University of Iowa graduate Danielle Dahl loves three things — life, newness, and adventure.

“Traveling has taught me everything I value in life,” Dahl said.

The 30-year-old has traveled to more than 25 countries, including Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, and she has lived in Austria, Romania, the UK, and Greece.

She is fluent in German and Greek and has functional knowledge of Romanian and Turkish.

“I am a very adventurous person,” Dahl said. “I love to travel and see new things, but I want to put all of it to practical use.”

The Davenport native was one of 14 Americans accepted into Young Turkey/Young America. This program pairs up 28 individuals from the two countries and gives them the opportunity to collaborate on specific projects. Dahl and her Turkish counterpart will travel between the two countries to work on women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship as well as developmental issues.

“I really want to improve relations between people — get them to love other cultures in addition to their own,” Dahl said.

Dahl received a bachelor’s degree in international studies with a focus in international relations and politics as well as entrepreneurship.

Her father, Leon Dahl, said his daughter has always been ready for challenges, new and different.

“Danielle has always been interested in other people — she has a great curiosity for anything new to her,” he said.

After graduating from high school, Danielle Dahl bought a one-way ticket to Europe and stayed there for a year. Since then, she hasn’t stayed in one place very long — but in every country she finds a piece of home.

“The world is very interconnected,” Dahl said. “To get into a conversation with someone in Hungary about a decision made here in the U.S. that has really affected their lives over there is insane.”

And when we see people speaking a foreign language, they may be more similar to us than we think.

“They are very, very much like us,” she said. “They worry about passing their next exam or getting a speeding ticket — we have the same cares and concerns.”

There is still something special about being home, Dahl said, and being abroad lets her see what makes Iowa City unique.

Dahl seems at home in other cultures, said her boyfriend, Aaron Rogers, a frequent travel partner.

“When you travel with someone, you only have that person to rely on,” Rogers said. “I got to see insight on who she is and why she is the way she is.”

Rogers said the Young Turkey/Young America program is “exactly who and what she is” and called it a “first base for her future” — a future that may even involve the U.S. State Department, where Dahl aspires to work.

But more than anything, her future undoubtedly involves travel — and anything else life throws her way.

Because, as Dahl says, “the only thing in life that ever truly stops you is yourself.”