Australia: Anna Sauer

Program: University of Queensland Exchange, Spring

Anna’s Majors: Kinesiology, Neurobiology

What did you learn about yourself or the world because of your experience?

During my experience, I learned so much about myself and the world around me. I had never traveled before my study abroad program, so I had no idea how much I was missing out on the world around me. There are so many places to go, so many people to meet, and so many cultures to learn about. I learned that my upbringing was sheltered in terms of perspective and understanding cultural differences. I now have so much more appreciation for our unique differences, and I yearn to learn more about the world and the perspectives that other individuals bring. My experience also changed my career path towards a direction of traveling the world while doing what I love.

How did your identities impact your experience? What advice would you give to students with similar identities who are considering a similar experience?

As a woman, I did not predict that my identity would impact my experience as much as it did. I assumed that Australia would be of the same caliber as America with sexism issues, but it was unexpectedly worse. When I was in Australia, I had several interactions where male figures would either imply or verbally state that women were inferior to men. I worked with the university’s fitness organization as a basketball official. My supervisor would always force me to ref the “lesser” skilled games while my male coworkers officiated the more competitive games. He would then make excuses, such as blaming me for “choosing” to ref the less competitive game. In addition, they only had a men’s and co-ed bracket for basketball. They did not have a women’s bracket. In the co-ed bracket, the rules largely implied that women were incompetent and could not play sports competitively. For example, one of the rules was that a man could not guard a woman. Another was that a man could not shoot over a woman. These rules unfairly put women inferior to men and reinforced societal perceptions of women’s inferiority to men. My managers also would not take me seriously when I brought up issues to them regarding my position. It was really frustrating to be seen as incompetent in my work environment, and this was paralleled in social environments as well. For students who identify as a woman, my advice would be to not let others define your worth. Even my male coworkers would talk about girls in a disrespectful way, and I would always make sure that they knew that their comments were wrong. Any time I had a situation like this occur, I would ensure that I was voicing my worth and letting them know that they were invalidating my identity. I highly recommend students do this. It may not work all of the time, but it is empowering to stand up for yourself and let people know that their perceptions of you do not define you.

What is your most memorable experience from your program?

My most memorable experience from the program was going on a trip to the Great Barrier Reef with my friends. We did the whole traveling experience! We stayed in a hostel, cooked our own meals, swam in waterfalls, snorkeled off the Great Barrier Reef, and made new friends traveling from all over the world! It was a wholesome experience that made the weeks of academic grinding worth it!

CRICOS Provider: 00025B