AUS Silver Jubilee Tour
International Exchange Office (IXO)
Since the opening of the International Exchange Office—or IXO— in June 2010, almost 280 AUS students have take the opportunity to study abroad for up to two semesters at universities around the world.
AUS has also played host to more than 940 study abroad students from international universities, giving them the opportunity to experience life as a #Proud_AUSer.
First incoming IXOer
.jpeg "Kaia Samson (1)")
The first incoming IXO student was Kaia Samson (nee Dickinson) who joined us from George Washington University, USA, to study international studies for two semesters in 2010.
Kaia now works as a Global Ethics Senior Specialist for Deloitte in Washington, DC, and considers her time at AUS as pivotal in both her professional and personal life.
"I look back at my time studying abroad at AUS with great fondness. One of the things I cherish the most is the opportunity I had to develop friendships with women from different cultural backgrounds by living in the dorms, several of which have become life-long friends.
The courses I took really expanded my global perspective and have continued to be applicable as I continue in my career. The campus is also stunning and I truly enjoyed my daily walks around the property. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to have spent a year living and studying at AUS."
First outgoing IXOer
The first outgoing IXO student from AUS was Malika Kussainova, who studied abroad at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada in Fall 2009. Malika reflected on the various challenges and highlights of her experience:
“My study abroad experience started with a few hurdles. As a student from Kazakhstan, the visa process was not straightforward and took almost three months, causing me to lose my accommodation on campus in Vancouver less than a week before my departure. A family connection led to new accommodation arrangements, which turned out to be very affordable but a lot less convenient, with a two- to three-hour commute to campus on multiple buses and trains. As an AUS student who only had experience with a two-minute walk to classes, this new arrangement was definitely out of my comfort zone! But I learned to study and read during the commute.
Studying in Vancouver was a life-changing experience for me because it was so wildly different to my very comfortable life in the UAE. While it was a huge reality-check, the whole experience was absolutely beautiful. I met so many wonderful people and experienced different cultures, explored the city that had so much to offer and most importantly learned more about myself and grew in so many aspects through that journey.
From an academic perspective, I loved the Economics Department at Simon Fraser University. Since the program was well established and renowned both within Canada and abroad, it was very popular with students. At AUS, I was the first and only student to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Economics) in 2012, so it was refreshing to be able to meet and mingle with so many like-minded students! Courses such as Econometrics and World Economy laid very strong foundations for my passion and love for the subject.
Following my graduation, I saw the value in learning economics, understanding trends, and having the ability to research and analyze data. These skills made it really easy for me to pursue my career in performance marketing, which then further expanded into strategy and customer experience (CX).
Daring to try new things resulted in a number of firsts in my career, such as being the first under-30, non-Arabic speaking female director in my company’s leadership team.
To all students who are doubtful whether to try an exchange program or not, my advice is to just try it! Dare yourself and push boundaries since life starts outside of the comfort zone!”
Malika is currently working as the Strategy Director - CX & Performance for Digitas, an integrated advertising agency within Publicis Groupe, in Dubai.
Do you know?
AUS students can study for up to two semesters abroad as part of their AUS experience. If you're interested in studying abroad, connect with the friendly team at IXO today.
Meet some of our IXO students
AUS students abroad
Incoming students to AUS
Have you studied abroad during your time at AUS?
Tell us about your experience by tagging @ausharjah on social media using #25yearsofAUS or email us at silverjubilee@aus.edu.
