Study Abroad Profile: Alex Maitland-Ward
By: Taylor Rossi
All About the Awesome Alex
Alex is a senior on the Women’s Lacrosse team here at Pace University. She is a great teammate and an incredible player. Having the opportunity myself to play with her is an honor. Along with being a great teammate, she is a great friend who is always sharing her positive energy. Alex is a senior, dual-major in Human Resource Management and International Business.
Her Journey Abroad
When asked how she decided that it was her passion to travel abroad, Alex stated, “I’ve always had a love for travel and knew that I would want to study abroad before I graduate. The program I chose was the Fall Semester Program in London at Regents University. London is such a central location for traveling and also offers a diverse culture available.”
She chose to miss her Junior year fall lacrosse by going on this journey to London. Many of my teammates asked her if she regrets missing a huge chunk of our season and her answer is always no without a single doubt. Many of our teammates, including me, are extremely jealous of her and decision to travel. She told us that she found her passion easily. She said, “I think like most people the way to do that is through experimenting and trying new things. For me I love traveling and there could be cheaper passions but I love traveling/ experiencing new cultures.”
The Role of Writing
Alex, who is a fiction lover, used writing as a large part of her experience. She told me that she kept a journal that she wrote in various times during her travels. She often wrote in it when she had an experience that impacted her. She wrote at these times to make sure that she fully remembers how she felt in that exact moment. Alex stated, “I think this made me value everything I did as well as give me a creative outlet, other than my school studies.”
The Role of Reading
Alex taught me how she was an avid reader all her life and took a book with her whenever she traveled. Her mindset behind this is reading about various places in the world and then visiting them allows you to connect on a deeper level to the author and the story he/she is portraying. London is the home of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and she was fortunate enough to get to watch a play at The Globe. She explained how it was amazing to see where the plays she read were originally portrayed.
The Gift of Alex’s Parents
Both of Alex’s parents are English and have both been to London before. They both have an accent which I find to be very interesting. Talking to them at our games amazes me because they both talk with a strong accent and Alex doesn’t. Alex said, “Although I do not think this was necessary, I do think it helped me not face a culture shock when I was there.” She also prepped for the various customs for the different cultures she visited so that she would wear appropriate attire/ where to go/stay. She was surprised with how many relationships she made with people that she is still close with. She described how amazing was to be able to create such strong bonds with new people in such a short period of time.
Alex’s Advice
“Always push your comfort zone and try new things until you find out where you fit. Build relationships with people whenever you get the chance. A professional and personal network will help you in your career enhancement but also fostering relationships.”
Shape Your Story 