CAPA WORLD

An Interview with CAPA Sydney Resident Director: Samantha Grant

Meet Samantha Grant, the Resident Director of CAPA Sydney. With experiences and adventures from around the world, including key positions managing student welfare and cultural exchange programs at Victoria University and the University of Sydney, she joined CAPA to oversee student services and internships. Below, she shares how students can prepare for a fulfilling semester abroad, where the hidden gems and good food places are, and what you can look forward to at CAPA Sydney.    

CAPA WORLD: Tell us a bit about your work with CAPA. How long have you lived in Sydney? 
SAMANTHA GRANT: I started with CAPA as Sydney's Resident Director in November 2017, so I have only been with the organization a short while, but already love the people, the culture, and the reasons why the company exists. In my role as Resident Director I oversee internships and student services, as well as having the great pleasure of spending lots of time with the wonderful Sydney staff and our students.

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Hanna is an official CAPA blogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing, Finance, and International Business major at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, Carlson School of Management, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In her last post, Hanna reflects on the challenges she's been through and how studying abroad opened doors for her to grow personally and professionally.

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It took me a while to organize my thoughts and come back to the reality of campus life. Studying abroad definitely had a huge impact on me; not only do I notice it, but my friends and family notice it as well. Though, I have been studying abroad in the U.S. for almost 5 years already, participating in the CAPA study and intern abroad program represented a way for me to exit my comfort zone.

Back home in Kyiv, Ukraine, with my dog!

Let me think about where I should begin. Australia has a pretty laid back and relaxed culture, and I think it affected me to the most positive extent. Ever since coming to the States and starting my education career here, I've felt tension and pressure to perform and act in a specific way. I don't know whether it was due to a cultural shock, an attempt to fit in, and/or other reasons. However, going to Australia helped me realize that there is so much more to this world and our lives…the stress and tension should not limit us in our actions and thoughts. Sometimes, we just need to relax, go with the flow, and enjoy good moments without overthinking and emotionally exhausting ourselves.

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Katelyn is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Finance, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management major at University of Pittsburgh, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In her first post, Katelyn writes out 3 separate packing lists to cover what she needs to bring for her semester abroad in Sydney.

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Hey everyone I’m Katelyn and I’ll be your spring semester Sydney blogger! If you’re anything like me you’ve been stressed about packing since the day the acceptance emails went out and even more now that it's getting closer. Although I have traveled a lot in the past I’m still guilty of overpacking but I find packing lists very useful to try and keep me on track. I hope that my list helps you decide what to bring or reminds you of things you may have forgotten!

Carry On #1

For my first carry on I decided to bring my regular school backpack as it’s the perfect size for going to class and also in case of any small trips.

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Nicole is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing & International Business major at Villanova University, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Nicole shares why she traveled to Southeast Asia after her semester in Sydney and what her plans are after returning home.

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Thanks Nicole!

See more of Nicole's journey in Sydney.

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Hanna is an official CAPA blogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing, Finance, and International Business major at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Carlson School of Management, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Hanna connects with 5 of her study abroad friends and hear about their experiences and memories abroad.

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I can not stop thinking about Sydney and my study abroad experience! I also often think about people I met during the CAPA program and what they think about the impact studying abroad in Sydney had on them. I decided to check in with some of my friends and see how they are doing and what their study abroad experience was like.

Mitchell Wesoly and Yaz Ketcherside at their "family dinners" formed with their study abroad friends.

Get to know Mitchell Wesoly, Yaz Ketcherside, Kellie Reardon, Ashley Wilson, and fellow Fall 2017 CAPA vlogger Nicole Anderson. They're from all over the U.S. and study in different colleges. See what they had to say below about their time in Sydney!

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Nicole is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing & International Business major at Villanova University, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Nicole and her CAPA classmates talk about their internships in Sydney and how their skills and experiences have grown.

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Thanks Nicole!

Nicole's journey continues every Wednesday so stay tuned.

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Hanna is an official CAPA blogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing, Finance, and International Business major at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, Carlson School of Management, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Hanna interviews CAPA Professor Andy West on how students can make the most of their experiences studying abroad in Sydney.

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I cannot believe we are about done! A week ago, we all had our last days in our classes and at our internships. As we were trying to wrap up all the assignments and exams, we were all also hectically trying to pack. Now, looking back at the program I feel that it was a great time—one to be grateful for.

Many of us, especially back in the U.S., are concerned about academics and education systems these days. I was glad that the professors and CAPA staff in Australia were very easy to approach and communicate with. During my final week, I decided to talk to one of my professors to reflect on the experience with CAPA from a different perspective. Andy West, a CAPA Sydney professor, leads the International Economics and the Global Internship course. I really enjoyed both his classes and felt like I had a lot of opportunity to get to know my professor and the Australian culture better, as well as also engaging in interesting conversations on various topics. Thus, I decided to conduct a small quick interview and ask him a couple of questions. Read on for his responses and see what advice he has to share.

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Nicole is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing & International Business major at Villanova University, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Nicole is interviewed on the spot by CAPA Sydney's Richard Cooper on her notions about Sydney and the culture she's come to know.

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Thanks Nicole!

Nicole's journey continues every Wednesday so stay tuned.

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Hanna is an official CAPA blogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing, Finance, and International Business major at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, Carlson School of Management, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Hanna shares her top 3 studying tips and how the Melbourne Cup event affects the work culture in Australia.

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As the semester comes close to an end, the academic world at university gets more hectic. It is unusual that most projects here are due at the end of all classes; however, I found out that they will all most likely be due on the same day.

Just a reminder: stay on top of your assignments, so you do not binge study/cram as I am doing now. :)

But here is an interesting story I have to share…besides the CDOs and CDSs, subprime crisis, and Greek crisis research papers and presentations I have been working on.

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Nicole is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing & International Business major at Villanova University, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Nicole lists 10 places you can visit in Sydney using your Opal card and public transportation.

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Thanks Nicole!

Nicole's journey continues every Wednesday so stay tuned.

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