Sisu /se-sü/ noun (determination, resilience, and composure in the face of adversity)

My name is Thomas Cole, and in the late summer of 2025, I will be embarking on a one-year study abroad trip to Finland. For years, I have dreamed of traveling to another country. I have had the honor to meet many exchange students, and through those experiences, I realized that I wanted to become an exchange student myself. I am eager to immerse myself in a new culture, meet amazing people, and learn as much as I can. My goal for this blog is to support my fundraising efforts while sharing my goals, experiences, and excitement, both during my preparation and throughout my time abroad.

Over the past several years, improving my fitness and lifestyle has been my main focus. I want to continue on this path by setting goals to stay fit and learn a new language. By sharing these experiences and insights, I aim to make them the central themes of my blog. I hope to connect with readers and inspire both myself and others to set goals and stay on track this year.

Fitness has always been incredibly important to me. From yoga, to weightlifting, to even running, my fitness journey has evolved since I started at the age of nine. Over the years, I've learned a lot and achieved great milestones, like running a 10k last year and reaching new personal bests in my workouts. I love staying active and enjoy Skiing and playing Soccer. Being physically and mentally prepared to face the challenges and experiences of my trip abroad will help me make the most of every day and achieve my goals.

My parents have always been supportive of my goals and have helped me throughout my life. I have so much love and respect for them. Now that I am getting older, I want to become more self-sufficient and start giving back to my parents rather than relying on them. One way I'm doing this is by raising all the money for my trip abroad myself. To Achieve this I have joined the Sponsor an AFSer program through AFS-USA. This online fundraising tool allows potential contributors to make easy, secure, and non tax-deductible contributions to my AFS program fee. I have been working part- or full-time since I turned 14, and I am ready to contribute all of the money I've saved up to my AFS program fee. Please consider donating to help support me.

I plan to make one blog post every Saturday, discussing my goals and progress, as well as sharing my thoughts and ideas on relevant topics such as consistency, motivation, and discipline. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and I hope that by following my journey, you can find success with your own goals and make 2025 the best year ever! I hope to promote dedication and share my excitement with all of you. I want to share my experiences and eventually help other students with the same dream study abroad.

To sponsor my AFS program, please click the Donate Now button to make a non tax-deductible contribution directly to my AFS program account.