AYA Alumni

AYA Cookbook
$30 Donation

Help support the UNO-Innsbruck Academic Year Abroad program
by purchasing a cookbook created and designed by AYA students.

All funds collected will go towards scholarships for AYA students.

If you would like to donate $30 towards AYA scholarships, please email us at aya@uno.edu.

---

In His Own Words: Aaron Larkin

-B.A. in International Studies Program Newsletter
-March 2008, Issue 1

    I can still remember the day when I decided that I was going to pursue a degree in International Studies at UNO. It was a winter afternoon in the Destrehan High School Library. I was 17 years old. Like many at that age and in that situation, I was worried (perhaps prematurely) about the future and wondering what I wanted to study and ultimately, "do" with my life. Noticing the look on my face (which must have been one of total befuddlement) as I browsed university web sites, I was approached by the particularly caring and motherly head librarian.

    She asked me what I wanted to be doing in 10-15 years. I told her I wasn't sure, but that I wanted to travel, work abroad, and hopefully meet some beautiful, exotic foreign women (for a 17 year old in a small southern town, this was a major motivational factor). She asked me if I'd ever heard of the International Studies program at UNO, and I replied that I hadn't. She went on to tell me about her daughter in law (whose name I only wish I knew and could provide) who had recently graduated with her BAIS and had gone on to work for the State Department in Washington, DC. She was traveling, working with people from all over the world, and was planning to do graduate work at the London School of Economics. Soon thereafter, I had my orientation at UNO, met with Dr. Hazlett, made my decision and haven't looked back.

    Shortly thereafter, Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans and completely changed the trajectory of my life. However, I was extremely, unbelievably fortunate in that this led to me being accepted to the University of Innsbruck in Austria as a visiting student on a very generous scholarship. I packed my suitcase, told my mother "I'd call her when I go to Europe" and boarded a plane for Munich to commence what eventually became a two-year stay abroad.

    I'd like to use this opportunity to encourage everybody who might be considering studying abroad to give serious consideration to Austria. UNO and the University of Innsbruck have a great partnership and it's an excellent opportunity to study in Europe that more students should be taking advantage of if they have the resources.

    I'm back in New Orleans now and after all this time my commitment to my studies has only grown greater and I'm more and more thankful I happened to sit down and talk with that wonderful woman in the Destrehan High School library. I'm still working towards my BAIS (business track), and I am also pursuing a simultaneous degree in business administration. Thanks to the guidance of Dr. Hazlett and the opportunities presented to me by International Studies at the University of New Orleans, my outlook on the future is very positive and I feel that the opportunities for work, travel, and life are wide open and completely attainable.

    I only hope that everybody in this program realizes how progressive and dynamic what we're studying is and that with the right attitude, ethics, and work, we've al got the chance to realize those dreams of international lives and adventures we had as 17 year olds.