Australia: Madeline Wegleitner
Program: UW Disability Rights and Access in Australia, Summer
Major: Biology & Global Health
What is your most memorable experience from your program?
The most memorable experience from my program was seeing a show at the Sydney Opera House. I enjoyed immersing myself in the space while learning about the history. The program we saw focused on indigenous Australians and their history, so it was cool to see. I would definitely recommend seeing a show at the opera house.
How will your experience benefit you in the future? How might it affect your future career or studies?
This experience will greatly benefit me in the future. It has allowed me to connect with peers and colleagues interested in the same subject matter as me. This program, which focused on disability access, gave me insight into what kind of healthcare practitioner I want to be! I am grateful for the experience to learn and grow my worldview.
This class focused on disability access in Sydney, so it was interesting to see as an able bodied person. Some of my classmates had different experiences than I did so it made for interesting discussion. I really appreciated different perspectives in the course.
What challenges or barriers did you face as you prepared to go abroad and/or during your time abroad? How did you work through them?
I was worried about traveling internationally as I had never been out of the country. I worked through this by conducting a lot of research. I asked questions to the program leaders and got all of the information I needed. I was nervous, but saw this time as a great avenue for personal growth.
What is the moment you are most proud of?
The moment I am most proud of from this trip was the final project. My final project focused on public transportation and accessibility in Sydney. I was able to draw from sources on the internet and other research I conducted. I was also able to take from real conversations I had with people who had disabilities and implement that into my presentation.