England: Katie Palmer
Program: University of Westminster, Spring
Katie’s Major: Economics
What is your most memorable experience from your program?
My most memorable experience from my program is the first time my coworkers at my internship invited me for coffee. They were going to get coffee during the day and asked if I wanted to come along, so I decided to join. We took a little trip to Blank Street Coffee at 10 am and even had to take the bus to get there. I enjoyed chit-chatting with them about London and their favorite coffee and matcha orders. I felt like I was really a part of the team. I enjoyed getting to take a break from work and hang out with them in a different atmosphere. This was the first time I really felt independent and a true part of the company.
What is the moment you are most proud of?
The moment I am most proud of is the day I finished all of my classes and my internship. It happened to line up that I was able to submit my final assignments on the same day that my internship ended. It was an amazing moment to come back from my last day of work and submit everything. All my hard work from the entire semester had paid off and I knew I had grown so much. I was excited to spend the next few weeks traveling after I finished work and classes so this was an exciting moment for that as well. It felt so relieving to have everything completed and I was really proud of the relationships I had made along the way with both students and coworkers. I was also proud of how much more independent I had grown since I stepped foot in London and now it was really starting to show.
It was an amazing moment to come back from my last day of work and submit everything. All my hard work from the entire semester had paid off and I knew I had grown so much.
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 part of the LGBTQ+ community, I was super excited to live in a city like London and experience the queer community there. Though I was nervous at first to make friends and fit in with coworkers in the corporate world, it was a lot easier than I anticipated and my identity proved to be no barrier to my experience. Everyone was very accepting, whether it was students, coworkers, or professors. I was also able to go to multiple venues and events made just for the LGBTQ+ community and it was beautiful to be a part of it. I had never experienced community like that in the US so it was a really important part of my time in London. My advice to other students who have similar identities would be to take in as many experiences as you can. There are many venues made just for the gay community and take advantage of it. It is truly an amazing feeling being surrounded by people who understand you and your identity.