Hannah Cohan, 2012 North Queensland Sustainability student blogger, writes:

Hello blogosphere! Well, it’s early May, and the Australia program starts in mid-June. I should probably do some preparation or something. I still have the pre-departure essays to do, as well as lining up what I need to pack and taking my SCUBA refresher. The number one thing I’m looking forward to is definitely the scuba diving. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m totally pumped. Hopefully I don’t get impaled by a stingray like Steve Irwin. I’m kidding.

I’m also very interested to see how the classes will be set up and what we’ll be learning. It all seemed interesting enough but let’s be honest, traveling around Australia was the real appeal. With that said, I’m seriously considering a major in Environmental Policy and Decision-Making (I’m currently an undecided freshman at Ohio State), and hopefully the course will help guide me in a direction so I can make a decision, pardon the pun. I’ve recently become quite passionate about saving the environment and am curious as to whether or not I can make a career out of it (a girl’s gotta eat/be housed/survive). I realize that’s an obscene amount of pressure to put on a single trip but we shall see.

North Queensland blogger Hannah Cohan

A bit more about myself…I graduated from Dublin Coffman High last year, about half an hour from Ohio State’s main campus. I originally hail from McKinney, Texas. I like to have fun but I also have a more serious side as well. I’m easy to get along with. I really dig ‘90s rock. I have a sister, parents, a cat and a dog. If I think of any other pertinent information, I will let y’all know.

I think I’m just psyched out of my mind to travel outside of the U.S. for the first time since my infancy (Jamaica…I heard it was super fun but of course I don’t remember. Cool.). I will also be taking an extra two weeks to travel along the coast outside of the study abroad program; perhaps I’ll be including this in future posts. I’m very much looking forward to updating future readers about my lessons and (mis-)adventures Down Under. Side note, Australia seriously needs a new nickname. Like…Kangaroo-Land.