My favourite experience so far, however, was the unique chance that I got to take my skills abroad and travel on a 2-week intensive culture program to Japan, and I will forever be grateful for those 2 weeks of my life. Going to Japan had always been a lifelong goal for me, and the university happened to bring back a program that hadn’t been run since 2018 focused on how traditional Japanese culture and history presents itself in a modern-day context. Having passed an opportunity to go abroad in my first year, I wasn’t going to let my fears take over my decisions again, so I signed up in my second year. We started in Tokyo and gradually made our way up to the island of Hokkaido and its capital city Sapporo, spending a night in the hot spring town of Noboribetsu, and topping it off with our professor’s hometown of Hakodate. Going abroad through a UCalgary Group Study Program brought me to places that I would not have considered visiting on my own. On top of this, there are many funding opportunities such as the Global Access Fund that helped my friends go on the trip with me. Speaking of people, not only have I met some of the best people in the world on that trip, I was also able to explore my interests from new angles that I could not have explored on my own while I was at home, and I am incredibly grateful for all the memories that I made overseas.

Going abroad has left me with a lot of experiences and stories to share, leading me to where I am now with the Global Ambassador Program at UCalgary's Study Abroad office. There are so many opportunities to grow yourself professionally and volunteer at a variety of different offices all across campus, and I’ve been lucky enough to help out at both the Study Abroad office and the Prospective Student office. Volunteering at the university and helping other students gives me valuable experience that helps me stand out in the job market and explore future opportunities with the skills and connections I’ve gained.  

[Chinese speech contest]