Good day, my name is Ben Brouwer, a recipient of the Kellogg Study Abroad Scholarship for the fall semester of 2024. I wanted to extend my gratitude for awarding and gifting me this scholarship to allow me to travel and study abroad to Australia for 4 months!

Throughout my college career, I have wanted to study abroad, and this opportunity presented itself which allowed me to go abroad and experience one of my bucket-list destinations all while studying and gaining irreplaceable knowledge.

While studying abroad, I was able to experience the places in Australia and Sydney that you see in movies and TV. Seeing those things in person like the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge was surreal and never got old even when you kept seeing them.

I also made irreplaceable friendships while abroad with many internationals from Europe and Asia. I was able to create these friendships that will now last a lifetime, as ICMS felt as though we were all a family when we were together. We were able to experience helpful lectures and classes, amazing sights, and some great food, including Sydney’s impressive seafood culture with sushi and different types of Pacific fish, creating memories we will never forget. These friends, however, did not speak English as their first language, meaning that it was looking like it was going to be hard to communicate with them. Although this was my initial thoughts, these friends were able to communicate well in English and we were able to talk and have conversations completely fine while also, in a fun way, teaching me some of their native language and lingo!

One myth that I thought about going abroad with was that it would be hard to make friends while abroad. However, when I arrived at the International College of Management Sydney (ICMS), I was shocked at how welcoming not only the university was, but how welcoming the people were too. Everyone is in the same situation: far from home, without their normal surroundings including family and friends, just trying to make friends like I am. This was comforting because I had spoken to some of my friends later on through the months and they had felt the same way, creating a sense of optimism for me that others going on this study abroad would feel the same way, giving comfort to them and their families.

This program at ICMS was one that I will never forget. I would tell anyone that is thinking of studying abroad that ICMS would be a perfect candidate. I would tell them that the experience is life-changing in the fact that you will see things that you might never get to experience (Opera House and Sydney City, Bondi Beach, and white sand beaches) and make friends with people you will be able to call life-long friends. While understanding that studying abroad can take some time getting used to, you would not regret it in the slightest. I felt extremely safe while abroad, especially with the help of MSU if ever needed, easing my parents' minds as well. I also gained some valuable knowledge that I have already implemented into my life through the courses I took like my content creation class where I’ve taken techniques already into creating content for some over the winter break!

Again, I would like to thank you immensely for providing me with this opportunity and gifting me with this scholarship. Studying at ICMS was something that changed me as a person, gaining valuable insight into the world that I would not have experienced in East Lansing. Again, thank you very much.

Name: Benjamin Brouwer
Status: Senior
Majors: Marketing and Environmental Sustainability
Hometown: Zeeland, Michigan
Program: International College of Management Sydney in Australia