Good afternoon from global city Sydney! Before I discuss how amazing Australia has been so far, let me introduce myself and a little bit of background on why I chose Sydney for studying abroad. My name is Stephanie Rodi and I am a rising senior Business Information Systems and Supply Chain Management student also pursuing a certificate of Leadership and Ethics. I am a part of Pitt’s marching band and service fraternity MKY, a member of Air Force ROTC and their service based club AAS, and a member of Pitt’s Ski club.
One of the main reasons I chose Pitt as my university was the amazing study abroad opportunities available to their students, and I am so glad to have finally been able to join one. As to why I chose Sydney, Australia, this was because of the ability to achieve a guaranteed internship along with taking a class. Being able to gain cultural immersion in work experience, time management, and independence in a new country in addition to the skills I can learn on the job made this an invaluable experience I knew I would want to do. I have not had an internship yet and thought that this would be the best way to get my first real experience and continue to develop myself professionally. On a more touristy note, I also wanted to come to Australia because I have only been out of the country to Canada. I thought traveling the whole way across the world would be a great way to engage with a completely new culture and way of life.
Within the first week of the program, I have noticed how absolutely beautiful Sydney is. From the very moment we landed, my friends and I have realized how friendly and environmentally conscious the entire city is. There is almost no littering on the streets and everything just seems so clean and healthy. Even the food options in the grocery store or when going out to eat are all much more health conscious. People can be seen at all hours of the day on a run and at any point my friends and I feel safe to walk around together or by ourselves. We arrived right before the start of one of the biggest light festivals of the year, and it has been amazing to see the whole city light up with different attractions every night. A favorite part of mine would be the random, gigantic lit up frogs all around different spots of the city, some even having speakers to play their croaks. All around there are different spots and beaches to explore that every night we all go and find something new to do. There have also been many places we’ve gotten to explore all together so far, such as the picture below where our group went to the Blue Mountains last weekend. The views were insane! My internship is great as well, as I am learning so much on the job already and everyone in the workplace is so excited to get to know someone new.
All in all, I am excited to see how much I can explore and learn on this journey and hope to equip myself with valuable skills and perspectives that I can use in my future endeavors.
