Staff Interview with Thomas Van Vort
Get to know CAPA The Global Education Network's staff!
Thomas Van Vort is from Rockville Centre, New York. He’s a junior Management Information Systems major and Criminology minor at Stonehill College. He plays on his school’s Ultimate Frisbee team and leads service trips.
What inspired you to travel abroad?
I heard from my friends on my Ultimate Frisbee team about all of the great things they did abroad and it inspired me to study abroad. My friends went abroad to Croatia, Ireland, and London, and told me all they had learned and experienced, so I decided I wanted to replicate that feeling. I wanted to go to a country that primarily spoke English and Australia was always so intriguing to me. I knew that going to a country in Europe was much easier and convenient compared to going to Australia.
Why did you choose CAPA The Global Education Network?
I wanted to have an internship abroad and CAPA provided me with the opportunity. CAPA also offers excursions and things the other programs didn't. CAPA offers excursions where you can do two things that are prominent in your country and they find an internship placement spot for you. We had an overnight trip to the Taronga Zoo, and we had a private tour of the zoo. The zookeepers brought out animals and we were able to feed giraffes. In addition to the Zoo, some of my friends and I went to an indoor rock-climbing place.
What was your favorite part about Australia?
The mix of cultures. I meet people from all over the world and it allowed me to become more culturally aware. I met people from Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, and they taught me about their traditions. I'm trying to replicate these traditions back in the United States. I am now able to understand the cultural differences between working with people from different cultures. I have become more culturally aware of what life is like for them in their own country.
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
The people I went with. They made everything worthwhile and they were there to witness some of the best things I have done in my life. I went scuba diving and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, drove on the Great Ocean Road in Melbourne, and went bungee jumping in New Zealand! I was able to go canoeing in one of the bays and experience taking public transportation to get to all of my desired places. These people I became friends with will always be my friends regardless if I ever see them in person again.
How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?
They made everything easy to understand from the whole application process to what was expected of us when we first had orientation, and they were always there for anything I needed. I have academic accommodations and CAPA was able to replicate what I get at school with them. There were no problems with my accommodations, and I was able to complete my coursework with no issues. They were able to understand what I had and reached out to me regularly if I had any issues. There were never any problems with them.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
I would have wanted to visit more major cities in Australia. I was able to visit Melbourne and Cairns, but I wanted to see the Ayers Rock and make it all the way to Perth. I would have loved to see these cities, but time and money were an issue! I made the most out of my time in these cities, but I would attempt to make my way back there one day! Even though I was there for three months and saw a lot, I felt like there was still a bunch more that I had not yet discovered. I wish I was there for longer than three months.
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
I would wake up, make some breakfast (typically eggs), work on my internship (I was doing a lot of marketing work for the company so I would promote their events and products on various websites). I would do coursework with some friends and after we finished the work, we would either hang out or go around Sydney and explore. We would research little known sites in Sydney and make our way to them. We would also talk to locals and see what they recommend what we should do.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?
I would try and see as many beaches as possible. I went to five different beaches while I was there for three months. It would take you well over 27 years to visit each beach in Australia, assuming you visited one beach per day. I would play ultimate frisbee at various parks in the area and at the University of Sydney. I would also explore the hidden spots of Sydney and find cool places to eat and hang out. I would also try new recommendations for activities that some of my Australian friends told me about.
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
I lived in an apartment in a hotel (BreakFree). There were four people in the apartment, including myself. Each room had its own bathroom and we had a living room, a kitchen (with the washing machine and the dryer) and a big balcony where you can see a lot of the city. Our hotel was in the heart of Sydney and every place that we wanted to go was only a couple of minutes of commuting using the train or bus. We were a 10-minute walk from our classes and an eight-minute walk to make the train, and five minutes for the buses.
What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?
CAPA made the whole process easy. Filling out the application and getting all of the required documents were not hard. Their customer service had a great response time and they gave you all of the information you needed. No questions were left unanswered and they were always there for you. There was a person appointed to you to help you along the way. The initial orientation was very helpful and they voiced to us everything that we needed to know so we would not get in trouble with the law.
Would you recommend CAPA The Global Education Network to others? Why?
Without hesitation! CAPA was accommodating to everyone. All of the faculty involved really want to get to know you and be your friend over your time there. During my Australian History class, during our break, we would try Australian food and talk about what we thought. They really give you a personal touch and when you have to say goodbye, it is really hard leaving all of this behind. This is a feeling I never experienced with any of my professors at my home university.
What do you feel is the biggest benefit of traveling abroad?
I would say becoming more flexible and dynamic in working with people. For my internship, I worked with people from Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, and Great Britain so the experience I had there gave me a better understanding of their cultures. I was able to learn more about what it means to be an Australian and I am trying to repeat these traditions here in the United States. I have become more open to meeting people and I try to understand their culture and why people behave in certain ways.
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
Since returning from Australia, my life has not been as upbeat as I wanted it to be. I have all of my coursework to focus on and all of my extracurricular activities, so it is hard to find time and see all of the things in town and at campus. I feel like I have not been myself in terms of exploring the United States in that aspect. There is a lot to see in the world and so little time to see it. I wish I could explore more and not be drowned with coursework. I love being back on campus with my friends but I also miss my abroad experience.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Feeling accomplished and feeling like you learned something that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. I want to be able to travel to a place, learn new things and apply what I learn there to wherever my life takes me. I want to remember these memories for the rest of my life! I want to be able to share my stories and experiences with my closest friends and family. These memories and experiences will never fade away and this whole experience has made me a better person.