As Linfield welcomes the spring with great weather and enthusiasm, senior Gabe Wells begins his last semester as an undergraduate student with heightened anticipation of what is yet to come in his next chapter of life – graduate school.

Wells has recently been accepted into the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna where he will be relocating to this coming September to pursue a Master’s in Advanced International Studies.

“While studying abroad in Austria fall of my junior year, I found Vienna to be a second home, and I knew I had to find a way to come back,” Wells said.

A friend of Wells’ who also studied abroad in Vienna during that semester brought the Academy to his attention last October.

“It seemed an ideal way to continue my education as well as return to one of my favorite cities in the world,” Wells said.

The M.A.I.S. includes a year of exploration in which Wells will study various fields including political science, international relations, economics and international economic relations, contemporary history, as well as international and European law.

The second year will culminate in an interdisciplinary Master’s Thesis synthesized from the two years of study.

Wells will additionally be taking language courses in both German and French.

“I am very much passionate about the material I will be learning about, as well as the goals of the program itself,” Wells said.

Wells will have the opportunity to delve deep into top-tier training that the Academy’s M.A.I.S. program offers in the fields of global issues and politics.

“The excitement of returning to Vienna, my passion for the program’s subject matter, my desire to pursue fluency in German and French, and the mystery of what opportunities will arise during the next two years are all equally thrilling to consider,” Wells said.

“I feel very lucky to be able to participate in this program,” Wells said.