Author: Anna Fryar | Major: Exercise Science | Semester: Summer 2025

I am standing in the historic streets of Gamala Stan, which date back to the 1500s.

Fika, Forests, and Friendships- My Stockholm Study Abroad Hej! My name is Anna Fryer and I am a rising junior in the College of Education and Health Professions studying Exercise Science with a minor in Biology on the Pre-PA track now, but we will get to that later. I am finishing up my summer session with DIS Stockholm taking the Medical Diagnostics course with Dr. Eleni Tsamantioti. When I was choosing where I wanted to study abroad, Sweden was not on my radar, but I was attracted to the DIS Medical Diagnostics course. This due to the fact that I work at a family medicine clinic in Fayetteville and learning the “why” behind why people are diagnosed would help me to further my academic and medical career (and it also filled an upper-level biology elective spot for my minor). Upon further research, I found out Sweden leads the world in sustainability initiatives, which is one of my interests. They are also a leader in preventative healthcare, which is what I truly am passionate about. Additionally, I have grown up travelling, but have never been anywhere in Scandinavia and was eager to check it out. Dr. Tsamantioti’s class has been very good at defining what I want to do, while also being very engaging by using a variety of teaching methods- we have a lecture about 2 days a week, presentations 2 days a week, and go on field studies the rest of the time. We had a lot of freedom with our presentations; one that stands out to me was my final presentation. I chose to research Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and its effects on insulin resistance, as this is something I have struggled with my whole life. It was nice to be able to educate my peers on this, especially the males, as lots of students have never heard of this condition before. Today, we got the opportunity to go to Karolina Institutet Mammography Center and learn about research on preventing breast cancer being done by Magnus Bäcklund, M.D., Ph.D. A group of my friends I made while on the trip and I decided to go to Budapest, Hungary this past weekend because we found some cheap flights. Even though Hungary flew under my radar, it ended up being one of the most culturally-rich and unique places I’ve been to. We got to see many of the beautiful castles and architecture, a hospital built into a cave for WWII, eat lots of Hungarian and Mediterranean cuisine, and talk to locals. My favorite thing to do while abroad is to follow the Michelin Guide, and we got to eat at 2 Michelin restaurants in Budapest- one was a traditional Hungarian tasting menu serving goulash, chicken, cottage cheese balls, and pork neck, and the other was an Iranian restaurant serving the best food of my life! During study abroad, I decided I wanted to switch from Pre-Med to Pre-PA. Although this might not seem like a huge decision, I’m very proud of myself and thankful that I have finally landed on a career path I feel at peace about. I decided I want to prioritize living fully, which to me means less school. Study abroad allowed me time to myself to think without outside voices and give myself space to be me.