Studying at Harvard has helped Stephanie Harding broaden her horizons and her networks.
Stephanie Harding has returned from Harvard University richer in knowledge and culture thanks to a scholarship from the University of Melbourne USA Foundation.
She attended Harvard Summer School to study Negotiation and Organisational Conflict Resolution as part of her Master of Management degree.
During her time at Harvard, Stephanie was fortunate enough to live on campus at one of the residential halls where she shared a dormitory with girls from all over the world.
“By living on campus, I was able to experience the full student lifestyle and what it was like to be a student at College in America, which had always been a dream of mine,” she said.
I made not only strong and wonderful business connections worldwide, but I also developed lifelong friendships with likeminded and intelligent individuals and role models.
Stephanie was exposed to a diverse range of individuals that had come together from across the globe to participate in her course. She also felt lucky that her lecturer’s experience as a White House negotiator really helped enrich her knowledge of conflict resolution.
“It was incredibly fascinating to broaden my horizons and meet people who were leading the charge in their respective fields from around the world,” she said.
“Studying at Harvard, I was able to broaden my network even further, complimenting the network I have formed from my time at the University of Melbourne.”
Stephanie acknowledges that without the support of the USA Foundation, she would never have had the opportunity of the life changing experience she received as part of the scholarship.
“I would like to say a big thank you to all the donors who give generously to the USA Foundation. Having the opportunity to study overseas is so incredibly beneficial for students to not only forge connections worldwide, but to absorb the learning landscape and culture of another country,” she said.
“Academically, my scholarship went towards my living on campus expenses, meaning I was able to live and form study groups with other students and access the incredible facilities available for learning. “This allowed me to study at a high level, taking advantage of all Harvard had to offer and enabled me to earn high marks for the subject.”
Stephanie now works for Colliers International and plans to return to the USA one day to implement community schemes by leveraging her experience and network from her time at Harvard.
Studying in America was the best experience of my life so far both academically and personally, and I’m very grateful to the generous support of the donors.