When the majority of high school students think about their plans after high school, they think of applying to colleges in their current state and some colleges out of state, but still within the United States border. However, very little students open their minds to educational possibilities outside the U.S.

Many people dream of traveling the world, yet few make it into a reality. Senior Cambria Ort found her passion for traveling at a young age, and has been traveling most of her life.

“I travel to learn new cultures and open up my mind to what the rest of the world has to offer and experience new opportunities that I wouldn’t get by staying in the United States or just California,” Ort said.

Traveling has always been an independent avocation for Ort. Although her mother often worries about her traveling on her own, especially to places that are thought to be unsafe, she is very supportive.

“It’s kind of always been my own thing,” Ort said. “I just want to go travel and be more independent and learn about the world and be more knowledgeable about other cultures and other people’s views on the world.”

For the duration of her junior year, Ort lived in Argentina. She decided to study abroad there for a year before starting her senior year at CHS.

“Argentina was the most different and most eye opening for me,” Ort said. “The cities are really spaced out so you have to take a long bus ride if you want to get to Buenos Aires or other big cities. Or if you want to go to McDonald’s, that’s like a three hour drive. It’s just a lot different there.”

Although her mother was involved in the military, Ort does not feel that is the right choice for her. Inspired by her travels, Ort has found a way to incorporate her passion for travel into a fitting career.

“I was thinking about being a linguist, so just learn more languages, get to travel,” Ort said. “I definitely want to do something internationally, being able to travel and go to new places.”

Aiming toward her goal of being a linguist, Ort is currently learning Arabic, and can mostly read Portuguese because of how similar the two languages are. She has also thought about the possibility of going to international colleges.

“I applied to the University in Barcelona and in Madrid, and I also applied to two universities in Argentina, but those are more logistically speaking how I can get there and do everything there,” Ort said. “I really want to just study abroad as much as I can. I want to visit Asia, Korea, Taiwan, all over there and just go to places people don’t really go that often because the less touristy places tend to be the most interesting parts.”

Ort’s love for travel and exploration ultimately led her to the decision on going to an international college.

“I think it’s great for people to travel more,” Ort said. “A lot of people don’t really think about traveling as something you can actually do and people are afraid to go places, but if you see the good in people, going anywhere is great.”