As she prepared to graduate from New Milford’s Faith Prep High School in 2022, Danbury resident Abi Walling already knew she

Abi Walling in front of the famous Sydney Opera House.

would attend Western Connecticut State University. “It was so close to my house and offered affordability, so it was the best option,” Walling said. What she didn’t know yet was what she wanted to study, so Walling took classes in several areas and changed her major more than once before landing on Digital and Interactive Marketing in WestConn’s AACSB-accredited Ancell School of Business.

Happy with her selection and exploring ways to become more involved in campus life, Walling came across a page for WestConn’s International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) on the university website. “My high school was super small and we had a Korean exchange student while I was there who I had the opportunity to help. That planted the seed about possibly being an exchange student myself one day,” Walling said.

Faced with a huge list of participating ISEP universities, Walling decided that Australia was a place she wanted to visit because she had grown up watching Australian TV shows and hoped to experience the famous beaches and wildlife. She also had some family in Australia that she wanted to visit.

“It was January and I was going to study abroad for the spring semester, so I thought I might as well choose Australia for the weather, too,” Walling said, laughing. At first, her parents weren’t too sure about sending her literally to the other side of the world for her inaugural time away from home, but when it became evident that their daughter was thriving at the University of Technology in Sydney, they got on board.

Abi Walling at the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

“There were eight or nine other students from the U.S. who were also participating in ISEP at colleges in Australia,” Walling said. “I met several from California, and two became my closest friends. The culture in Australia is similar to that of the U.S., but I noticed that the academics and work-life balance there are more relaxed and not as cut-throat as they can be here.”

Speaking of the beach, once in Australia, Walling decided to fully immerse herself in the experience. She went scuba diving for the first time in her life on the Great Barrier Reef, she tried vegemite toast and kangaroo meat (once was enough, she said), and made sure to visit New Zealand and Fiji, which she described as “surreal to see in person after only seeing images on postcards and screen savers.”

After being in Australia from January through July 2024, Walling said that now that she’s back on campus, her WestConn classmates have peppered her with questions ranging from “Did you see kangaroos or wallabies or giant snakes or bugs?” to “Why didn’t you pick up an Australian accent?”

She remains in touch with the friends she made during her trip since most of the ISEP students were housed together in an international dorm. “My friends group included students from Thailand, Singapore, Germany and Italy,” Walling said, “and I plan to visit some of them soon.”

Walling said that in addition to the cultural experiences she acquired, she learned a lot about the Australian economy and political system. At Sydney’s University of Technology, she took classes in macroeconomics, sociology and marketing. “I learned a lot about the differences in marketing to different cultures,” she said.

She hopes to expose her classmates to her experiences by revitalizing WestConn’s International Student Association. She’s also a member of the Western Marketing Association, and attends meetings for the campus radio station, WXCI.

“What I thought was really cool about this experience was that you pay your tuition to WestConn, but you get to take your classes somewhere else through ISEP,” she said. “The whole application process was easier than I expected, and all of the classes I took in Australia transferred to my transcript, so I can still graduate on time. I think more WestConn students need to know about this opportunity. Your grants and financial aid even apply.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.