Our study abroad program has officially come to an end, and it feels like it has gone by in the blink of an eye. Just yesterday, I was waiting at the gate for my flight to depart, and I was full of excitement and jitters just thinking about what being across the world would be like. Now, here I am, jet lagged and back to experiencing life back in normal standard eastern time, but reflecting back on these 6 weeks, in awe of all the opportunities I was able to accomplish and do. When I first began my study abroad in Australia, I had set three goals for myself, between my internship and just growing as a person.
My first goal was to become better equipped with the Customer Relationship Management system that would be used as the primary website during my internship. Unfortunately, I only learned the basics of the website since tickets were not officially on sale yet, but I was able to become better equipped with Canva and the different ways I can utilize it in school and for projects. I was also able to enhance my knowledge of the website and what it will have to offer in the future in terms of AI as I was able to sit on a meeting with representatives of Canva to explain how Hoops Capital can utilize Canva to market and advertise the Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames.
My second goal was to enhance my social and developmental skills both in the classroom and in my internship, and I believe that I have done that. In the classroom, I was only in a class of nine students, so a lot of the class was having discussions with the professor and with fellow classmates. I talked in every class, voicing my opinions, and I was able to engage my social skills. In my internship, I was able to hone in on my developmental skills, as I had to adapt to a new environment and culture, and adjust to the pace of my coworkers and tasks I was assigned. As for my last goal, I wanted to gain meaningful connections that would benefit me in my future, and I believe I was successful in doing that. I have made great relationships with my supervisor and coworkers at my internship, and I also participated a lot in class and did well on my assignments, which made an impact on my professor. I know I can always reach out to my supervisor or professor for letters of recommendations or for constructive feedback if I ever need. I also made meaningful friendships on this trip that I also know will stay with me for the rest of my life.
In terms of transferable skills I’ve developed both in my internship and in the classroom, like stated previously, my social skills have definitely enhanced as did my time management and communication skills. I also have become more understanding of my peers and being put in different environment and learning to adjust. I think my biggest takeaway was adaptability and work ethic/dependability. In my internship, my supervisor gave me the task of completing the prospectus for the Sydney Kings and the Sydney Flames. She would give me the general idea of what information I should include, but for the rest of it, she gave me full creative freedom to make it however I saw fit and to put my own spin on it. Though I was nervous that she would not like my finished product, I was able to develop my creative side, and she ended up loving it. I developed my work ethic, and she knew she could depend on me for more complex tasks in the future. These skills will remain with me the rest of my time in the Pitt Business school, and in the future with both professional and academic opportunities. Your work ethic is one of the most important factors that will determine how others view you, so having a developed work ethic matters greatly.
With all of that said, my time abroad in Australia has changed who I am professionally and socially in many different ways, and will benefit me in the future greatly. I have grown more independent and appreciate the way I have been raised and the respect that has grown amongst different cultures. I noticed in myself that I am always willing to try new things and learn from new experiences and I can’t wait to see what my future has in store for me!
