Cecilia Doherty grew up in a typical Boston suburb and considers herself adventurous. So two things were very important to her when considering colleges.

They needed to have lots of opportunities to study abroad, and experiential learning needed to be a priority.

Northeastern University checked both of those boxes.

Still, the third-year behavioral neuroscience student admits she was a little nervous sitting on the longest flight of her life, traveling to her first co-op in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Waiting for her was a six-month co-op with the Harpswell Foundation women’s leadership program.

Read more from Northeastern Global News.