Written By: Anthony Walsh
Someone I regarded once told me, that you could never really be sophisticated unless you had studied in at least three countries. Not sure why, but that stuck with me. I took it to heart. Having lived outside the country before, I was no stranger to travel. In fact I welcomed it, I embraced it, and I consumed it. I found that there was no greater way of gaining experience than to study abroad. So to me, this individual’s theory of sophistication wasn’t far off. I had studied in Santiago Chile, and that was accompanied by life changing proficiency. I was hooked on studying abroad and I knew that I needed to do it again. After my experience abroad, I became intrigued with the discipline of higher education, especially pertaining to the realm of international higher education. I applied and was accepted into a Higher Education graduate program. This began a new chapter in my life. From then on, I knew two things. I wanted to study abroad again, and I was eager to couple that next study abroad experience with an international internship in higher education.
That is where the American College of Norway (ACN) came in. Dating back to freshmen year, I remembered my instructor giving us a presentation on this place called ACN; “Take UND credit in Norway.” Having studied in South America, I thought it would be great this time to check out Western Europe. ACN offered a class that was needed to complete my second major, so the pieces of the puzzle started to come together, but there was still the challenge of securing an internship coupled with the studying. I quickly learned that ACN did offer internship opportunities. An old classmate of mine, said that being an intern at ACN was “One of the best experiences in [her] college career,” and that she would 10/10 recommend it. With outstanding reviews and the opportunity to participate in an international higher education internship, I knew that ACN was the PERFECT choice for me. I went through the easy application process and within days I was accepted. During my time as an intern at ACN, I was able to participate in every faction of higher education. I was a student; it was beneficial to be a student as well as an intern because it provided a cross-cultural learning experience. I worked with Nick on marketing and social media; it allowed me to see the behind the scenes of how a college needs to market itself and how important a social media presence is when it comes to marketing. I completed tasks like social media takeovers and alumni outreach. I would take pictures, shoot videos, and basically do anything else asked of me. I was able to sit in on video calls with potential partners, this was beneficial because I got a good look at the behind operations of what goes into forming partnerships. I discussed logistical questions about recruiting and advising with Becky. She explained the complicated processes that come with managing the credits of students. It was very influential to work with Krista. Interacting everyday with the director of a college was incredibly beneficial for the internship experience. It allowed me an inside look at all of the day to day tasks of running a university. I could not be happier with my experience of studying abroad and interning at ACN.
Before Norway I traveled to England, and Holland. After the internship in Norway, I traveled to Portugal, Spain, and England a second time. When staying in Norway, I spent a weekend in Sweden. My experience abroad reminded me of the vast amount of different people, cultures, and languages that are on this planet and that it is important to get out of our comfort zones and experience those differences firsthand. I will continue to look for opportunities to gain experience through travel as I enter this next phase of my life.
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