“My father has always said that travel is my classroom.” As I’ve grown older, I’ve realised he meant far more than visiting new places. Travel shapes not only where I go, but who I become, teaching me to see through a global lens. We do not simply pass through places; for a time, they shape us. To me, that is where responsible and sustainable travel begins. Being welcomed into another community is a privilege that carries a responsibility to care for the people, places and environment that make those experiences possible.
This is the mindset I hope to take with me to the University of Denver. I chose Denver for its outstanding business school, diverse modules and the opportunity to experience American culture in a city that balances urban life with the outdoors. Studying abroad is not simply an opportunity to learn from another culture; it is a responsibility to contribute positively to the place I will call home for the next academic year. For me, sustainable travel is gratitude put into practice—caring for a place so that future students inherit it as I found it, or better, and have the same opportunity to learn from it that I have.
Living on campus means sustainability becomes part of my everyday routine. Most of my daily journeys—to lectures, societies and nearby grocery stores—can be completed on foot, reducing unnecessary transport while helping me become part of the local community. For journeys further afield, I intend to use Denver’s light rail and bus network wherever practical instead of relying on a car, choosing lower-carbon transport whenever possible in support of UN Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action. I will continue carrying reusable bottles and shopping bags, reducing single-use plastics, recycling where possible and meal-prepping to minimise food waste, reflecting SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. I also hope to support local businesses, become involved in university societies and volunteer with university sports teams, using my developing marketing skills while learning from others. In doing so, I hope to contribute to SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, ensuring my placement contributes to a cleaner environment while giving something back to the community that will become my home.
My travels have made me more grateful, independent and open-minded, reminding me never to take opportunities for granted. When I return to York, I hope to bring back not only greater business knowledge, but broader perspectives, deeper confidence, lifelong sustainable habits and a stronger sense of global responsibility that will shape both my future career and the way I continue to travel. That, to me, is the true value of an international exchange: not simply returning home with new knowledge, but returning home having learned how to care more responsibly for the wider world. If travel is my classroom, then sustainability is how I honour the people and places that become my teachers.
