Study Abroad-Spring Semester
Donation protected
Hi my name is Cassidy Ritter. I am a junior at the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!) majoring in journalism with a double minor in business and global and international studies.
I have chosen to study abroad at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. While there I will focus on my Global and International Studies (GIST) minor. This is the best option because it allows me to not only learn about a new place and culture, but also experience it as I go. In Australia, I will complete my GIST minor. There I will also take a journalism class. This class will allow me to have more of a worldly perspective on writing/reporting in another country.
The main reason I chose to study abroad is to push myself both academically and personally. I love meeting new people, traveling and experiencing new things. Studying abroad allows me to put myself out of my comfort zone by living and learning in a new country.
The first two years in high school I was not very social. I kept to my group of friends and stayed well within my comfort zone. Come junior year, I knew I wanted to push myself outside of that comfort zone. Cross Country and Track coaches pushed me. Teachers pushed me to expand my horizon in writing, but it was time for me to carry that into my social life. When it came time to decide where to go to college I faced two choices. One, stay in state and go to school with some of my closest friends. Or two, go to a school in another state. I chose to leave Colorado and study at KU. This pushed me to expand my horizon by meeting new people, living in an unfamiliar place and becoming more independent. Three years later I am still at KU pushing myself, but I need an extra push. A push that will make me meet new people and live in an unfamiliar place again. Studying abroad will do that. It will help me to continue to push the envelope of my comfort zone and grow as an individual.
Postgraduate, I want to travel and write for a magazine. I don’t want to write about fashion in different parts of the world, but write about people. I want to share peoples’ stories– how they got to where they are today and how that relates to people living a thousand miles away. As a journalist, I want to reduce my bias as much as possible. Upon studying abroad, I will have a better understanding and compassion for those around me and those I write about. Studying abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity that few students get to experience. But yet, those who do come away with a wider perspective of the world we all live in.
The greatest benefit of studying abroad is what you take away from it. The people you met, culture you learn and the places you see are all apart of it. However, it’s what you do with that experience that makes you stand out. Will you share what you learned and the stories you heard? Or will you hold onto it as a college memory? I will share what I learn in hopes that it will begin to blur the distance between Australia and the U.S. Largely, studying abroad will help me grow as an individual and as a journalist. But more importantly, it will be a way to expand my horizon and enlighten those around me.
With all of this said, I am coming to you for help. Studying aborad is expensive. The cost of tuition, the cost to get to Australia and live there for six months is about $23,000. If you can help me reach my goal in any way I would be very grateful and so would my family.
Please feel free to contact me for more information. Or to share your advice about traveling and/or studying abroad.
-Cassidy
I have chosen to study abroad at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. While there I will focus on my Global and International Studies (GIST) minor. This is the best option because it allows me to not only learn about a new place and culture, but also experience it as I go. In Australia, I will complete my GIST minor. There I will also take a journalism class. This class will allow me to have more of a worldly perspective on writing/reporting in another country.
The main reason I chose to study abroad is to push myself both academically and personally. I love meeting new people, traveling and experiencing new things. Studying abroad allows me to put myself out of my comfort zone by living and learning in a new country.
The first two years in high school I was not very social. I kept to my group of friends and stayed well within my comfort zone. Come junior year, I knew I wanted to push myself outside of that comfort zone. Cross Country and Track coaches pushed me. Teachers pushed me to expand my horizon in writing, but it was time for me to carry that into my social life. When it came time to decide where to go to college I faced two choices. One, stay in state and go to school with some of my closest friends. Or two, go to a school in another state. I chose to leave Colorado and study at KU. This pushed me to expand my horizon by meeting new people, living in an unfamiliar place and becoming more independent. Three years later I am still at KU pushing myself, but I need an extra push. A push that will make me meet new people and live in an unfamiliar place again. Studying abroad will do that. It will help me to continue to push the envelope of my comfort zone and grow as an individual.
Postgraduate, I want to travel and write for a magazine. I don’t want to write about fashion in different parts of the world, but write about people. I want to share peoples’ stories– how they got to where they are today and how that relates to people living a thousand miles away. As a journalist, I want to reduce my bias as much as possible. Upon studying abroad, I will have a better understanding and compassion for those around me and those I write about. Studying abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity that few students get to experience. But yet, those who do come away with a wider perspective of the world we all live in.
The greatest benefit of studying abroad is what you take away from it. The people you met, culture you learn and the places you see are all apart of it. However, it’s what you do with that experience that makes you stand out. Will you share what you learned and the stories you heard? Or will you hold onto it as a college memory? I will share what I learn in hopes that it will begin to blur the distance between Australia and the U.S. Largely, studying abroad will help me grow as an individual and as a journalist. But more importantly, it will be a way to expand my horizon and enlighten those around me.
With all of this said, I am coming to you for help. Studying aborad is expensive. The cost of tuition, the cost to get to Australia and live there for six months is about $23,000. If you can help me reach my goal in any way I would be very grateful and so would my family.
Please feel free to contact me for more information. Or to share your advice about traveling and/or studying abroad.
-Cassidy
Organizer
Cassidy Ritter
Organizer
Lawrence, KS
