I didn’t have to be with a group.”

She returned to CMU with a different sense of what she could do. Haley said she had been shy through much of her life and rarely spoke with her instructors during her first years of college. After Prague, she became more willing to talk with people and pursue opportunities that once might have intimidated her.

“I came back last fall, and I was like a new person,” Haley said. “I felt like I had a different type of confidence. Not like I am the most confident person in the world, but now I get to be a teaching assistant and a supplemental instructor, something I would have never even considered had I not stepped outside of my comfort zone. I like having experiences where I am unsure and have to ask people for guidance. Now I can teach better, and I feel like I am better at communication, too.”

Finding direction at CMU

At CMU, kinesiology is one of the pathways within the exercise science program. Students examine how movement and exercise affect health and performance through science-based coursework, hands-on laboratories and an internship. The program can also prepare students for graduate study in areas such as exercise physiology and physical therapy.

As Haley became more comfortable seeking advice and exploring her interests, her professional goals also became clearer. She had initially considered becoming a physician assistant but realized physical therapy was a better fit. The field would allow her to continue learning about the body while helping people improve how they move.

Faculty mentors Dr. Thomas Masterson Jr. and Dr. John Andraka helped Haley picture what that future could look like. After returning from Prague, Haley joined the anatomy lab as an honors teaching assistant, where she worked alongside Masterson and Andraka. She credits Andraka, a physical therapist and professor, with helping her realize that physical therapy was the right path for her.

Those relationships also gave Haley people she could turn to as she considered another study abroad experience. Before leaving for Ireland, Haley remembers discussing with an advisor whether she should travel alone to Scotland for a weekend when Masterson walked into the conversation.

“We were discussing whether it would be safe for me to travel alone to Scotland from Ireland for the weekend, and I specifically remember Dr. Masterson saying, ‘If you were my daughter, I wouldn’t want you going alone ... but maybe that’s just because I watched all of the Taken movies last night,’” Haley said.

The joy and growth Haley experienced in Prague ultimately inspired her to study abroad a second time, this time in Limerick, Ireland. She knew more about what to expect and found herself reassuring a friend who was nervous about the trip. She also felt confident enough to take that weekend trip to Edinburgh on her own.

Haley researched the city, planned her meals and navigated the trip independently. She toured the castle, made her own Scottish handbag and booked a solo day trip with a larger group to the Scottish Highlands, where she met several other women traveling alone. One of her carefully selected meals was an enormous slice of Death by Chocolate cake for dinner.

“I ate it all by myself, and I enjoyed every single bite,” she said.

For Haley, confidence did not arrive before she decided to study abroad. It developed as she worked through uncertainty, accepted guidance and gained experience. She encourages other students to talk with people who have pursued opportunities they are considering and not to assume they must feel completely ready before taking the next step.

“You don’t have to be the most social person ever if you’re not,” Haley said. “Just put yourself out there and make yourself a little uncomfortable, and then it will get better. That is my favorite thing to do now, for sure.”