Bearded Dragon in Brisbane Australia
Author: Annabelle Sammons | Major: Animal Science | Semester: Summer 2025
My name is Annabelle Sammons, and I am a junior in Bumpers College studying Animal Science. During the May Intercession I went on the Human and Animal Interactions in New Zealand and Australia trip. I chose to go on this trip because I have never been to that side of the world and wanted to learn more about animal and wildlife conservation. Australia and New Zealand have such unique wildlife that can only be seen in the wild in their native countries. I have always wanted to come face to face with koalas and kangaroos and see the stunning views of New Zealand. The trip was only two weeks long and we definitely made the most of our time there.
During our time in country, each of us had to present on a topic about either new zealand or australia that we had to research before our trip. I presented on the Dunedin Train station which is in Dunedin in the south of the South Island of New Zealand. I learned so much about other people’s topics from doing this. In addition, our tours and farm trips in the various cities and towns we were in throughout our trip through Australasia were incredibly informative. One of my favorite visits was to a Standardbred horse farm outside of Christchurch. We not only got to tour the farm but also watched a veterinarian perform a castration on a colt. This experience is so valuable to pre-vet students who may struggle to find large animals or exotic experiences. The veterinarian who performed the surgery was great. She let us ask her questions not only about what she was doing but also about how she became a veterinarian and decided to move to New Zealand since she was an immigrant.
Our trip wasn’t just about learning. We really got to experience the countries that we were in. We had a free day while we were in Brisbane. Several students and I decided to go on an excursion off the coast of Moreton Island. We went sandboarding, snorkeling, and kayaking on the reef. These are incredible experiences that I got the chance to have for the first time in the most amazing place. We were able to see so many cool fish and even some small sharks. It was an amazing day to immerse ourselves in Australia’s wildlife and to share the experience with classmates that quickly became friends.
Any advice I have to students who are considering studying abroad would be to do it. You will never have the same opportunity again. The best advice I can give is to jump in with both feet and really embrace the experience. Not everything will always go according to plan, but it’s important to keep perspective. Even if you hit bumps in the road, you are still in a new country getting to experience amazing things while making new friends and adding some crazy cool things to your resume. You will not regret studying abroad, but you will regret not going!