Thomas Bayne, a Political Science major, is studying at University College Maastricht in the Netherlands. A native of Northern California, he came to UCSD after a period of pursuing artistic ventures in Los Angeles. He hopes to expand his knowledge of international political systems during his year abroad and bring such understanding back to the U.S. in hopes of creating a more efficient U.S. system. Outside of academics, Thomas enjoys film, literature and hiking. He has made trips to Budapest, Dublin, Amsterdam and Brussels thus far. Thomas writes that “the EAP experience has widened my idea of not only what profession I could enter but where I would practice that profession.” He has been hired by several organizations to photograph and report on events in Maastrict and hopes to start an internship in the field of journalism during the summer. He writes, “None of this would have been possible without the kindness and opportunity afforded to me by the Chris Borton Memorial Scholarship.”