What is your favorite travel memory?
I have many great memories from my own travels overseas, however one memory that is always told to people planning to travel in Australia is of my visits to Uluru.
Uluru is a massive sandstone monolith in the centre of Australia located within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. This area is sacred to the Australian Indigenous people and has an incredibly spiritual feel, In addition to it's awe inspiring natural beauty.
Watching the sunrise and see the changing colors of Uluru would have to be one of the best travel moments I have experienced.
How have you changed/grown since working for your current institution?
My own interest in the transformative potential of study abroad was sparked by my own personal growth since working for Arcadia University.
Meeting such amazing students and not only sharing my own country and culture with them but having it reciprocated by learning about our students lives has certainly expanded my own worldview.
In addition, we are are constantly working to ensure our program is based on key learning outcomes and enhanced opportunities for critical reflection to provide the best opportunity for our students to learn and grow. This has no doubt assisted to my own personal growth and understanding of my country and its place within the world.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
The most memorable story I have heard was of a returning student having such an inspiring experience that they commemorated it by getting a tattoo on their back. The tattoo contained various scenes and elements that represented key moments of their semester.
It's amazing to see how powerful of an experience study abroad can be for students represented in such a way.
If you could go on any program that your institution offers, which one would you choose and why?
While I would love to go on any program we offer new things are always exciting. We have just finalized a new University of Queensland STEM Research program which would be great to be on the other side of.
Having access to the world leading facilities of the University of Queensland and being able to extensively research an area of personal interest would be very exciting and rewarding. Add in living at Southbank in South Brisbane which is a bustling area on the river complete with gardens, outdoor public swimming lagoon, restaurants, markets and art events and it just sounds like such a great experience.
We have also organized a bunch of great extracurricular experiences that gives students the opportunity to explore the surrounds of Brisbane, which include hikes, beach time and surfing, when they aren't working on their research. The weather in Queensland at that time of year is also perfect!
What makes your institution unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
Arcadia University, The College of Global Studies has always focused on providing not just a safe and exciting study abroad experience, but an educational one.
As I previously mentioned, we spend a lot of time ensuring that everything we do, from our orientation program to our extracurricular program, has been developed with key educational aims in mind.
Study abroad is such an amazing opportunity to explore, experience and grow that having staff that have the education, training, and desire to assist in that journey is certainly unique. I am always proud of the work our team does.
