Meet Mel Andrade (they/them)

Program and Location:

Fall, University of Wollongong; Wollongong, Australia

Major/Minor:

Criminology Major, Spanish Minor

Why did you choose to study abroad?

I chose to study abroad because I was motivated and encouraged by my older sister who studied abroad in Ireland. She helped me through my application process and helped me find the courage to do so. I wanted to study abroad because I thought it would be a good experience and help me get out of my comfort zone, but I also thought that as a first gen student from a Latinx family I had a responsibility to stay in school and not enjoy myself too much, so I was hesitant. In the end, my sister told me that this was a once in a lifetime chance and that my family will be proud of me taking such an opportunity, so I decided to take the leap. Aside from my sister’s support, I chose to study abroad because I wanted to gain some independence and learn more about another country and their society.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I have the potential to be independent and extroverted. I have never traveled outside of the country on my own before, I always had a family member by my side, but this time it was all up to me to keep up with the gate numbers, get there on time, and get through customs. Which doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you’re alone it can get overwhelming. Aside from the flights, I also learned to step out of my comfort zone and do things that I would never want to do alone. I planned trips to Adelaide, the Whitsunday Islands, Kangaroo Island, and the Great Barrier Reef. I also did some fun activities like skydiving, surf camping, snorkeling, kayaking, and even went on day-long tours. From these experiences, I learned that I am capable of handling different challenges on my own and became more self-reliant.

What was one of your favorite parts of your program?

One of my favorite parts of my program was the liberty it gave me to explore the beauty of Wollongong and Australia. I enjoyed meeting different people and learning about their studies.

What advice do you have to future study abroad students?

My advice to future study abroad students would be to just do it and do a bunch of different things while you’re there. Though I did a lot of things while I was in Australia, looking back, I feel like I didn’t do enough. Also, take lots of pictures and videos! You should also try some vegemite, a meat pie, and Tim Tams, just try different snacks and foods in general. I would also suggest doing day-long tours if you really want to learn more about different places and animals, I only did one but it was really fun and informative.

How did your study abroad experience prepare you for your future career?

I would say that my study abroad experience helped me solidify the path that I want to take for my career. As a criminology major, before I went to study abroad, I had this idea of what I wanted to do which potentially involved working for law enforcement or something similar, but none of the fields that I looked at really interested me that much. When I studied abroad, I took a course on Juvenile Justice and learned more about the issue, I felt like this was something that I was interested in and ultimately decided that a career in Juvenile Justice advocacy is something that I want to pursue.

Were you surprised by anything during your time abroad?

I was surprised by how flexible the professors were with their students in regard to deadlines and workload. They were always willing to help and work with you. But I also was surprised by how a lot of the assignments were papers instead of exams, and for me this difference was a weird thing to adjust to because I feel like I was so used to just trying to retain the basics of the information I was given in class. With writing assignments, simply trying to talk about the basics isn’t enough, so it pushed me to go beyond the basics and have to seek out more information to really be able to talk about the given topic. I was also surprised by how small the campus was!

In what ways did your identity have an impact on your experience abroad?

As a queer person, UOW was very welcoming and everyone I met was very respectful of my identity and pronouns. I am also part of the Latine community and in this aspect I kind of felt out of place because there weren’t many other Hispanics on campus, but people were more curious to learn more about my heritage and culture and they didn’t make me feel disrespected or discriminated against. In general, I feel like most, if not all, of the people I came across during my time abroad were respectful, curious, and considerate of my identity.

Would you do it again?

I would most definitely do it again because it was such a fun and enlightening experience!