University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Enjoy Australia Study Abroad Trip
8/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
By Rachel Timmerman, Athletic Communications Student Intern
MINNEAPOLIS - Three Gopher women's hockey players left the comforts of the ice to travel to a new climate down under earlier this summer.
Lee Stecklein, Kate Schipper and Kate Flug went to Sydney and Brisbane, Australia for a little over two weeks in May to take a human resources course called, "Human Resources Management -- An International Perspective," through the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.
"You had to apply so we weren't sure if we'd all get to go, but we all made it, which was really lucky," Stecklein said.
Through guest lectures, site visits, and group work for their final presentations, the three Gophers were immersed in business life in Australia. The course introduced human resources management as a way to achieve high levels of organizational performance and focused on employment practices in both the U.S. and Australia.
Schipper and Flug, who are roommates back home, remained roommates for their time abroad. When the group left Sydney and flew to Brisbane for the second half, all three Gophers were reunited in the same apartment.
Through their studies, they met locals and became fast friends.
"In Brisbane, our Australian classmates took us to a canal and we went paddle boarding. That might have been my favorite part," Stecklein said.
During their visit, they were able to see many sights, including the botanical gardens, the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and the notorious Sydney Opera House.
"It's one landmark everyone knows, but I don't think anyone ever sees inside of it," Schipper said. "You can't take pictures in the actual auditoriums, so it was cool to see. If you never get to take a tour, you're never going to see inside of it."
Even though a semester-long trip was more ideal for Stecklein, she said she was grateful just to have the opportunity to study abroad with her busy schedule.
Schipper was thankful for the break, but said she's ready to venture on her own next time.
"I think if I did it again I'd want to stretch my boundaries a little bit more," Schipper said. "Going abroad with no one I know would force me to make more friends, but it was definitely nice to travel with that one person that you knew already."
But she's not sure if she could take the 17-hour plane ride back to Australia on her own.
"I have never been on a plane that long," Schipper said. "If you calculated it with the time difference when you left and when you came back in the same time zone it was 30 hours of traveling. I got back home, and I was in such a daze as to where I was or what time of day it was."
Their international classmates, however, plan to brave the lengthy trip to visit the three Gophers this winter.
"They mostly just want to see snow," Stecklein laughed. "I don't think they're quite prepared for the cold that comes with it, but I wouldn't be prepared for the heat they have."
Their Australian classmates will have the opportunity to see Stecklein and Schipper on the ice with the Gophers when they visit this winter as they each begin their third season with the Maroon & Gold.
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