News

We landed in two groups in Brisbane the morning of September 23rd. Most of us were jet-lagged and tired after the many hours spent traveling, so after a bit of downtime in the hostel, we spent the afternoon getting to know each other in a nearby city park. The next day, we jumped right into things by taking the ferry to Stradbroke Island off the east coast of Australia. We were lucky to be staying in a hostel right on the beach, and although the water was cold, it was re... Read more

Written by Tyler on our New Zealand Australia program, group 3. This week has been filled with wonderful adventures from some serious games of Banan-O-Grams to a black out pizza party due to a raging thunder-storm. We stayed at a cozy surf camp called Surfaris in Crescent Head, New South Wales. One of our favorite parts of the stay was our amazing hosts Sandra and Ben. We also had the pleasure of meeting Bob and Gerald, our two Conservation Coordinators for our bush reg... Read more

G’day g’day, and how ya goin? Everyone in group C has had a very successful first week down under. Our adventures have brought us everything from Dutch card games, to fires, to wombats on leashes. We arrived on an overcast spring day on Stradbroke Island to the lovely Manta Lodge. This was a calmer day where everyone got acclimated with their new surroundings and friends for the next 70 days. The next few days on Straddie included card games, namely “Bully,” a Dutch Un... Read more

G’Day from Down Under! Welcome to our first blog post! We are officially done with Week 1 of the program! Here is a little window into what we’ve been up to these past couple of days. After a successful three days of orientation on Stradbrooke Island (aka Minjerribah), we packed our bags and started our journey along the East Coast of Australia. An unexpected wildfire in Noosa National Park led to a change in plans: our canoeing trip down the river was no longer possib... Read more

Meet Sarah Hi all! I'm really looking forward to meeting you all on your New Zealand Australia Fall Program! I just wanted to share a little bit about me, so you feel you know me a little better before we meet in September! My name is Sarah and I have a deep love for the outdoors. This love stems from my early years growing up on a farm in South East Queensland. I've worked as a newspaper photographer for a number of years, before I decided to put down the camera and p... Read more

Meet Chris Hi, I'm Chris., a tanned, 5 “11, crunchy-peanut-butter-devouring lad, currently living below the Bass Strait (Tasmania).  I originally grew up aboard a yacht and skipped pre-primary for the beautiful waters and island life of Hinchinbrook. My parents exposed and planted within me a deep love for the outdoors at an early age. After eventually heading back to mainland life in Western Australia; surfing, sea kayaking and basically anything ocean-based were all o... Read more

Meet Sophia Hello everyone! My name is Sophia, but you can call me Soph. I'm tremendously excited to journey with you this fall (or spring in the Southern Hemisphere) in the Australia/New Zealand Program.  I love exploring our beautiful world and connecting with different cultures. I am originally from the lush Appalachian Mountains of the United States but I have lived in Southeast Asia, the South Pacific, and Central and South America.  As far as experience goes, I ... Read more

Meet Nick G’day and Kia ora everyone :) Hello and welcome everyone to the 2019 Australia and New Zealand Fall Program, wooo! Very shortly you will all depart on an amazing program starting in a beautiful and sunny Brisbane and finish in a very nice and cool Christchurch in New Zealand! My name is Nicholas, but please feel free to call me Nick. I have always been passionate and have always loved both travelling and meeting new people from all around the world like yours... Read more

Meet Alex Kia Ora Team, My name is Alex and I will be one of your instructors for your New Zealand Australia fall semester program Group 2. I am super excited to spend the up coming 10 weeks with y'all sharing some epic adventures. I'm originally from New Zealand but grew up in Vanuatu (ask me where that is when you meet me ?). My career started in tourism in 2010 as a Dive Master in Vanuatu and have worked on live aboard dive boats in the coral sea and Ningaloo reef of... Read more

Hello everyone heading to New Zealand and Australia for the Spring Semester! My name is Devin and I will be one of your instructors for our upcoming learning adventure! I am super excited to start this program and share some wonderful experiences with you down under. I just wanted to take this moment to introduce myself so we can all start to get to know each other. We are going to be traveling, eating, exploring, and basically living together for the next few months! ... Read more