Shellsea de Leon is a Political Science major at UCSD studying abroad at Sciences Po in Paris, France. She has been studying French since her first year of high school and has loved every second of it. Shellsea is the first in her family to go to college and she wishes to make her academic career the best it can be to make her family proud. After graduation, Shellsea hopes to pursue a law degree and work as a lawyer or in a government agency like the Environmental Protection Agency. She writes, “In my class on climate change it has been very insightful to have conversations on the Paris Accord, but also on COP26 and how countries determine who is the most responsible for carbon emissions and pollution.” In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, hiking, or singing with her dad. While in France, she aims to fully immerse herself in the culture and its people and practice her French in order to become fluent. Shellsea writes that her comprehension of the French language has increased significantly. “I remember when I first came to France and I was absolutely confused as to what everything meant, even though I had years of learning the language. I think, however, thanks to my engagement and pursuit of taking French classes, it gave me an amazing opportunity to get more involved in the culture.”