Ali Johnson, the Tigers Abroad marketing intern, writes:

Hello there mates! My name is Ali Johnson, and I am the new Tigers Abroad Marketing Intern for Clemson University. I had the best summer of my life while studying abroad in North Queensland this past summer. I am so excited to be the new marketing intern for Tigers Abroad so I can tell you all of the amazing experiences I had while in Australia. Being an intern lets me share some of my favorite memories with y’all.

Ali feeding a kangaroo

One of the scariest and most exhilarating experiences might be diving under an extremely cold waterfall into a dark cave with twenty-one of my best friends, also known as my classmates. Another might be snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef and seeing a hammerhead shark swim right through our group! Not only did I get to measure the diameter of millions of trees in the Daintree Rainforest (the oldest rainforest in the world) but I also got to go up in a Canopy Crane at the Research Center and look down to see the amazing rainforest right below us.

I bet you’re thinking right now where all the lectures and classes and normal school activities come into play, but the best part about the North Queensland program is that every single second, you are learning something important. We learned all about the Aboriginal culture, ecotourism of Australia, marine life and sea creatures and so much more. We even got to stay with a host family and work on their farm. It was pretty neat being completely absorbed into the life of an Australian family. Did you know some of them only get their power from solar energy and their water through the rain? It’s amazing how eco-friendly Australia is!

Not only is Australia filled with gorgeous waterfalls and rainforests, but it’s also home to thousands of animal species. While I was in Australia I got to feed a kangaroo (pictured left), hold a koala, almost step on a python (pretty scary) and so much more. One of our many adventures was night canoeing. You could spot animals in the trees everywhere. Their eyes would glow in the dark and then when you pointed your flashlight on them you could see them. We saw tree kangaroos, bats, wallabies, platypuses and snakes!

I can’t wait to share all of my other adventures and advice about the programs. Cheers and talk to you soon!