#UbishopsAbroad: Meet Brooke Gorham

The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) launched the Learning Beyond Borders program to provoke a national conversation on learning abroad.

At Bishop’s University, we nurture studying abroad as a transformational life-changing experience, opening minds to different ways of living, promoting understanding, contributing to academic success, enhancing communication skills, self-awareness, and adaptability. It also offers opportunities to develop soft skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving, deemed necessary in a global workforce. To promote this national conversation, we are featuring Bishop’s students who have taken advantage of our study abroad program.

Meet Brooke Gorham, a BA Honours Sociology student, who went to Mississippi State University in Starkville, USA.

“Going on exchange was a very last minute decision for me, as I only applied in February for an exchange that started in May. I chose to go on exchange over the summer to complete my degree faster. I was very nervous going into this exchange. It would be the first time that I would be in Mississippi and somewhere that I didn’t know a single person. For the first week, I was super homesick and was ready to quit right away, but thankfully with the help of a counsellor, the exchange coordinators there, icebreakers in class, and through the overall kindness of some southern hospitality I managed to get on my feet and make friends that I will never forget, and that I have already returned back to visit and will continue to visit.

Even though I only spent three months in Mississippi, I fell in love with living in America, and now have plans of attending an American school for my graduate education next year. Going on exchange in America might not seem like the most exciting place to go, but there were cultural adaptations that I had to make, and the people there were intrigued to know why a Canadian would do an exchange in Mississippi of all places – which I promise was a good way to get a conversation going. My advise for anyone considering an exchange or who are going on one would be to not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Get out there, talk to people, do new things! You will find that your exchange will be the best time of your life and you will meet people that will be in your life for a very long time after your exchange.”

Brooke Gorham
Stittsville, Ontario

To learn more on how you could benefit from a study abroad experience, visit our website!
http://www.ubishops.ca/future-current-students/student-exchange-and-study-abroad-programs/