International Experiences

As the world's attention has recently been turned to the international stage of the Olympics, William & Mary's focus remains as always on our international programs and opportunities. In addition to the 700 William & Mary students who study abroad each year, hundreds of students also work, travel, and volunteer outside of the United States. The William & Mary community is spread internationally by the hundreds of exchange students we host and send abroad each year. For example, Monroe Scholars like fellow supervisors Mirielle and Landon, received scholarships supported by the Annual Fund to do research abroad. Whether you attend an Olympic volleyball match while studying abroad in Beijing (as my friend Jessica did two years ago), volunteer in an orphanage in the Dominican Republic (as the Orphanage Outreach service trip does each Winter Break), or teach English in Indonesia after graduation (as  fellow Alpha Phi Omega brother Julia is now), the lessons and perspectives you learn at William & Mary are carried with you. My William & Mary education has taught me to think beyond the here and now and instead think comprehensively and internationally; the professors and mentors I have interacted with as an undergraduate have inspired me to seek experiences abroad and ingrained in me a curiosity for that beyond my own backyard.

Personally, my international experience started as a freshman and will continue beyond graduation. As a freshman, I had the opportunity to travel with the W&M Geology Department to the Chihuahuan Desert that straddles the US-Mexico border. Although we were camping for two weeks in Big Bend National Park on the US side of the Rio Grande, there were a few instances where our field work took us across the river onto Mexican land. Whether this is a true international experience or not, it is still remarkable that my first experience outside of the US was field work with the Geology Department! After graduation, I will be living and volunteering in Losho, Kenya with the William & Mary Maasi American Student Association. We will be working on public health and education for a month, and despite my parents' fears, I cannot wait!

One of my most remarkable experiences is my time spent studying abroad in Auckland, New Zealand. I took marine science and geology classes with Kiwis, learned their lingo (Chur bro! Grab your togs and we'll tramp down to my batch!), and learned about indigenous Maori culture in a Kapa Haka dance class (yes, there is a YouTube video). Outside of school, I had the opportunity to go Zorbing (aka rolling down a hill in an oversized hamster ball), hike the majestic peaks of the Southern Alps, climb a glacier, see a play at the Sydney Opera House, and get a tan in Fiji. Whether I was watching cricket with my flatmates, catching a rugby match with my buddies from class, or just enjoying a "cuppa" and kebab down at the harbor, every New Zealand moment was magical. Although I would love to go back, the travel bug has bitten me and like many other W&M students, I have so many places I want to travel first!