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Paola Luchsinger

@paoluchsinger

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Bard College ‘20
Georgetown University SFS ‘25
🇻🇪🇪🇸🇺🇸🇬🇷
📍NY

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Sometimes no one is available to come with you. Sometimes summer is almost over.

So you pack your book, your journal, apparently not enough towels, and you go anyway. 🌊📖

My latest Substack is about going to the beach alone — but also about friendship, loneliness, rejection, the difference between solitude and isolation, and what I’ve learned from spending far too much of my life waiting to find “my people.”

I’ve always been good at doing things alone. The harder lesson has been realizing that independence doesn’t mean you stop wanting genuine companionship — and that you don’t have to postpone your life while you’re waiting for it.

New essay out now. Link in bio. taken in Jacob Riis Park by @paoluchsinger

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24 days ago

A full-circle moment, 10 years later. 🎓🌎❤️

What an honor to be featured in EF Academy’s alumni newsletter a decade after graduating!

My time at EF Academy was such a formative chapter of my life — and the first time I truly felt a sense of belonging. Being part of an international community shaped my love of languages, travel, and curiosity about the world in ways that have stayed with me ever since.

It’s surreal to look back at everything that’s happened in those 10 years — from EF Academy to Bard, studying abroad in Madrid, Greece as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, earning my master’s at Georgetown, and now beginning a new chapter as a writer. ✍️

So grateful to @efacademy for highlighting my journey and giving me the chance to reflect on just how far I’ve come.

Once an EF student, always part of a truly global community. 🌍

Here’s to the next 10 years. 🥂✨ by @paoluchsinger

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25 days ago

I finally started a Substack! ✍️

Consider this me letting my guard down the best way I know how.

I’ll be writing about navigating my twenties, a bit of trauma-dumping my, rediscovering my passion for writing, travel, culture, and whatever else I can’t stop thinking about.

My first post is officially live. Come read and subscribe 💌

Link in bio. by @paoluchsinger

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a month ago

Bergen is a charming, cozy Norwegian coastal city. After an unprecedented heat wave in Northern Europe, I was looking forward to rainy, cold weather. Very surprised to see a sizable Argentine community. Definitely enjoyed the Norwegian chocolate and brown cheese. 🇳🇴 🌧️ taken in Bergen, Hordaland by @paoluchsinger

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2 months ago

Halfway through my first summer as a proper New Yorker ⚽️ 🍹 ☀️ taken in Bushwick, Brooklyn by @paoluchsinger

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3 months ago

CAMPEONES DEL MUNDO!!!! 🇪🇸🏆
Sixteen years later, Spain is back on top of the world. The last time this happened, I was just 11 years old. I remember the celebrations, but this time I experienced something even more meaningful: seeing firsthand how football brings people together, no matter where they’re from.

A historic World Cup. A deserving champion. If only I were in Spain right now to celebrate.

¡Viva España! 🇪🇸 ⚽️ taken in The Vessel by @paoluchsinger

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3 months ago

Nothing like Scandi Summer 🇸🇪 taken in Stockholm, Sweden by @paoluchsinger

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3 months ago

ABBA-solutely loved Stockholm 🇸🇪 taken in Stockholm, Sweden by @paoluchsinger

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3 months ago

Nothing is rotten in the state of Denmark 🧜‍♀️ taken in Copenhagen,Demark by @paoluchsinger

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3 months ago

First half of 2026 has had plenty of ups and downs but lots of fun along the way. Grateful for celebrating old friends, making new ones, and a new beginning in Park Slope. Onwards, upwards, and lots of unpacking to go!! 🌃 taken in Brooklyn, New York by @paoluchsinger

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4 months ago

Last week my mother was honored with the Healthcare Heroes Latin Impact Award for her work as a developmental pediatrician. ❤️

Nearly 33 years ago, she immigrated to the United States from Venezuela to pursue her residency training, and since then has dedicated her career to advocating for children and supporting families within the Latino community.

Watching her compassion, resilience, and dedication over the years while showing up as a mother, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, and friend has been an inspiration for me. I could not be more proud. by @paoluchsinger

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5 months ago

Here is a story of growth. Exactly one year ago today, I got rejected by The Voice Spain. At the time, I was in the middle of finishing my Master’s, feeling lost, lonely, and honestly… unfulfilled. I had spent years pushing through academic, emotional, and professional challenges, yet still felt like something was missing. What’s wild is that 10 years ago, I wasn’t even sure I’d graduate high school. I struggled with test anxiety and a severe math learning disability, and no matter how hard I tried, I was never the “effortlessly successful” student or the well-rounded social butterfly. Just trying to keep up was exhausting. I’ve always struggled with rejection and allowed it to define my worth, but life doesn’t really give you the option to avoid it. Growing up, everyone and their mother promised college would be the best years of my life—that everyone would be so much nicer and more welcoming than in high school. I'd inevitably make lifelong friends despite my social anxiety and unorthodox interests not shared by many of my peers. That even if the first connections didn’t stick, “my people” would eventually come no matter how shy and socially awkward I was (still am). Sadly, God/The Universe had other plans so I became jaded, avoidant, and cynical after too many attempts that went nowhere, effectively resigning to a friendless existence. I was also struggling to keep up academically and dealing with situations where I felt like I couldn’t catch a break. If I knew I’d graduate into a global pandemic and lose two years of my early 20s, I wouldn't have cared so much about what people thought and would’ve deliberately continued exploring hobbies to meet people I had a bit more in common with. At 27, I am still learning, still unlearning, still putting myself out there, even when it’s uncomfortable and doesn’t go the way I hoped it would. 🎤 🎶 👩🏻‍🎓 by @paoluchsinger

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6 months ago