Since 2018, the International Center has offered the Mark and Myra Sorensen International Travel Scholarship. This scholarship, offered biannually, is awarded to a student participating in an educational experience abroad - including study, internship, and volunteer experiences. While the scholarship is currently on hold due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, we thought it would be a great time to share a reflection written by a recent recipient of the scholarship, Emma Bohn. Emma traveled to Sydney, Australia to study abroad through the Ross School of Business during the Winter 2020 semester. Check out her reflection below!
"With the support of the Mark and Myra Sorensen International Travel Scholarship, I had the opportunity to spend just over two months studying business at the University of Sydney and exploring the vast country of Australia. I had always wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone and live and learn about business and life in another country. I was able to take two challenging international business courses and learn how business on the other side of the world is conducted. I also was given the opportunity to take two experiential learning classes about Australian culture through the outdoors and sports, it was absolutely incredible. The experiential learning classes allowed me to get outside the classroom and immerse myself in the Aussie lifestyle through attending important Australian sporting events and hiking the gorgeous national parks that are so important to the Australian people. I lived in an apartment complex with other international students from all over the world, spent time at local shops, cafes, and beaches, and learned to surf from a great group of locals. I grew so much as a person from this amazing experience. I am now more confident in myself, developed far better communication skills, and found my love for pushing my limits and learning in all scenarios. Before this opportunity if someone were to tell me I would leave my small community in Northern Michigan and spend time in a huge new city on the other side of the world and absolutely love it, I don’t know if I would have believed them. I left with lifetime friends, more knowledge and direction to help me pick a future career, and a new self confidence that I had been lacking beforehand. I cannot wait to get back to the school in the fall and bring my new business knowledge to the classroom and also share my experience and growth with my friends and family. I am so beyond grateful for my international experience and really believe that it helped me personally grow and that everyone should have the opportunity to live abroad when they are young. What I learned and personally accomplished while living on my own in Sydney are not things that I would have discovered had I not had the opportunity to go abroad. My experience in Sydney was more amazing than I could have imagined and I absolutely am taking what I learned from this experience into my academics, personal life, and future career."
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| Pictured: Emma Bohn surfing in Australia |
Interested in learning more about the Mark and Myra Sorensen International Travel Scholarship? Check out our website where you can also read more scholarship recipient reflections. Information about the next application process (for Winter 2021 travel) will be announced in the Fall.
