I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to temporarily pause my amazing life in Brisbane and move to what is now my second-favourite city in the world, Edinburgh, as part of the UQ exchange program in Semester 1, 2026. Edinburgh had always been at the top of my list of exchange destinations. I wanted to experience life in the UK, but I was particularly drawn to Edinburgh for its combination of history, architecture, culture and vibrant student life.
Looking back, however, what made the experience so valuable was far more than the destination itself. Living overseas for five months, studying at a different university, travelling extensively and building a completely new life from scratch taught me an enormous amount about who I am, both as a person and as a leader. I have returned to Brisbane more confident in myself and my decisions, more comfortable with uncertainty, and with a much broader perspective on the people and world around me.
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, was culturally and architecturally very different from UQ. I loved being surrounded by historic buildings and studying in a city so clearly shaped by centuries of history. I lived at the base of Arthur’s Seat, one of Edinburgh’s most iconic landmarks, and I still remember how surreal it felt in those first few weeks to walk up it during my morning walks and realise that Edinburgh was actually my home.
Being away also gave me a new appreciation for UQ. As beautiful as the University of Edinburgh is, I found myself appreciating things about my home university that I had previously taken for granted. The Great Court, in particular, is an extraordinary part of UQ, and I can now imagine how impressive it must be to exchange students arriving in Brisbane for the first time. Experiencing another university helped me recognise that sometimes it takes stepping away from what is familiar to properly appreciate it.
Building a life from scratch
Adapting independently to a completely new environment was one of the most exciting and rewarding challenges of my exchange. I lived in student accommodation with approximately 2,000 students, primarily first-year and international exchange students. When I arrived, Edinburgh was in the middle of winter. The days were short, dark, cold and very rainy. I knew very few people and suddenly had to build an entirely new routine and social circle.
Rather than waiting for that to happen naturally, I made a conscious effort in those first few weeks to meet as many people as possible and to say yes to opportunities, even when doing so meant stepping outside my comfort zone. Before long, many of those people had become some of my closest friends.
There is something very unique about meeting people from completely different parts of the world and then spending almost every day together for five months. My friendships exposed me to different cultures, perspectives and ways of thinking, and reminded me how important curiosity and openness are when building relationships. Coming home afterwards was surprisingly strange. I had returned to my normal life, but without the people who had been such a huge part of my everyday world for the previous semester. I miss them enormously, but I also feel incredibly lucky to have formed such strong friendships with people I can now visit in different corners of the world.
This experience also changed the way I think about leadership. Before exchange, many of my most obvious leadership experiences had involved formal roles, where leadership meant supporting or guiding other people. Edinburgh taught me much more about self-leadership. There was no familiar support network or established routine to fall back on. I had to be proactive, put myself in unfamiliar situations, make decisions independently and take responsibility for creating the experience I wanted to have. I learned that leadership does not always involve being the person at the front of a group.
Learning through travel
I absolutely fell in love with Scotland through the various day trips and weekends I spent exploring the country. The Isle of Skye, St Andrews, Glencoe and the Scottish Highlands showed me some of the most dramatic landscapes I have ever seen and gave me an appreciation for Scotland far beyond Edinburgh itself.
Alongside my travel within Scotland, the generous support of the Liveris Academy Travel Grant allowed me to travel extensively throughout Europe and beyond during and after my semester. Across the five months, I visited England, Portugal, France, Ireland, Morocco, Spain, Poland, Slovenia, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland, returning to some countries several times to explore different cities and regions.
Planning and coordinating so many different destinations, budgets, transport options and accommodation arrangements pushed me to become considerably more organised and decisive. Every trip inevitably came with its own curveballs, whether that was language barriers, cancelled or delayed transport, last-minute changes and, on more than one occasion, an unfortunate RyanAir excess baggage fee. I became much better at staying calm, assessing my options and finding a solution rather than becoming overwhelmed when plans changed.
This developed a different form of leadership from what I had previously experienced. I became increasingly comfortable making decisions with incomplete information and trusting my own judgement. I also learned that good leadership requires adaptability. You can plan extensively, but circumstances will inevitably change, and being able to respond constructively is often more important than having created the perfect plan in the first place.
A broader perspective
Beyond the practical skills I developed, travelling so extensively gave me a much broader perspective on the world. Each country offered something completely different, whether that was culture, history, language, food or simply a different way of approaching everyday life.
Morocco in particular was unlike anywhere I had travelled before. Travelling from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert exposed me to a culture and environment very different from those I was familiar with in Australia and Europe. More broadly, my travels made me reflect on how fortunate I have been to grow up with the opportunities I have had, and especially how fortunate I was to be able to spend a semester studying and travelling overseas.
Meeting people from different backgrounds also reminded me how easy it is to view situations entirely through the lens of my own experiences. I returned home more curious about other perspectives and more conscious of the importance of listening before making assumptions. I think this is something I will carry strongly into leadership roles in the future: recognising that my perspective is only one of many and that good leadership requires genuinely understanding the people around you.
Leadership without a title
One of my biggest personal lessons from exchange was that leadership exists well beyond formal leadership positions. Before leaving Australia, much of my understanding of leadership had been shaped through structured roles and experiences. In Edinburgh, there was no title attached to the challenges I encountered. Leadership appeared in much smaller moments: introducing myself to someone when I knew nobody in the room, organising plans among a group of people with different priorities, dealing calmly with a travel problem, recognising when a friend needed support, or making a difficult decision independently.
I also became much more comfortable not always having the answer. Travelling and living abroad inevitably places you in situations where you do not completely understand the system, language or environment around you. I learned to ask questions, seek help and rely on other people's expertise. Paradoxically, becoming more independent also taught me to be more comfortable depending on others.
That is something I want to carry into my future leadership. Confidence does not mean pretending to know everything. I now see greater strength in being able to recognise what I do not know, listen carefully to others and then make the best decision possible with the information available.
Returning home
Perhaps one of the clearest indications of how much the experience changed me came when I returned to Brisbane. I came back to essentially the same city, university and life that I had left seven months earlier, but I did not feel exactly like the same person returning to it.
I feel considerably more confident in my ability to navigate unfamiliar situations and make decisions independently. Things that might previously have seemed intimidating feel more manageable because I have evidence that I can adapt. I moved to another country, built a new
life and community, studied within a different university system, travelled through unfamiliar places and dealt with plenty of situations that did not go according to plan. More importantly, I loved doing it.
I have also returned with a stronger desire to continue seeking experiences that challenge my existing perspective. Exchange reinforced that some of the periods in which I have developed most have been those where I was slightly uncomfortable, uncertain or inexperienced. I want to continue putting myself in environments where I have something to learn from the people around me.
The experience has therefore influenced the kind of leader I hope to become. I want to be someone who is confident enough to make decisions but humble enough to change them; someone who actively seeks different perspectives; someone who remains calm and adaptable when circumstances change; and someone who understands that leadership comes with a responsibility to create opportunities and positive outcomes for people beyond yourself.
Looking back
When I first applied for exchange, I expected it to be an amazing five months. I expected to make friends, travel, experience another university and see a new part of the world. All of those things happened, but I did not fully anticipate how much the experience would change the way I viewed myself.
Edinburgh gave me confidence in my ability to build a life somewhere completely unfamiliar. My friendships taught me the value of being open to people whose backgrounds and perspectives differ from my own. Travel taught me to make decisions, adapt quickly and remain calm when plans inevitably changed. Experiences such as Morocco gave me a greater appreciation of the opportunities I have received and a stronger sense of responsibility for how I use them.
Most importantly, I learned that leadership is not confined to formal positions or moments when other people are looking to you for direction. It is reflected in how you respond to uncertainty, how you treat and learn from others, the decisions you make when nobody is directing you, and what you choose to do with the opportunities available to you.
I am incredibly grateful to the Liveris Academy for helping make this experience possible. The Travel Grant allowed me to make far more of my time overseas than I otherwise could have, extending my learning well beyond the classroom and Edinburgh itself. I left Brisbane excited for an adventure and returned with lifelong friendships, unforgettable memories, a much broader understanding of the world and, most importantly, a clearer understanding of the kind of person and leader I want to become.
I am sure Edinburgh will remain my second-favourite city in the world for a very long time - although Brisbane still has the advantage of considerably better weather.
