Submitted by Emily Levin on the 2017 spring semester program in Sydney, Australia…
During my first week here in Sydney Australia, I had the opportunity to began my internship at the Westmead Institute in the Centre of Research Excellence in Critical
Infection. From the first day, I was certain that my study abroad experience was going to be significantly enhanced through my internship. On the first day, I was introduced to
several other people who work at the Institute and I met people from all different countries including Italy, Uganda and Syria. My internship supervisor explained to me
the importance of acceptance of all cultures in the workplace despite the competition among the science field. I really appreciated this because I have found that some
people in America do form a negative attitude towards people of different cultures gaining a job in our workplace. I immediately realized how rewarding this experience will
be to work with all of these different people and develop an appreciation and acceptance for their ideas and values.
My supervisor also explained to me the opportunities and advantages offered to the aboriginal culture in the workplace here in Australia. She told me that if an aborigine
were to interview for the same job as a person from another country, the aborigine would definitely get the job. She explained this as their way of paying respect back to
the aboriginal culture which was historically discriminated against. I found it very interesting that she emphasized the fact that they had just recently started paying their
respects to the culture and I appreciated the insight that she was able to give to me. I hope that I will develop even more empathy towards people of different cultures and
specifically the aboriginal culture, as I interact with many of my different coworkers on projects at the Westmead Institute.