Leesa Truesdell founded Dreams Abroad in 2016 while studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. Originally started as a tribute to Leesa’s grandmother, Dreams Abroad has grown into an international community that supports its members through their journeys abroad. Leesa began the site by interviewing her friends and colleagues about their experiences teaching abroad, and Dreams Abroad has only continued to grow since then! Leesa now works with international students at Florida State University. She acts as an international student advisor, helping foreign students to enroll, work, and travel while in the United States.
Experiences Lead Us to Connections for Growth
I met Leesa through an internship program almost a year and a half ago. We immediately connected with one another as we discussed our experiences traveling abroad, especially regarding Madrid, Spain. At the time, Dreams Abroad was still focused on teaching abroad. It was exciting to watch as Dreams Abroad branched out into the site we see today. Leesa and I have worked together to produce new branches of Dreams Abroad. We have also worked to update our mission of creating a supportive community. Leesa has been a fantastic director and facilitator for the Dreams Abroad team. Our network exists today because of the connections that Leesa established with each and every one of us, and we’ve seen tremendous growth.
We Remember Our Roots
Leesa explains why she began Dreams Abroad. She talks about the small team that she began it with. Over the last few years, our team has grown to have approximately fifteen regular site contributors. Everyone has their own diverse backgrounds. Leesa discusses how she’s learned from our different team members. She admires how we are all able to work towards Dreams Abroad’s mission of sharing experiences and resources with each other and our readers. We thank all of our readers and viewers for keeping up with our team members, reading our articles, and participating in the Dreams Abroad community!
