Megan Andreasen talks about her experience of studying in North Queensland, Australia, in May 2018. She writes:

Hello everyone! My name is Megan Andreasen and I am currently studying environmental science at the Ohio State University. I am from New Jersey, where I spent most of my childhood at the Jersey Shore and in the Atlantic Ocean. I have always been amazed by the strength and immensity of the ocean; my mom used to drag me out of the ocean during the summers. When choosing a major to study in college, I wanted to make sure I could still relate it to my passion for the ocean. I am currently specializing in water science, with hopes of going to graduate school for oceanography.

I always knew I wanted to travel the world, I do not like staying in one place. The world is so vast and beautiful and I want to see it all. I began to explore my options for studying abroad as soon as I entered college. Australia immediately sparked my interest; the thought of studying the Great Barrier Reef and the vast wildlife of North Queensland intrigued me. I did not think that a study abroad program was within my reach financially. I was determined to make it affordable and applied for many scholarships. After careful consideration and extensive planning, I was admitted into the Australia program and bought my flight across the world! I was not prepared for how much gratitude and self-discovery I would encounter on this trip.

The opportunity to explore the Daintree Rainforest, the Australian outback, agricultural land, and the Great Barrier Reef within a 3.5-week period was astounding. I was amazed at everything I experienced. The people of Australia were so welcoming and honored to have students wanting to study humans’ impact on the environment. I enjoyed seeing how sustainable Australia is, from the abundance of solar panels to their limits on water usage. This program directly aligned with my undergraduate studies, reassuring my choice to study the environment. I swam with sharks on the Great Barrier Reef, met aboriginal people and heard their stories, explored a cave, and reaffirmed a passion I developed as a child.

I am so grateful I took a leap of faith and studied abroad. I want to encourage more people to take that leap of faith as well. The experiences and connections I made are unforgettable, and far more outweigh the costs involved. I have learned more about myself in the time I was in Australia than I did during my life up until then. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity and will always encourage other students to study abroad!