Headed to Australia

The following post is from Joe Bushman, Class of 2014, as he leaves for his winter intersession in Geelong, Australia.  This is the first of three blog entries that Joe will contribute as he chronicles his study abroad experience.

Hello, My name is Joe Bushman and I’m in my second year at the Verrazano School. I’ve always loved the idea of being able to go and travel and experience other places, but I grew up in an environment that didn’t allow for many travel opportunities.

Although I have not had the chance to travel, I have not been shy about applying for extracurricular activities that have given me a chance to travel locally. As a boy scout, I did a lot of camping from tip of south New Jersey all the way up to the Appalachian mountains. Through the Boy Scouts of America, I have developed a strong foundation of personal independence. In high school, I won a free trip to Ireland, for a few days, for a music competition. I had the time of my life there, but that was a very short trip and I did not get to experience much outside of the competition. 

I have wanted to travel to Australia since I was a little kid and when I found the Australia Today program I was trying to find out if there were any scholarships available to help me be able to afford the trip. I found out that the Verrazano school recently started a travel scholarship, I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first recipients so I can finally travel to Australia.  A few years ago I watched the movie “Australia” which first sparked my interest in learning about the Indigenous Australians. I was especially excited to be learning about the Aboriginal Australians in this class. I will also be learning about about; the Australian government, history, and politics.

The benefit of this study abroad program is never ending. Along with gaining school credits and adding to my personal resume, the life experience I will obtain is priceless. This program will allow me to stand out in a crowd making me a better candidate for jobs, internships, and even scholarships. If someone were to tell me five years ago that I would be able to go to Australia for school, I would have never believe them for it would be too good to be true. No matter what I choose to do in life, this is the opportunity of a lifetime that can benefit me both as a student and as a maturing adult.