Hey, I’m Holly, I am a second-year student studying a Bachelor of Climate Change, majoring in Economics and minoring in Public Policy. I wanted to go on an exchange when I first saw the Waikato University open day presentation in year 13. My initial plan was to go to Hawaii, but after a few twists and turns, I ended up enrolling in the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

Whilst Scotland was an unexpected exchange destination, I am looking forward to it. I am excited to be in an English-speaking country, where when the people talk, you have to work extra hard to figure out what they are saying. There is also a club for everything at the University of Glasgow, so I plan to join the surf club, wakeboarding club, and mountaineering club.

Some of my ancestors can be traced back to Scotland, so I would like to learn more about my family’s past by visiting places of importance. I hope that by visiting these places, I will be able to connect more deeply with who I am and where I come from.

Even though I never would have guessed I would be studying in Scotland, I wouldn’t have it any other way.