Kennedy Maeder is an international exchange student from Western Sydney University in Australia. He is a junior majoring in Biology.
IPC: What do you enjoy most about studying at UNCG?
KM: I love the sports. Having access to watch and enjoy a number of high quality teams and competitions for free as a UNCG student is the highlight for me.
IPC: What advice do you have for students who want to study here?
KM: Definitely get involved with UNCG students and organizations as much as possible. The best part about going on exchange is meeting locals, and people who have grown up and lived in the US, they have the most for you to learn from
IPC: What is something that you are working on or engaged in at UNCG that you are proud of?
KM: I’ve been a member of the UNCG Rugby team since my first weeks here and is the best decision I made. Getting to travel around playing one of my favorite sports and making some amazing friends in the process has been one of my favorite life experiences to date.
UNCG’s International Program Center began 2019 by hosting the Study Abroad expo to showcase the current programs and provide a space for curious students to come and explore their options. With over 30 short term opportunities and partnerships with 93 universities all over the world, there is no doubt that everyone can find a place that fits their interests and major. For Heidi Bretz, Assistant Director, the goal of the expo is to make it known to the students that studying abroad is an opportunity for all, and that IPC is there to help answer all questions and spread the word that there are many scholarships and resources to utilize to make going abroad as affordable as possible. “What people may not realize is that you can study abroad for the around the same cost as attending class. IPC helps with transferring your credits, and anybody can study abroad regardless of language level, as most of our partners offer courses in English.”
The representatives from the featured universities were eager to answer any and all questions that prospective study abroaders had. For international exchange students Kamran Mammadov, Nicole Jurek, Katerina Turowicz and returning UNCG study abroad student, Antonio Alamillo from Wroclaw, Poland, they came prepared with many interesting stories and trinkets to show how special their university is. “Wroclaw is a great city because out of 700,000 people 200,000 of them are students. It’s a great location because it’s located in the center of Europe and it’s cheap to travel from there,” said Alamillo. 
For sophomore Max Kuhlenkamp, studying abroad would give him the skills he needs to further his professional competences while getting to be surrounded by nature. Considering either Sweden or Finland, he wants to learn about European business practices to take what he learns and apply it back to his entrepreneurship major. “At first I really wanted to go to New Zealand but I think I could learn more from Europe, especially from Växjö, Sweden. Linnaeus University really interests me because it’s located in the ‘Greenest City’ in Europe, and I think I could learn a lot being there. One day. I would like to run companies that focus on efficiency.”
For senior international exchange student Irina Gurewitsch from the University of Mannheim in Germany, coming to UNCG was a welcome change of scenery. Originally from Minsk, Russia, Gurewitsch moved to Germany when she was six and didn’t see much greenery except when she spent weekends at her grandmother’s house in the forest. For her first time in the US, she found an unexpected sense of home when she stumbled upon the gardening club during her first week. Joining the club gave her a sense of nostalgia and familiarity that was reminiscent of the time she spent in the woods with her family and made the campus feel like a home away from home. “I didn’t realize I was that much of an outdoor person until I came here and joined the club. I thought it would be fun to learn about gardening and have a place to meet new people,” recalled Gurewitsch. “I actually tried out a few different clubs, but I was most interested in gardening. It was nice having a day of the week to go and relax in the garden with my friends. It’s very nice having nature around.”
