What brought you to UPEI? Why did you choose to study here?

I'm from West Covehead, PEI, and part of the reason I went to UPEI was because of my connection to the school—having parents, family members and many friends who have graduated or are currently going to UPEI—another big reason honestly is that there are a lot of funding opportunities for Island students to attend UPEI, which really helps with tuition.

How did you find out about the opportunity to study abroad?

I always had an interest in studying abroad and I knew about the program at UPEI before I applied. I figured out where I would fit the experience within my Anthropology and Sociology degree, and then I talked to a few people who had also done an experience abroad and kept up with their social media. 

Where did you travel and what were the main highlights of your experience abroad?

I had the opportunity to study at the University UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium. Truly there are so many highlights that it’s hard to choose just a few! During the welcome/orientation week that was put on by the host university, I was able to meet other exchange students from all around the world and it was great since for most of us, it was our first time in Brussels and we didn’t know anyone. The program had really great language and culture integration courses and activities like a city tour, trying famous Belgian foods, and even a Belgian waffle workshop!

Brussels is right in the heart of Europe, and I remember being shocked that I could travel to France in 30 minutes, or that Amsterdam was just a bus ride away. The biggest highlight though would be the people I met. I remember being super nervous at first, showing up to a country where I didn’t know anyone but I’m so glad I did because it gave me the opportunity to meet the best people who I would spend my entire study abroad experience with, travelling through Europe together, and now we've become friends for life.

How do you feel the experience of studying and living in another country will impact your future plans?

Once I had the experience of studying and living in another country, I was able to show myself how doable it actually is and from this, I definitely want to look into doing an internship or graduate degree abroad, or maybe even eventually end up having a career abroad as well. I'm really glad I chose to study abroad because it's really rounded out my education. Experiencing different cultures, learning in different environments, and learning different languages, it's a huge part of the experience—proving to yourself what you can do with abilities to adapt, learn, connect and be “uncomfortable”. 

"I remember being super nervous at first, showing up to a country where I didn’t know anyone but I’m so glad I did because it gave me the opportunity to meet the best people who I would spend my entire study abroad experience with, travelling through Europe together, and now we've become friends for life."

What would you say to a student considering a UPEI study abroad experience?

Do anything you can to make it happen! As someone who first thought that maybe studying abroad wasn’t realistic for me because of the cost and anxiety that may come with the experience, having gone through it all I assure you it's possible. There are multiple funding opportunities available and extra support and I always tell people that it took a lot of work and worry to make it happen but I would do it all 10 times over.