Class Year: 2026 
Major/Minor: Environmental Studies major; Data Science minor
Program: IFSA University of Wollongong, Australia
Identities I can speak to students about: STEM major
Program specific experiences I can speak about: Enrolled in a course at a local university
Favorite experience:
My favorite experience was visiting Queenstown, New Zealand. While I loved all of Australia, I will never forget New Zealand. The scenery is stunning with a variety of topography and it seemed like around every corner there was another view that I wanted to take a picture of. I also visited on the way to Australia, so this was my first experience of the semester with the people who would become my close friends.
What course/internship experience during your global study semester allowed you to learn something new and exciting?
I was enrolled in a course called The Future of Food which discussed the food system and how we can incorporate sustainability into our food production cycles. Not only was the topic very interesting to me, there were multiple field trips that took me to places in the area that I would not have been to otherwise and showed me somewhat niche aspects of the Australian and global food system.
How have your global studies related to one of the 7 Enduring Skills?
My study abroad experience in Australia was impactful for many reasons, but it was highly instrumental in increasing my adaptability skills. Despite being a English-speaking country, there were many times when I was surprised by a cultural norm that caused me to adjust my perspective. Other times, I simply wasn't informed about how things worked and had to change my plans quickly. Also, the Australian university experience is quite different from the American experience, and at the beginning, it was hard to know what to expect and how to adapt my expectations of how I thought school should work.