What inspired you to work for Absolute Internship?
My initial interest came after a brief phone call with our Director of Partnerships, Sabrina Starke, with whom I happen to share a mutual friend. At the time, I was at a crossroads in my career and looking for something more meaningful. Sabrina described Absolute Internship's work and I felt instantly connected to, and inspired by the organization's mission to empower youth to embark on life-changing experiences abroad. I'll never forget that feeling of joy, energy and excitement - that sensation when you know in your heart of hearts that a life-changing opportunity has just presented itself.
Delivering an in-person pre-departure orientation for our students at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Describe a typical day at work.
A typical day at work includes a lot of connection! Whether it be one of our global Alumni Ambassadors, one of our Alumni Relations coordinators (our small but mighty team is growing!) or teammates in other departments at Absolute, my days are often filled with meetings to strategize ways to create a more connected and vibrant alumni community, and also how to keep spreading the word far and wide about our programs. Some of my principal projects are the Absolute Internship Ambassador Program, our upcoming Alumni Reunions in Barcelona and Milan, and creating better internal processes to keep up with our ever-growing Alumni network which includes over 10,000 alumni!
Attending the Harvard Summer Opportunities & Funding Fair with Alumni of our Singapore Program
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is connecting with alumni whose lives have been totally transformed by our internship program. It brings so much meaning to the work we do to see the powerful impact it has on our students and to witness their personal and professional growth. From alumni who have moved across the world after their internship program, to others who go on to land their dream jobs back home due to their experience abroad, or even alumni who share how much more confident and career-ready they feel, it's beautiful to see what this program can do for our clients.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
I would tell myself to be open to every opportunity but also to allow myself to say "no" sometimes! When I set off for a year-long adventure in Brazil I seemed to say "yes" to everything that came my way, and while I regret nothing - all the challenges I met led to growth opportunities - I think it's important to honor our own limits and boundaries too.
Why should someone choose Absolute Internship over competitors?
We aren't some massive corporation far-removed from our clients' experience. We're a small, tight-knit community of travelers and culture-seekers, and every single one of us has been in our students' shoes. Perhaps we didn't all do internships abroad (though many of us have!) but we've all traveled, volunteered, studied or lived in another country. We know what it's like to leave your home country, your home values, and your home language behind. We know the challenges that these experiences bring, and also the transformation and paradigm-shifting wonder that living abroad brings about. This allows us to connect with our clients in a more authentic way, and to prepare them with tools & resources that only someone who has walked that path can. Whether we work in Marketing or Enrollment, Human Resources or Operations, we all travel to each of our locations to meet our students face to face, to greet them with excitement and joy, and support them in their journeys abroad.
Getting ready to welcome our Lisbon 2024 cohort!
What is your organization's mission, and how do you continue to work toward it?
"Inspiring Success Through Life-Changing Experiences"
Our Alumni are core to this mission. They mean everything to us. Having experienced our programs firsthand, they are a living testament to the powerful impact that our programs have on an individual's career and personal path as well. In Alumni Relations, we empower Alumni to share their story with the world and to inspire fellow students to take that leap of faith that might just change their lives forever.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I hope that participants embrace the new culture they are in by taking time to meet local people, learn the language and opt into cultural experiences, even the ones that might feel outside of their comfort zone. This is an opportunity to observe, challenge one's own values and cultural perspectives, and learn.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
Traveling and experiencing new cultures opens up a myriad of possibilities and opportunities for growth. It challenges your world view and your values and asks you to consider different walks of life and ways of being. The ability to take on different perspectives and employ critical thinking is one of the single-most important skills to thrive in a global economy and an ever-connected world.
Group shot with our Lisbon 2024 cohort :)
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
For me, meaningful travel is not fast-paced or something you can tick off a list. It means slowing down, taking time to learn about a new culture, to meet local people and try out new experiences, judgment-free. Personally, I love discovering a new culture through food, music and games. These are elements that every culture celebrates, though in very different ways. I'll never forget playing billiards with some local Vietnamese folks. They didn't know English, I didn't know Vietnamese, but we both shared common understanding, laughter and triumph through playing a game we both knew well. Or the night in London when I met locals as we sang karaoke with a live band together. Or the day in Brazil when, headed into the jungle to a hidden rock climbing spot, I learned about and ate a Brazilian fruit called jabuticaba that grows right off the tree trunk! These are experiences that make travel meaningful to me.
