Staff Spotlight: Alison Westfall

Alison grew up on the doorstep of the Canadian Rockies and spent much of her early career studying, travelling, and working in Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia. She now works as part of an energetic and dynamic team at Stepabroad, bringing the opportunity to see the world while working and travelling to fellow young Canadians!

Although it's hard to pick just one, my favorite experience abroad was completing a yearlong student exchange in Paris. Living in a foreign country was an incredible way to experience a culture, and it helped me realize immense personal growth.

I made over 100 friends from around the globe, many of whom I am still in touch with today. While in Paris, we would frequently meet up for picnics under the Eiffel Tower. It was one of those moments when you can hardly believe that what you are experiencing is real. It’s a memory I will cherish for a lifetime.

Working at Stepabroad has been an incredibly rewarding opportunity, and I am very grateful to be able to be a part of such an amazing team. Working with the company made me realize that anything is possible, and there are no limits to the kinds of opportunities we can provide Canadian youth. It's just a matter of spreading the word about the opportunities available to them, which is what I'm here to do!

Hearing how much participants enjoyed living in a new place and experiencing life as a local is always exciting to me. Whether it's exploring a local market or discovering a local pastime, learning about new ideas and ways of doing things, it is always eye-opening for a young person.

Experiences like these widened my perspective and helped me appreciate other cultures as well as my own, so it is exciting to hear participants undergo similar experiences. When participants come back expressing greater personal and professional confidence, I feel proud to have been a part of that!

Tough choice – Japan is high on my bucket list and would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the culture, sights, and food in depth as a local as opposed to a tourist. But New Zealand is one of my favorite places on Earth because of its out-of-this-world beauty, laid-back vibes, and friendly culture so I would never pass an opportunity to live in the land Down Under!

What makes us unique is that our programs are designed specifically for Canadians by Canadians, so there is no chance of getting lost in a large global company.

It has been very rewarding seeing our program participants embark on the journey of a lifetime. It continues to make me more and more excited about the work we do here at Stepabroad. Our team consistently places our participants’ needs first, no matter which stage in the program they are on.

It's this level of dedication that makes me very proud to work here. When we hear the excitement from a newly registered participant, I feel like I get more excited than they are because I know how much fun they are about to have!

Critical to our success as a work abroad experience provider is putting our program participant's needs first and ensuring they feel confident they can rely on our team to support them every step of the way. It can be nerve-racking to take the leap and move to another country, so it is wonderful to hear from participants how we relieved their concerns and stress from planning a trip abroad.

That, and the fact that we are a friendly, non-judgmental group of travelers ourselves, who are eager and excited to answer any hesitations or questions so our participants can get on the work experience of a lifetime!