ISA Featured Blogger Wins Education New Zealand Scholarship

Congratulations to Spring 2015 ISA Featured Blogger, Nicole Guinn, on receiving an Education New Zealand scholarship to study abroad in New Zealand this Spring!

Education New Zealand has partnered with many of New Zealand’s universities and institutes of technology and polytechnic to offer $500-$2000 scholarships to fifteen US students studying abroad in New Zealand. ISA student, Nicole Guinn, was selected as one of the fifteen students to win a scholarship. Nicole is a student at the University of Mary Washington and is a Spring 2015 ISA Featured Blogger. She is currently studying abroad with ISA in Dunedin, New Zealand. Nicole won an Education New Zealand scholarship by submitting a blog explaining why she wanted to study abroad in New Zealand.

Below is Nicole’s scholarship-winning blog post:

“New Zealand is my fascination. New Zealand is that one thing I can never stop thinking about and never have. You can basically just call it an obsession and I am not afraid to admit that. Studying abroad in New Zealand is my ultimate life goal, my dream come true. New Zealand has a generous range of geological marvels like volcanoes, earthquakes, geothermal areas, and astonishingly picturesque landscapes. Imagine having a massive natural laboratory for a Geologist to work in; it truly is a dream come true. This is a valuable opportunity for me to experience Earth’s phenomena and supplement my strong passion for geology. My permanent passion is discovering and marveling at the beauty of this Earth by studying abroad in New Zealand.

There are countless reasons to why I am infatuated with New Zealand and why I chose the University of Otago. An area called Fiordland has always been the peak of my interest. Many people call it the 8th natural wonder of the world. I chose to study abroad at the University of Otago which is located only a couple hours from Fiordland. Additionally, the University of Otago is known for their prestigious geology program because of its favorable location. There is no better country and school to study geology so I wanted to go to the best of the best. Additionally, I have many friends who also studied abroad at the University of Otago and raved about its programs so I could not pass up this wonderful opportunity.

I have many expectations of what I hope to gain in New Zealand. I hope to deepen and change my perspective on how I think and live. I want to fully realize the amount we take for granted by experiencing life in another culture. I believe that comparing the culture of the US against the culture of New Zealand will help me to be more open minded about making a big decision. I aim to experience some sort of personal growth and to feel successful when I return back home. Furthermore, I plan to gain the skills to ensure that humanity and the Earth can have a better relationship. Since New Zealand has such a wide variety of geology, I would gain a more extensive understanding of geologic processes on this side of the globe. This will make me a more valuable candidate for graduate school and a promising career. Personally, my heartache for New Zealand will finally be satisfied.”

For more information regarding Nicole’s Education New Zealand scholarship, check out this US Students Win NZ Study Experience article!