My experience in Sydney for the semester was unmatched. I was given the opportunity to immerse myself in many experiential learning situations that I would have not gotten the chance to do at home. Personally, I have learned that I am a very independent person, and that independence grew tremendously over the last four months I spent abroad. I was able to achieve all of the goals I have and will set out for myself in years to come. From an academic and professional perspective, I have seen growth in myself through the soft skills that I developed. I believe that the University of Pittsburgh and the organizations which I am involved in on campus helped me gain important technical skills that I will take with me after college. Studying abroad taught me more effective communication skills and assimilating to a different culture than my own. That is a skill that is difficult to gain when not traveling internationally. Coming from a small town in Pennsylvania, I did not realize all the world had to offer. I was confined where I was, but I had the ambition to expand my horizons. From this study abroad experience, I found that I want to work and live in a different country post graduation. Being able to now understand culture better will be extremely beneficial for me to accomplish this goal. I plan on using the skills I gained in Sydney, Australia when coming back to Pitt Business. I want to enroll in more internationally and globally focused courses because again working and living overseas is one thing I know for sure that I want to do in the future.

I would like to take this time to thank Pitt Business for choosing me as one of the Pitt Business Scholarship recipients, and a very special thank you to my donor who helped make my goal of studying abroad a reality. With the help of this scholarship, I was able to achieve my educational goal through studying abroad in Sydney. I was able enroll in classes was as well as take on an internship position. I have learned so much in Australia over the past few months which I would not be able to do without this scholarship.