Welcome all, my name is Lance McDermott and I’m currently a rising Junior at Pitt in the College of Business and Administration. I’m majoring in accounting and potentially pursuing a certificate in entrepreneurship and innovation. I’m from Montgomery County, about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia, and I’m the middle child between two sisters.

I’ve only been outside of North America once, to visit Jamaica, but besides that, the furthest place from home that I’ve visited is Mexico. Both were great trips, so hopefully my third and longest trip will be the best. Despite the distance from America, I’m looking forward to my time in Sydney. When I decided I wanted to study abroad this summer, it came down to Sydney or London, and ultimately I chose Sydney for three main reasons. First, Sydney offered the operations management class I needed to take, secondly, the beaches, and thirdly, the seafood. I’m a pretty simple person and I know my priorities.

One thing I am worried about heading into Sydney is  learning how to navigate a new city. Coming to Pittsburgh from Philadelphia was very confusing for me with the two-way bus lanes, so I’m sure Sydney will be ten times harder to get used to considering all the vehicles drive opposite the way we do. It’ll take a few weeks, but hopefully I will be able to get it down.

All in all, I’m looking forward to the trip and can’t wait to see what Sydney has in store for me.