My studying abroad experience by Susan Johnson, MonaLaw Alumna

During the first semester of my third year at MonaLaw, I had the opportunity to participate in the Emerging Leaders of the Americas Program and was among the first cohort of students to study abroad under the student exchange agreement between The University of the West Indies (The “UWI”) and the University of New Brunswick (“UNB”).

Despite the claims that the student exchange program would “ruin my GPA” and hurt my chances of attaining a first class honours degree, I embarked on a path that brought me well beyond my physical and mental capacity. Driven by the need to confront challenges in an environment that was well outside of my comfort zone, I learned quickly to embrace change, and among other things, developed a greater appreciation for cultural diversity.

Studying abroad isn’t just about the opportunity to travel to an interesting new place. Yes, it is all that and much more. Having to depend almost entirely on strangers who helped me navigate a new social setting, challenged and honed my trust for others, increased my faith and helped me embrace all that the study abroad experience had to offer. I developed courage, and a new level of discipline and focus, despite the physical and mental stress that came with living in a new environment, especially one with unfriendly weather. Humility, autonomy, kindness and generosity were qualities I either garnered or honed by studying abroad and having to learn a new culture and navigate a different and new social and intellectual setting, away from friends or family or anything familiar.