My Role: I strive to create each Discover Abroad program with the same passion for learning, doing, and growing as with the very first program to New Zealand in 2000
Hometown: Spilsby, England, home of the intrepid explorer, Sir John Franklin
Favorite Things to Do: I love to teach on the programs, travel with my wife, and be in nature with our two boys.
My Favorite Discover Abroad Memory: The emails I receive from former students, sometimes days, months, and especially years after the program has concluded, reminding me of why I think I have the best job in the world.
Why Discover Abroad: To laugh with students, to learn about and play in some of the most dramatic environments on Earth, and to love the different peoples of the world to which we find ourselves intimately and inextricably connected.
My Role: At Discover Abroad, I hold the post of Assistant Director for Program Development. I work with faculty and host country contacts to create programs that are academically engaging but also fun for students. I teach regularly on many of our programs and enjoy working with students.Hometown: Difficult to say, I was born in Pittsburgh, PA, lived in Detroit, MI for several years before moving to Clarkston, GA for highschool. My parents now live in Tucker, GA, but I have lived for most of my adult life in Athens, GA. I’m a double Dawg who never left.
Favorite Things to Do: So many things! I like to ride my bike, watch sci-fi and animated movies, and hang out with my friends.
My Favorite Discover Abroad Memory: Some of my favorite memories are about times when the weather worked against us on a program. One year we were up in Lamington National Forest in southeast Australia and it had rained a half year’s worth of rain in two days. There was no electricity where we were, nor could we go out and do anything. We had a great time anyway! Everyone lined their flashlights up on the dinner table to create a Hogwart’s effect. We spent a lot of time in that lodge playing cards, telling stories, and really getting to know one another. Another time there was a tropical storm in Fiji that left us “stranded” on a tropical desert island. The students put together a talent show for the staff, and when they got back to the mainland they organized themselves to help clean up a school to prepare it for storm refugees. These events will remain etched in my memory forever.
Why Discover Abroad: One of the best ways to know oneself is to get outside the things that are most familiar. Go away from the things we take for granted to learn how beautiful and magical the world really is.
My Role: I work with the Discover Abroad office but spend most of my time with students in the field. There’s not many programs you won’t find me on during the year! Have a question about any of our programs – feel free to call or stop by the office and chat with me!
Hometown: Born and raised in Kennesaw Georgia, a town just a little over an hour and a half away from Athens. But Athens has become my wonderful home away from home.
My Favorite Discover Abroad Memory: There are too many incredible memories to name just one, so I will say this: I absolutely loved bonding with and learning from each field guide we had on the trip. I miss being able to go on hikes or swim in the ocean and whatever random questions I could think of, they always seemed to know the answer! But honestly? I could talk for hours about how much I love Discover Abroad and every single moment on my trip I will truly cherish for the rest of my life.
Why Discover Abroad: Discover Abroad is more than your average study abroad program. It takes us out of the relatively small bubble of where we live, immerses us in new cultures, allows us to visit and learn about drastically different environments and challenges the way we view the world. Where else can you have the opportunity to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef? Visit the Fiordlands of New Zealand (a place where even some New Zealanders haven’t had the opportunity to visit), study the surrounding planets of Earth and the Milky Way in the Outback, and create memories that last a life time? Discover Abroad can give you that and so much more.
My Role: I am the face of the Discover Abroad office – who you will get on the end of the phone, email, or when you walk thru our door. I help guide students through the entire process of applying to Discover Abroad. From initial inquiry to financial aid resources, to student interviews, and managing our student Ambassadors, I am there every step of the way! I am also a Program Assistant for the Smoky Mountains, Spring Break Hawai’i, and Maymester (Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji) programs.
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
My Favorite Discover Abroad Memory: Every moment on a Discover Abroad program is my favorite, but if I had to pick, it would be hiking throughout Volcanoes National Park in Hawai’i and getting to see lava in action! Both a force of creation and destruction, Kilauea sports some of the most fantastic and breathtaking views there are. There is no other place quite like it!
Why Discover Abroad:
Discover Abroad programs are a once in lifetime opportunity to explore multiple regions across the globe through a new lens that emphasizes the importance of global citizenship, adventure, open and productive conversations about complex global issues, and exploration of unique and beautiful landscapes. There are no other programs at UGA quite like Discover Abroad so they are truly unique and one of a kind!