Audrey Schimmel is a current senior pursuing a Global Studies major and Marketing and Sustainable Development minors. She spent the 2019 Spring semester exploring southeast Asia and living and studying in Sydney, Australia. She attended the University of New South Wales and took 3 courses that complemented her Lehigh Global Studies course load; Creating Social Change, World Literature, and Indigenous Australia. Learning about these topics from an international university like UNSW was a truly remarkable experience because of the varied perspectives from classmates and professors. Sydney is a global hub so she had the unique opportunity to learn from and collaborate with individuals from all over the world. She made good friends with classmates who had grown up in Sydney, New Zealand, England, and various parts of southeast Asia.
When she wasn't hanging out by the beach or exploring Sydney, Audrey was traveling internationally. Her travel included time in Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. Each experience varied greatly from one another, but they all offered once in a lifetime cultural exposure, scenic views, authentic food, and amazing memories. Highlights include a trek and helicopter ride over the Franz Josef glacier in New Zealand and seeing the famous Wanaka tree. Additionally, learning about Thai culture and touring beautiful temples in the city of Bangkok was another favorite part of her travels.
Studying abroad in Australia was an amazing addition to her Lehigh experience and Audrey would highly recommend looking into the many options for international study that Global Studies offers its students.