Meet Alex

Hello everyone, my name is Alex and I went abroad in the spring of 2020. I chose to go abroad with a recommended program called USAC (University Studies Abroad Consortium) and I studied at Griffith University in Gold Coast, Australia. I’ll be one of the writers for the blog so I’m here to tell you a little about me.

I chose Australia because it was always somewhere I wanted to go/explore and being so far away I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get the chance to study there. Thankfully, my university had connections with USAC. I grabbed hold of the opportunity presented to me and everything seemed to fall into place from there.

I’m someone who has always loved to travel and I really wanted to experience living in a new country. Australia’s breathtaking landscape helped me make my decision. On top of this, I’ve always loved the ocean so having the chance to study near some of the best beaches in the world was something I couldn’t pass up.

Side Note: Everything was made more incredible when I found out the childhood tv show I grew up on, H20, had been filmed in the area I’d be staying.

 Another reason I chose Australia, specifically Griffith University, was the courses they offered in my major. One of my favorite courses had been on global security. It’s what pushed me to decide to pursue a Master’s degree in international relations.

Some of my fondest memories of Australia are due to the friendships I was able to make along the way. Whether that was going to a traditional Indian festival called Holi with some Indian friends or trying vegemite while rooted on by my Australian friend Pippa, I can’t stop smiling whenever I think back on my time there. Even up to this year (2022) I was able to visit my best friend, Anthony, in Scotland who was my downstairs neighbor when I lived in Australia.

 My experience studying abroad in Australia was definitely once in a lifetime and something I want others to be able to share. To help others in their abroad experience I became a peer advisor at my university’s Study Abroad Office this past fall.

— Alex MacKay (Gold Coast, Australia), Peer Advisor