Michael Young

I studied abroad at the University of Sydney in Australia. It was a truly life-changing opportunity. In my time here, I got to explore this distant continent while also staying on track with my mechanical engineering curriculum. Meeting Australian locals as well as all the international students who called this city home for a semester was such a melting pot experience that is hard to put into words. The thing I will miss most is definitely the carpe diem type culture, where people get up early with goals for the day; it is empowering to see.

I was most surprised by the diversity within the country itself, from both a people and geographic standpoint. Australia is not much smaller than the lower 48 of the US, and I failed to realize before coming here that the size of the country would lead to as much climate diversity and cultural differences as you see across the United States. It was striking the type of people you can find just a couple of hours outside of city limits. There is a lot of history trapped in this huge place, and I am thankful for the bits of it I got to learn.

In my time in Australia, I tried to take advantage of the abundant wildlife and conservation areas surrounding Sydney. I was hiking or going to the beaches every weekend. This reinforced in me the desire to focus on sustainability solutions in engineering. I hope to find some related research opportunities in the fall when I am back at Syracuse. I also want to take the experience of being a long-term tourist back to New York. What I mean by this is to explore the areas you are from. I couldn’t count the number of times I was doing a hike or some experience near Sydney and found a local doing it for the first time, too. People, myself included, get too comfortable in the areas they are from and forget the amazing places available to them in their own backyard.

The award from honors quite literally got me to Australia. The cost of a student visa to study in Australia was a very unexpected cost that the honors award helped to cover. The award also helped me acquire my textbooks and other essential items to make my schooling as successful as possible. This experience definitely altered my perspective on what a rewarding life means. Here, people pride themselves on their health, relationships, fulfillment, travel opportunities, and memories much more than on their title or salary. While my sights are still set on being a successful engineer, I hope that I carry this sense of a well-rounded life into my years after graduation. I tried to embrace the culture as I could while in Australia and witness firsthand how full a day can feel when you wake up early and are intentional with your free time.

I am so grateful to all the advising staff, honors staff, and the advisors at Sydney who helped me navigate this incredible experience. I wasn’t sure that it would be possible to come here while completing all my engineering courses, but the support around me made it happen as best they could. Thank you, Syracuse, and thank you Honors for this opportunity!