According to Ashley Venable, a Recreation Management major, one of her most transformational experiences at Appalachian State University was having the opportunity to study abroad. In the spring of 2016, Venable spent a semester in New Zealand. It was here that she discovered her passion.
Venable had the opportunity to teach students Outdoor Education in Primary Schools. Because she was able to spend the entire semester with the same group of students she was able to bond with them and make credible observations about how Outdoor Education affects learning. It was also during this experience that Venable decided this was her calling, “I enjoyed teaching in the outdoors so much that semester that I knew it was what I wanted to do. I was pushed out of my comfort zone many times during my study abroad and I thrived on the new experiences, wild expeditions and unknown outcomes,” said Venable.
Upon her return to Boone, Venable focused her studies on Outdoor Education, adding a minor in Sustainable Development because of her interests in the sustainability focus that was taught in New Zealand. Reflecting on her semester abroad, Venable said “I have much more confidence teaching and have found many opportunities to do so through Appalachian. I graduate in May and I just received an offer for a job teaching international education adventures, a dream job that I may never have discovered if it weren’t for the perspective gained during my semester abroad.”
Ashley Venable
Ashley Venable