Nicole Gagnon

Nicole Gagnon is an Ambassador who studied abroad in Australia.

Briefly describe a specific cultural experience you had on your trip that made a lasting impression.

About halfway through our trip, our entire group flew to the Outback to spend a week with an Aboriginal Family in a very remote area of the bush. During this week, we were completely secluded on a campsite in the middle of nowhere with no electricity, no cell phones, no computers, no technology whatsoever. This trip was completely life changing and it is hard to put into words how moving it was. We learned how Aboriginal people live their life and the values that are most important to them such as respect for everything, family, and awareness. We not only grew as people but we all grew much closer as a group. We became a family in the outback and we were able to start to live our lives more like the Aboriginal people. We saw things and did things on this trip that I never thought I would see or do. We carved our own spears, went to a compltely untouched beach, saw footsteps that are over 7000 years old, went fishing and crabbing, and slept under what seemed like every star in the universe. The trip in the outback made my trip even more worthwhile and it was the highlight of my trip that will always stay with me.

Why did you choose the program in which you participated? 

It has been my lifelong dream to go to Australia and I wanted to choose a program that I knew I would get a lot out of. The Australia program had everything I wanted in a program; we all lived together, we enrolled in a university, we had a week long cultural immersion into Aboriginal culture, and we were able to go to an English speaking country. Australia is a place that I might never had been able to go to without taking this opportunity. After doing some research about Australia, there were many similarities to the States but also many differences and I wanted to be able to see first hand how the two countries compare. The University of Notre Dame in Australia also offered many classes that I was incredibly interested in. I took full advantage of taking classes where I could learn about the history of Australia and the importance of the Aboriginal community. Being able to actually go to the University with Australian students was an important part in making my final decision.

Describe your overall study abroad experience.

My study abroad experience has taught me countless things that booklearning could never teach me. It has changed me in such a positive way and I now feel completely prepared to go out into the real world as a mature, independent woman. I have a second home in Fremantle, Australia and the group that I went with is my second family that has enriched my life in so many ways. I went to Australia because I never thought I would have the opportunity to go there after college but after my experience, there is no way I couldn't ever go back.

How has the trip affected you? How are you different for having completed the experience?

This trip has made me into an adult. I have grown in so many ways and I couldn't imagine what my life would be like if I didn't go to Australia. I have learned how to be independent, how to travel, how to live with a group of strangers that then turned into family, how to deal with challenges such as homesickness, budgeting, meeting new people, etc that I have never had to do before. I have also had to deal with leaving a place that I fell in love with. Reverse culture shock is a very real thing and I have learned to find support in all the other people that went with me and be supportive for them. We have all become lifelong friends and getting to know them has changed me as a person in a very positive way. I feel so much more prepared for the real world now that I have completed the study abroad experience. I have also become much more passionate about learning about the world around me and about traveling around the world.

What advice do you have for future Study Abroad Students?

Take full advantage of your experience. Branch out from what you know and embrace the new culture and try to learn as much as you can. Make a list of what you want to do and do it so you don't have any regrets when you get on the plane to come back home. Go somewhere that you wouldn't normally go and break out of your comfort zone. You will get so much more out of your trip and learn so much more about yourself if you allow yourself to take risks and try new things.