Contact Go Global

Location: University Centre 227
(Global Engagement Office)
Email: goglobal.okanagan@ubc.ca

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Our office is available for virtual or in-person meetings. When contacting us, please indicate your preference for meeting type (virtual or in-person). Our office hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

January – April, 2024 Drop-in Schedule

Tuesdays: In-Person Drop-in 1pm – 4pm
Thursdays: In-Person Drop-in 1pm – 4pm (Thurs Mar 7: Drop-in unavailable this day)

Meet the team

I am in my 16th year with Go Global and have loved watching it grow over the past decade. I am a BA graduate from UBC Okanagan and an MEd graduate from UBC Vancouver and spent part of that degree in Copenhagen. I’ve recently completed my PhD with a focus in overseas short-term programs. I have a serious love of traveling, reading, and lifelong learning.

I have learned an incredible amount while abroad and I’ve taken quite a few solo adventures. I highly recommend traveling alone at least once as it squashes fears and will boost your confidence to continue exploring. I fully believe that studying overseas is what you make it, so go abroad with an open mind and say yes to experiences no matter how scary they might sound at first. Introduce yourself to new people and don’t hide in your dorm room!

Matt Harling, pictureAs a frequent traveller and dual-citizen of Canada and the United Kingdom, I am well aware of some of the unique challenges and obstacles that students may encounter both when considering whether to go and while on exchange. Having completed two degrees at UBC Okanagan (BA and BEd), I know how easy it is to find reasons not to go on exchange and am passionate about encouraging students to take advantage of the opportunity to go on exchange while they can (speaking from experience of someone who did not take the opportunity to go abroad and regrets it on regular occasion).

My goal as your Go Global Advisor is to help you have the best exchange experience possible while ensuring you meet all requirements for graduation. No matter where you decide to Go Global, it is a life-changing decision that you will never regret in life!

I recently completed my Masters of Business Administration, and when I’m not head deep in work or study, my passions include travel, playing & watching football (soccer), supporting Liverpool FC, and continued learning/development.

I have a great passion for studying cultures, completing an Honours in Anthropology focusing on the connection between nationalism, social stratification, and cooking customs of Soviet women in my Honours Thesis. As a first-generation immigrant in Canada, I always seeks an opportunity to make the process of cultural adaptation more pleasant for others and contribute to the minimization of discrimination, cultural bias, and racism in Canadian society. I was also a long-term volunteer with CILLDI (Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute) and see the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as guiding my work. I gained most of my mentorship and coaching experience working as a youth educator for immigrant children in Israel and as a writing and learning tutor at Grant MacEwan University. 

As a graduate of UBCO and a past participant in the Go Global program, I have had first-hand experience in the many aspects of going abroad. I received my BA in International Relations from UBCO, with a year of my degree spent studying at the University of Edinburgh. Outside of my exchange, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to over 15 countries, and continue to have a strong passion for travel. I will always look to encourage students to take the opportunity to Go Global where ever possible in their degree. I can also understand the potential doubt and the many decisions that come along with an exchange, whether that be choosing a partner school, course selection, or deciding where to live. I am here to help with all of those choices and guide you to make sure that your exchange experience is the best that it can be.

My advice is that if Go Global has crossed your mind even once, just do it.

This last semester I studied in Denmark at the University of Copenhagen. (Here is me at Nyhavn, a famous street there!)

My Go Global experience impacted me far greater than I expected. It opened up a world of opportunities for me through learning about different cultures in a deep and unique way and gave me meaningful connections, friendships, and memories.

 

I am now back at UBCO for my last year of my undergrad, studying International Relations. As the Go Global Project Assistant I want to help connect students to this great opportunity that UBCO has. Having first-hand experience in the difficulties and stress of getting ready to study abroad, I am excited to help other students with their application process and get them excited for what is to come.

Go Global Ambassadors

If you would like to get in touch with one of our ambassadors please e-mail goglobal.okanagan@ubc.ca to let us know!

Also, check out our Ambassador’s Desk video series to hear what our returned students have said about their experience of going abroad!

Format for below:

Name, location of exchange, area of study

In the last academic year I was lucky enough to call Sweden home. I lived in a university town called Lund and I studied at their Business, Economics & Management department. I remember signing up for just one semester abroad thinking that would be the perfect amount of time, however, after living in Sweden for only one month was when I decided I should take the opportunity to stay another semester knowing it was available to me. I couldn’t fathom this opportunity ever presenting itself to me again, so I took the leap! Now, I have the most incredible memories and happiest stories from my time abroad. This photo was taken on the Train from Helsingborg to Lund in Sweden! I went on a day trip with a couple friends to visit the city and we took the ferry over to Helsingør in Denmark to visit the Krongborg castle where Shakespeare’s Hamlet was inspired!

I hope to use my last year at UBCO to encourage and inspire others who dream of experiencing something new and perhaps out of their comfort zone. Studying abroad allowed me to travel and study new subjects in ways that wouldn’t have been possible beforehand, and I’m so excited to share my experiences to anyone curious about it all. The Swedish education for Business Management expanded my skills in sustainability, which is something I’m excited to carry forward into my career. Because of this, I couldn’t recommend studying abroad enough, but I’m also here to share some wisdom and honesty about the entire experience.

From January through till June, I spent my time studying at Lund University in Sweden, balancing my time between academia and adventure. From engaging in classrooms with students of all academic backgrounds, to travelling the world with only a backpack, my exchange provided me with the opportunity to engage with learning methodologies different from my own, live amidst a new culture, and take myself to the edge of my comforts. Alongside new friends, I travelled the world – I skied in Finland, swam in fjords in Norway, walked through markets in Hungary, watched the sunrise in Austria, biked throughout Denmark, and lived my most authentic life. That’s what exchange provides you with: an opportunity to live most true to you.

This picture was captured after having swam in the Lyngenfjord in Oteren, Norway, by my good friend Felix. At Lund University, most faculties are given a two-week long holiday between the academic periods. During this time, my friends and I travelled through Central Europe and Scandinavia.

While I may now be a few thousand kilometres away, finishing my degree in biochemistry and political science, I am certain that the memories made and the friendships fostered at Lund University will endure. Which is why I’m here: to share my experiences and to guide you in envisioning what your life may look like with Go Global so that you, too, may have that very same opportunity. I learned throughout my exchange that we can only learn so much in a classroom – the rest we have to learn out in the world! With Go Global, you’ll be able to develop yourself both as a scholar and as an individual. Whether you’re keen for a good story or need a friend to help soundboard ideas, know that you can always reach out to either myself or the other Go Global ambassadors to assist you along your UBC journey.

My Go Global Exchange took place in Term 1 from September until December of 2022 at the University of Edinburgh. During my four months in Edinburgh, I furthered my course credits towards my Bachelor of Science in Biology. While I was abroad I learned so much about myself and the world around me. I was lucky enough to meet new lifelong friends and created long lasting memories. The photo I chose was on my last full day in Edinburgh where my friend and I walked around trying to capture every piece of Edinburgh in our memories as best we could. The picture is taken in the Princes Street Garden with Edinburgh Castle in the background.

While abroad you are given opportunities to study courses that UBCO does not offer. I enrolled in a Celtic Civilizations course which allowed me to learn the history and culture that was embedded into the country I was living in. Outside of the classroom you are able to learn about our world through travel and people you meet along the way. I could not recommend Go Global enough as the knowledge and experiences I have gained will be with me forever.

As I enter my final semester at UBCO, I hope my involvement as a Go Global Ambassador will encourage other students to take part in a semester abroad. I look forward to helping students prepare for their upcoming exchange and talking with those that are still considering Go Global. I am extremely grateful for the information past Go Global Ambassadors told me, so I hope I can do the same for others!

I studied abroad in my 4th year of Psychology and got to travel and call Australia home for a full year. As a recent participant in the Go Global program, I am so grateful for the experiences, memories, and lessons I gained by studying abroad. Learning how to navigate travelling, settling down in an unfamiliar place, and creating connections with people from all over the world are just a few things I gained from studying abroad for a year. While going on exchange can be scary and hard at times, the lessons and experiences gained from it make it worthwhile. Participating in Go Global is something I will continue to encourage students to do, even if they have the slightest interest in studying abroad. As an ambassador for the program, I am here to help you navigate any questions, doubts and curiosities you have with going on exchange and am happy to discuss my honest experience with you.

This photo was taken at Wineglass Bay in Tasmania where my friend and I flew to for a weekend trip during uni break. We had previously met Karen and Paul at a concert in Melbourne and after getting to know each other, they graciously took us in for the weekend and showed us around Tasmania and made us feel so at home.

Hi, My name is Isaiah Persad and I am a new Go global exchange ambassador. I am a 4th year mechanical engineering student who went on exchange to the University of Sydney for one semester and lived in Australia for 7 months.

This photo was taken on a road trip up to the Gold Coast. I can’t wait to get back to surf some more, and help you guys with your travel plans.