Welcome to the first instalment of our Where are they now? alumni stories series, where we’re interviewing alumni whose experiences have shaped their lives and careers over time.
In this post, we’re interviewing Celine Kao, a trimester exchange student from 2016 who went on exchange to the University of California (San Diego campus) in the USA. She is now a Communications and Media Officer living in London, England.
What originally motivated you to apply for a global experience?
I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and see more of the world. Growing up, I always saw the US on TV, in music and in movies, so I was fascinated by seeing all of these locations in real life. I was interested in seeing ‘college life’ in the US compared with New Zealand, and was really excited to be around a lot more diversity and people from all sorts of different backgrounds over there.
Did your experience shift how you see yourself or the world? If so, how?
Yes, I was 19 and still figuring out who I was at the time, so it pushed me to explore my identity away from home around new people and in new environments. I was able to experiment a little with the courses I took as they didn’t necessarily need to relate to my home papers, so I was able to pursue some different interests that I wouldn’t have been able to back at Waikato. I went on many adventures and learned that even though we share a main language and a lot of similarities, the American culture also feels incredibly foreign a lot of the time. It also made me grateful to be from New Zealand and proud of where I’ve come from, and I realised that even though we’re a small country, we do punch above our weight on the global stage.
Has your experience influenced your career path or professional choices?
It definitely solidified my choice in my career path. While I was on exchange, I attended the PRSSA conference, which is the biggest student conference in the world for public relations students. The conference was full of guest speakers working in huge markets, and their presentations really showed me what was possible if I chose to pursue a career in PR/comms. Everyone I met there was so lovely and welcoming and truly showed me the value of networking. I ended up meeting one of my really good friends today at that conference, and we have maintained a strong international friendship with quite a few visits in the last 10 years, and often have interesting discussions about our work.
Are there habits, values, or perspectives from your experience that have stayed with you?
My experience strengthened my attitude and values around diversity and inclusion. I had always been interested in learning about other cultures, but this was one of the first times in my life that I could put those into action. In 2023, 7 years after my exchange, I took 7 months off work to travel full-time and visit every continent. Much like how I was on exchange, during my travels I put myself out there, made friends from all over, said yes to things, and finally lived out a lot of my childhood dreams. Without exchange, I don’t think I would have had the foundational confidence I needed to pursue these adventures.
Did the experience influence later decisions such as travel, further study, or relocation?
The travel bug clearly hit hard, as I came home from that world trip and moved to London a year later to chase the feeling of being in a new environment full of diversity again. I am loving it so far and am looking forward to my next move again to somewhere new once my visa here is up. Although I love my home and the Waikato, I am enjoying making the most of my twenties and taking up opportunities around the world.
What advice would you give to students considering a global experience?
Do it! It’s probably one of the only times in your life that you can have an immersive cultural experience with a group of other students and make friends from around the world, while having it count towards your studies. You don’t need to wait for a Contiki after graduation, and you’ll make better friends (friends for life!) on exchange than a 3-week Euro trip anyway.
What do you wish you’d known before going on your experience?
As strange as it sounds, I wish I had put less pressure on myself about doing well in my courses on exchange. I have always tried to be a high achiever, but I think in this instance I would have grown more as a person if I wasn’t studying so much. For example, I was only 30 minutes from the Mexican border and never made it down to Mexico because I didn’t make time for it. I ended up going to Mexico almost 10 years later and it’s one of my favourite countries.
How would you describe the value of your experience beyond academic learning?
I think the experience was pivotal in shaping my development as a person, and to this day, I’m still very curious about different cultures and making friends from different backgrounds. I think having first-hand experience of seeing how things are done in other places has given me perspective and an attitude of being open-minded about different approaches. I’m also very grateful for the long-term friends I’ve made from my experience – I have been shown around or hosted in Romania, Chicago, New York, Sydney, and London by people I met when I was there.
If I hadn’t gone on my global experience, I wouldn’t have…
developed the confidence to take risks and believe that big things are possible.
Waikato Global Experiences Blog 