Hello, my name is TJ McCloskey and I am a rising senior in Pitt’s CBA program. I am studying finance and marketing and hope to work in the field of pharmaceutical sales after college. I take passion in many areas of schooling, such as my two majors. I believe these paths will help lead me to the field I wish to partake in after school. I have always seen myself as an outgoing, charismatic person. I am never afraid to introduce myself to someone new or strike a conversation. This has also helped me throughout my young professional career. Having an outgoing, open mindset has helped create many everlasting experiences and opportunities for myself, such this very study abroad program.

I am very grateful to be apart of the GBI Sydney Summer Abroad program. When deciding to study abroad this summer, I wanted to try and get the most out of my time overseas. That is one of the main reasons why I landed on Sydney as opposed to the other programs. Being so far away from Pittsburgh, I wasn’t sure if I would ever come back, at least anytime soon. I wanted to use this time to see this part of the world, the cultural differences, and the different walks of life. Even after only being abroad for 2 weeks, I have seen so many differences that are hard to come by in the states. These experiences have been eye-opening; it is hard to take everything in so fast and process it all.

Even though this is what I expected before coming over, I never would have guessed it to be this profound. My initial hope coming into the program was to see a positive growth in my character and young professional career. After 2 weeks, I confidently believe I will get what I wished for and more. Not only the places I visit, but the people I meet and relationships I build will further help my success and growth in my future.