Having the opportunity to study abroad in Sydney has been life changing. I have been able to gain new experiences, new skills, new memories, and new friends and I am so thankful to be able to have had this opportunity. 

At first, traveling to a new country alone was very intimidating but that feeling quickly left when I landed and met so many amazing people. The staff not only for the program but also at the building we lived in were so helpful and kind. I remember walking into the CAPA building and the staff always greeted us by name and were so helpful with any questions or helping us with anything we needed. The professors were also incredible and I learned so much from them while having fun along the way. The staff at my work experience were also amazing. They were so welcoming and made me feel at home. I also met amazing people on the program and I was so lucky to have such amazing roommates and we were able to explore not only Sydney, but other parts of Australia as well. We were able to take a weekend trip up to Cairns where we were able to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef and experience some warm weather since Sydney was pretty chilly most of the time I was there. 

I was able to grow so much over the 6 weeks that I spent in Sydney. I was able to learn so many new soft and hard skills, as well as improve skills that I already had as well. I also was able to learn so much about international finance as well as career development in the two classes that I took while in Sydney. I was able to learn how to adapt to new situations and be able to manage my time properly since so much was jam-packed into the time that I was there. I am able to transfer these skills into my classes at Pitt since I took a finance class that gave me more knowledge for my major, as well as the time management and adaptability skills. Also, I am able to use my improved Excel skills for my classes at Pitt, as well as for my job in Pittsburgh and my future career as well.  I will also be using the skills from my career development class when I am searching for jobs after college. We completed updated resumes, LinkedIn profiles, as well as mock interviews using our study abroad and work experience. This gave me great practice and we were given super helpful feedback that I have utilized and will continue to utilize in the future. 

Overall, studying abroad in Sydney was a life changing experience that allowed me to gain so much knowledge and meet so many amazing people. I feel so lucky that I was able to study and work in Australia and have these new and improved skills that will help me academically and professionally, as well as these amazing memories forever.