Alumni feel lure of travel, make the move to the land down under

Most college graduates have a few ideas of where life will take them after graduation. They assume they will pursue careers, get married, perhaps even take a short trip to Europe. So it may be surprising to hear of a group of JMU graduates who chose a different direction — one that will change their lives forever. This, however, is exactly what six prominent alumni of the class of 2004 chose to do.

Seniors Matt Brownlee, Katie Coleman, Lisa Clarke, Andrew Hart, Rich Laird and Brian McCormick diverged from the common post-graduation trip to Europe to instead work, study and live in Australia for four months and tour New Zealand for one month. "Rich and Andrew had the original idea for the trip a year ago," Brownlee said. "It was probably something they thought of coming back from Highlawn one night. The trip started as kind of a cool hypothetical."

They made their travel arrangements through BUNAC: Working Adventures Worldwide, a company specializing in coordinating work and volunteer opportunities abroad. The company supplied the six graduates with four-month work Visas in Australia, insurance, suggestions on where to find housing and jobs and a two-day orientation program in Australia — all for $550. "One of my best friends from high school did the same trip to London; he was the one that recommended BUNAC," Brownlee said. "They were a good company because they were one of the few that could offer work Visas."

BUNAC helped the graduates locate housing in Cronulla Beach, an oceanfront suburb of the city of Sydney. "We found the apartment in Cronulla Beach basically through dumb luck, surfing the Internet for apartments when we should have been doing homework," Laird said. "We came across this Australian beach youth hostel. The owners were interested in letting us stay since we’d be there for four months, so they offered us a very good rate."

When asked what they look forward to most in Australia, they all agreed that they were each excited to face new opportunities. "I’m looking forward to experiencing a new country," Hart said. "I’ve only heard great things about the people and the culture. I’m excited for lots of beach time, surfing, camping, skydiving, bungee jumping and overnight expeditions."

The graduates also agreed that JMU was key in preparing them for this trip of a lifetime. "JMU prepared me for this trip because just coming to JMU was leaving a comfort zone," Hart said. "The school was a gateway to opportunities, and also an opportunity to branch out. The university and my friends really shaped the person that I am."

For more information about BUNAC, visit www.bunac.org.