Major/Minor: Exercise Science // Psychology

Year in School: Sophmore

Host Program/Institution: Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Why I chose my program: I have always been interested in business, specifically hospitality, but I have never actually taken a class focused on it, mainly because it wouldn’t pertain to my major and essentially be a waste of my time and tuition. But after I saw this trip being advertised, I gave taking an irrelevant class for personal reasons instead of professional/career reasons some more thought. I am from Denver, Colorado, and grew up skiing. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw a class that was combining hospitality and a destination where skiing is world-renowned. Upon reading the course description and details of the trip, I knew that if I were going to ever take a business class, this had to be the one.

What goals have I set for myself for my time abroad: For my time abroad, I have set three goals for myself. One, to have an amazing time and enjoy all that Banff has to offer me. After all, I don’t think I would be doing this trip if it weren’t for the location that it is going to. Two, to learn a lot in meetings & convention management. If I am going to take a class for fun and have it be irrelevant to my major/studies, I want to make sure I absorb as much information about the unfamiliar course as possible. Three, to make more connections. I don’t personally know any of my classmates yet, but I hope by the time our trip passes, we can call ourselves good friends!

What research have I done about my host country: To be completely honest, I have not done much research about Canada at all. I know very little about their destination marketing organization, but I expect to learn a lot about it in class. I know that Canada is an amazing place for skiing and specifically that it was once where the Winter Olympics were held, but that really is it. Since finding out I would be doing this trip, however, I have followed social media accounts