Carmichael, Melanie

Melanie Carmichael

Why did you choose to study abroad and how did you select your program?
I choose to study abroad through during the UNC application process. I wanted to start my college experience off right by putting myself way out of my comfort zone. I have always thrived on hands-on learning opportunities and Global Launch provided that for me. I choose all of the destinations offered in my application but Scotland was definitely the right choice for me.

What did you learn about yourself?
I learned a lot about myself through my experience in Scotland. I was able to travel alone and plan travel trips with my friends which was something I had never really been given the chance to do before. I was cooking and cleaning for myself and meal prepping at the beginning of the week. I was able to mark off many bucket list items such as feeding a Highland Cow, attending a concert, taking a train to a city I had never been to before, and planning a weekend trip all by myself. After all of these experiences I learned that I am capable of doing so many things but the only way to figure that out is through experiences and mistakes. I am elated that I was given this opportunity to learn so much about myself through one semester. For it occur at the beginning of my college semester, this experience set my college journey off on the right foot.

What is one of your favorite memories from your program?
I think one of my favorite memories was the process of traveling to Scotland and finally arriving. I traveled from Raleigh to Newark by car to take my first flight in Newark to Frankfurt, Germany. Unfortunately, the day I arrived in Newark was the same time Hurricane Henri decided to visit. This caused cancellations/delayed flights, flooding in the baggage pick-up area, and locked us in the airport because of the flooding. I was supposed to be in Scotland around the time I finally got a plan to leave Newark. My future flatmates and program supervisors were shocked by all of the chaos that occurred during my travel plans. When I finally arrived in Scotland I was happily greeted by the staff and all of my flatmates. Although my travel plans were chaotic, as soon as I made it and met all of my future friends, I knew it was going to be one of the coolest experiences in my life to study abroad in Scotland.

What advice do you have for future study abroad students?
My biggest advice to future students is to try everything and do everything that you can while in a different country. Take advantage of all the opportunities and more that are provided to you, no matter how different the experience may be. This advice I give to all of the freshmen and to my younger family members planning to study abroad. I think because I took excursions, participated in campus clubs, and took trips with my friends, I was able to take so much more out of my experience abroad than others. I tried Haggis, I took hikes in the rain, I stayed outside on the boats we took no matter how cold it was. I took lunches to go so that I could walk around the towns. I wanted to make sure I never missed an opportunity abroad because I knew that I would never get this same experience again.

How do you identify?
Military/Veteran/GI Benefits

Could you share any experiences where your identity played a role in your time abroad?
I would take all that advice given to you from your guardian who has served to heart because their wisdom and experiences will benefit you. For example, my dad was the one who encouraged me to take this opportunity in Scotland. Because of his encouragement and advice, I was able to have one of the greatest adventures of my life. So, I understand that moving around a lot can be difficult. However, in the end you are able to put yourself out there, meet new people, and take every experience, good and bad, and learn from it.

Is there any advice you would give to other students who share your identity?
I would turn to the program staff those including Michelle Worthington and Ben Briggs as well as the additional program staff for Carolina Global Launch as both were always helpful through conflicts and issues.

Memories