Hannah Strange, Florida Down Under marketing intern, writes:

Hannah in North Queensland

It has been more than two years since I got back from my Florida Down Under programs. But I just found out I am the new FDU Marketing Intern and this has led me to procrastinate away most of the last week staring at pictures of my program on Facebook. With one conclusion: I love traveling.

This was hardly a surprising conclusion, unlike many of the students on my program, Australia was not my first dabble into international travel. Since age 16, I have been seriously obsessed with traveling, tourism and anything remotely related.

This year I am returning to UF as a Tourism graduate student, I was born and raised in South-East England and after I graduate I fully intend to join the field of international education. It is my true belief that traveling, and specifically study abroad, is one of the most educational, eye-opening, exhilarating experiences a person can have. According to my colleagues, I literally light-up anytime anyone mentions travel.

In 2009, I stepped onto my fourth and fifth continents to complete the North Queensland and Fiji programs with 21 other students from UF and the University of Montana. I snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, camped in the Outback, night-walked the Daintree Rainforest, saw a concert in the Sydney Opera House, threw a boomerang, stayed in a Fijian village, participated in a Kava Ceremony and made such good friends that I have since lived with three of my fellow travelers. Oh, and I also decided on a career in study abroad. No big.

Hannah in the Outback

As such it would be safe to say that my Florida Down Under programs had a considerable impact on my life today. My friends will attest that I yap on about study abroad to anyone who will listen. I constantly find myself telling people to just FIND a way to make it work. And THAT is why I am so excited to be the new Marketing Intern for Florida Down Under. If you thought I talked about study abroad before, just wait, now it’s my job…