b'New Studying abroad can open Ventures doors to new opportunities and experiences. Here are two Abroad Greenwood alumni who took the leap to study abroad.q JEMMA BRIDGES 17Jemma took the opportunity to study at The New Schools Parsons School of Design when she graduated from Greenwood. The experience living and studying in New YorkThrough the supportive network and personalised curriculum at Greenwood, City has given her incredible exposure to lifeWisy Namaseb 09 flourished as a study in a brand new city. abroad student at the school.Jemma always knew she wanted to study design in some way or another and her previous study abroad experience in Paris, France, made her eager to try living in another city. While she was researching different programs, she felt particularly drawn tol WISY NAMASEB 09Parsons School of Design at The New School because the program was specifically geared towards establishing an art career. SheWisy joined Greenwood as a study abroad decided to attend the industrial design program at Parsonsstudent from Namibia. He talks about his which allowed her to combine different elements of engineering, psychology and business with her passion for art. I was lucky journey adjusting to a new way of life and to study under professors who have worked at NASA, OXO and how he adapted thanks to Greenwood staff West Elm and they definitely made the program so much moreand the community. He currently works as a exciting and valuable, Jemma says. management consultant and entrepreneur.Even though she had prior experience studying abroad, it was a whole new challenge to move to a city where she didnt haveWisys first time on an airplane was the flight that took him from an established network. It really pushed me to start fresh andNamibia to Toronto. Not only that, but his family remained in curate that network myself, Jemma says. Her time in New YorkNamibia while he resided with a sponsoring family for his studies. City teetered between fantastical moments and the mundane.Greenwood offered a safe learning environment, says Wisy. It had Sometimes you feel like youre in a coming-of-age moviea secure, close-knit family of students, teachers and parents that where you get to run around a great city full of opportunity andprovided a safety net for me at a time where I had to leave my own sometimes youre waiting for the train next to a rat eating a bagel,family behind. Through this supportive network and personalised she recalls. The bustle can be invigorating for someone new tocurriculum at Greenwood, Wisy flourished as a study abroadNYC. Now she lives in Brooklyn, where she can enjoy some morestudent here. quiet compared to the Manhattan scene.Relocating from a lower-income country to a first-world nation is a Jemmas advice to Greenwood students? If you have thedouble-edged sword, Wisy remembers. On the one hand, you are opportunity or resources to study or live abroad, you shouldnervous about adjusting to a new norm, and on the other, you are absolutely take it, urges Jemma. Ive heard more stories ofexcited about the opportunity to learn and grow. I felt both, but more people who regret not studying abroad than people who did andthe latter. His family comes from a nomadic, Khoisan background, hated it.so adjusting to new environments came easier for him. The additional support from John Fraser, Elizabeth McCallum, Fred Dalley Jemma is thankful that Greenwood was so accommodating withand Sue Dalley made Wisys socio-economic transition to Canada her different learning habits and interests. She takes that samemuch smoother. I always believed that one grows outside their empathy and understanding to her present work as an elementarycomfort zone and, in retrospect, I doubt I would have been whereschool art teacher. My time at Greenwood helped me be moreI am now without studying abroad and the support received fromsupportive to my students and gave me so much appreciation formy family abroad, Wisy says. the teachers who taught me, says Jemma.One of the challenges Wisy faced while studying in Canada was navigating a new culture. With differences in dress, behaviour and Even though she had priorinteraction at play, Wisy sought to strike a balance between fitting in experience studying abroad, itand maintaining his identity. Wisy did relish the opportunity to build was a whole new challenge fora network here in Toronto and experience all that the city (and its Jemma Bridges 17 to move toweather) could offer. a city where she didnt have an established network. If anyone asks him if they should study abroad, Wisys answer would be a resounding, Go! The new possibilities and relationships that one can build can set up many opportunities in the future.Wisy credits Greenwood for paving the way to get him to think beyond the box. I tip my hat to Greenwood, to be honest, Wisy says. Not only do I think outside the box, I also think there is no box. This attribute has helped him greatly in his current role as a management consultant and entrepreneur in South Africa. Even though he was only in Canada for two years, that brief amount of time had a profound impact on his perspective. Greenwood15GRWD211_Evergreen_2022 r4.indd 15 2023-01-12 11:51 AM'