Blog Post

Part I: Profound Living, Looking Over The Horizon Line

Alyssa Nota • Jan 19, 2021

I come from a place where only hurricanes have names

Curator's Note: It is with special pleasure that I introduce you to Alyssa Nota. This is her first essay for Profound Living, but I have known her since 2013. That is when I spent three months teaching abroad in Torino, Italy for the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC). I have described (see, for example, La Sacra di San Michele) the deep and lasting impact that experience had on me. It so happens that Alyssa was the director of the program where I was teaching. You could not have asked for a more gracious, thoughtful leader than Alyssa. She made me, and all visiting students and faculty, feel welcome and gave us many learning opportunities.

Alyssa has moved onward and upward, she is now the CEO/President of USAC (www.usac.edu), and I will forever be in her debt.

More to the point. this is her first essay for us. She has considerable experience and wisdom (see her bio below), and I'm hoping this is just the first of many she shares with us. I think you will love it.

My mission is to inspire that same sense of adventure in students and to help them to pursue their global goals

Not long ago there were wildfires near where I live. It was my first time living in a region where fires have names. I come from a place where only hurricanes have names. The descriptive labels were new to me, as unexpected as the reports of flames igniting arid patches of land due to high winds and bad luck. That night I learned, like many things in life, it depended on the way the wind blew. One direction, all would be fine. Another direction, all could be lost.

The shaky voices of TV news reporters told me I should consider what I would take with me in the case I had to quickly evacuate. Much to my relief, very few material possessions came to mind. My passport was my immediate first thought. Family photos came next. Laptop, phone, wallet revealed my practical side. The ability to travel far, to treasure family memories, and to communicate: apparently those are my top three concerns, when my deepest self is pressed to decide.

Luckily, a rare steady mist of rain arrived and the fires dissipated. But the smooth weight of the passport in my hand was a sensation hard for me to let go. Those who know me would confirm that my passport is my oxygen and my inspiration – it is my most used document and form of identification, in every sense. Airplanes and airports are some of my favorite places. For most of my life, I have had a sky-seeking spirit and the good fortune to study, live, work and travel throughout the world. My fondest memories are linked to exploring – both new and known places, breathing in different cultures, footsteps falling on unfamiliar lands.

My love for that life of learning and discovery led to my career in international education. My mission is to inspire that same sense of adventure in students and to help them to pursue their global goals. As part of that career, in recent years, up to the pandemic, I have traveled almost monthly to places near and far. The eager suitcases permanently open on my bedroom floor can attest to that way of life. The pandemic has put that life on pause, but more than a year since my last significant journeys, I still feel the deep pull of the horizon. I anxiously await the next adventure, the next place the wind will take me.

For most of my life, I have had a sky-seeking spirit

Alyssa grew up on New England shores but was always drawn to what new worlds could be found beyond the horizon. She spent over 25 years living in Italy and has never stopped traveling, exploring, learning and writing. Her work and curiosity has brought her to over 30 countries so far. Working in international education for over 20 years, Alyssa aims to inspire that same love of learning and adventure in all students. Along the way her path crossed with Prof. Michael Kroth and she’s very grateful for the friendship and collaboration!