From NB to D.C.: A unique study abroad experience
2011-02-09 11:05:48
By Melissa Lombard
International relations student Rebecca Anne Dixon came to Mount Allison after spending two years in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Schule Schloss Salem in Ueberlingen, Germany. Now in her third year at Mount Allison, she wanted to study abroad again — this time at American University in Washington, D.C.
Dixon applied for the Killam Fellowship — a unique exchange program between Canada and the U.S. She submitted an application to Mount Allison and was nominated to the program’s organizers, Fulbright Canada.
“I wanted my semester abroad to be at an institution with strong academics. The Killam Fellowship offered the opportunity to study at excellent universities in the U.S. I was also friends with Killam Fellows both from Mount Allison and from the United States (who studied in Sackville) and they highly recommended the experience.”
The Killam Fellowship is one of Mount Allison’s 17 study abroad and exchange programs in 14 countries around the world, including semester-long, year-long, and summer programs. There are also opportunities to create programs at the university of your choice.
“It is a truly wonderful opportunity to be exposed to new ideas, and to learn more about yourself,” she says.
During her time at American University, Dixon took classes in American Foreign Policy and Sustainable Cities at the University’s School of International Service.
“Sustainable Cities was very formative in defining research interests for my thesis. We took field trips in D.C. and studied specific neighbourhoods for our final project. It allowed me to learn a lot about the city’s history, character, and challenges.”
She also interned with the South Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies — a think tank based in D.C. — where she met Nirupama Rao, the Indian Foreign Secretary, and Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, the founder and chairman of BRAC (a development organization dedicated to alleviating poverty by empowering the poor to bring about change in their own lives.) She worked directly with Ambassador Teresita C. Schaffer (former U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka) on a research paper and other projects.
The Killam Fellowship is different than Mount Allison’s other exchange and study abroad programs because, as a fellowship, students become part of a network of Canadian and American students who are spread out across both countries. There are two retreats held throughout the year (one in Ottawa and one in D.C.) where all of the students meet. The Fellowship also offers a cultural awareness grant that enables students to travel to another part of their host country during the exchange. Dixon traveled to San Diego, CA.
Her exchange has inspired a potential direction for her future beyond Mount Allison.
“My experiences in Washington have uncovered an interest in urbanization in developing countries, so I am currently exploring master’s programs related to that in Europe.”
To learn more about Mount Allison’s study abroad and exchange programs, call the International Centre at 506-364-2124, or visit mta.ca/international_programmes/
PHOTO CAPTION: Rebecca with Dennis Schmitz (on exchange from Germany) at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial in Washington.