Why did you decide to study abroad with GlobaLinks at AUT?
Kathleen: My school had many options for study abroad programs, both within our campus and third-party programs. I attended a study abroad fair on campus and met with some people from Australearn. They told me about the amazing experiences other students had and all the opportunities Australearn gave to study abroad participants. As for going to AUT specifically, I wanted to be in the hub of NZed and I got that in Auckland.
Champlain College has around 2000 students and I wanted my study abroad to be completely different, so I choose to go from my small school in Vermont to a huge school in a major city. It was a great decision because there was tons to do during the week but it was also easy to travel all over New Zealand from there! Plus they had great classes for marketing majors where I got to see a different perspective from my school at home.
What made your study abroad experience unique and special?
Kathleen: I think if you talk to anyone about New Zealand a huge part of what they will tell you is the adventure! I love being outside and active which is a big reason I went there. Australearn had a great orientation program where I met some of my best friends, who I stay in close touch with still. Within the first week of being in the country I had been zorbing, black-water rafting, and met a group of amazing people.
I was able to travel all over New Zealand as well as Fiji and Australia during my time abroad and did tons of crazy adventure sports, skydiving, zip-lining, bungee jumping and 4 wheeling just to name a few. I think New Zealand instilled a sense of adventure, confidence and independence in me that I did not know was possible.
Kathleen: Studying abroad definitely impacted my future and the way I look at life. Before going abroad I figure I would go to school, get a job and that would be that. I had traveled before but usually just on family vacations. New Zealand left me with a need to see more of the world. After graduation I decided to take some more time to travel and got my TEFL Certification and taught English in Spain for a little while. I have recently gotten a job that combines my interests in marketing and travel where I am able to visit places for my job.
When looking for a job I knew I would need something where I could continue to see the world. AUT also allowed me to see my future career from the perspective of another country. I had 2 classes where I was the only American and it was really enlightening to see how the New Zealand perspective differed from what I had been taught. It make me want to find out more about careers internationally in marketing as well. My friends make jokes about me being the crazy traveler and I don’t argue because the adventure I have had have been absolutely worth living a slightly different life from the textbook one laid out before us.