Summer Series: Nicole Kuhl

07/15/2026 | Women's Lacrosse

Hi, 'ders!

My name is Nicole Kuhl, and I am a junior attacker on the Richmond women's lacrosse team. After a very eventful first half of the summer, I am now typing this from home and reminiscing about the past two months.

I started my summer off strong by celebrating my cousin's wedding in Cabo, Mexico. Not only did this gorgeous event set the bar for all future weddings, but it also helped jog my high school Spanish ahead of my upcoming study abroad trip.

Following the wedding, I spent five weeks in Seville, Spain, through Richmond's Academics and Athletics study abroad program. Teammates Reagan Quinn, Maggie Mullen, Keating Hopkins and I began our adventure with two days in Madrid before taking the train to Seville.

Class ran from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every day. Because the course was condensed into just five weeks, it was pretty intense, with a quiz and an exam each week, along with three oral exams. While in Seville, my classmates and I took a paella cooking class, attended a flamenco show, toured an olive oil factory, visited Matalascañas Beach, explored the cities of Córdoba and Granada, and toured countless cathedrals. We also had two free weekends to travel elsewhere in Spain. A handful of my classmates and I visited Barcelona and Mallorca, where we had the best time ever!

The program felt a lot like a retreat because you are with your classmates all the time and immersed in a completely new environment. I can honestly say I had the best classmates and professors, and I learned so much during my time there. Now, I should mention that I am still nowhere near fluent in Spanish, but I can order my croissant and cappuccino in perfect Spanish, so I'll take that as a win!

Just when I was getting the hang of rolling my R's, the program sadly came to an end, and it was time to head to London and Edinburgh, Scotland. Maggie, Keating and I met up with teammates Anya Wardle, Chloe Conti and her sister, Bella, for the final leg of our European summer. It's impossible to fit everything we did into one paragraph, so here's the highlight reel.

In London, we visited Borough Market and had the most incredible black pig sandwich, which I am still dreaming about. We also checked out all the major landmarks and even scored last-minute tickets to Harry Styles' concert at Wembley Stadium, which was arguably even more unforgettable than the sandwich. In Edinburgh, we fully embraced our inner Harry Potter fans by visiting filming and inspiration sites before venturing into the Highlands, where we saw "hairy coo" cows and the famous Hogwarts Express train.

After a jam-packed seven weeks abroad, I sadly said goodbye to my friends until August. For the rest of the summer, I'll be getting back into my workout routine, spending time with family and friends, and heading out on a surprise trip for one of my best friends.

On deck is fellow junior Chloe Conti, who will update you all about her adventures studying abroad in Italy!