Cassandra is currently a first-year medical student at A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri. While Cassandra majored in Swedish mainly for personal reasons - to reconnect with her heritage and her Swedish relatives, she found the degree has helped her in many unexpected ways. First, during her time in the Scandinavian Studies Department, she found her Swedish classes provided a nice contrast to her basic science classes. Her double major in biology and Swedish meant that she was taking basic science classes with 700 students and Swedish classes with 8 or 10 students. Since she was studying a language, it was the same small cohort taking Swedish classes each year, which provided opportunities to really get to know your classmates and build community, which was lacking in the large science classes. Second, her study abroad in Sweden provided an opportunity to meet people from all over the world. It was her first time living on her own and in a foreign country and was a great experience - “the best summer of my life.” Finally, her Scandinavian Studies degree and study abroad in Sweden proved to be of interest to medical schools when she was interviewing. Most told her that she stood out because the degree was so unusual or interesting, and they were impressed that she could speak Swedish. Cassandra believes “that my degree and study abroad experience helped me to stand out from other applicants, which played a role in my being accepted!” In addition, she is now able to speak Swedish with her relatives in Sweden, which has deepened her relationship with them.