Supporting students abroad
It was Michaela Cabot’s first time travelling outside of Canada. In 2024, the fourth-year Music student spent two weeks attending the Breno Italy International Music Academy.
“When I got accepted to the academy, I was over the moon,” says Cabot. “I am from a very small town in Labrador and really wanted to experience more of the world through what I love to do — music.”
Located at a convent in the Alps, the Breno Italy International Music Academy delivers an intensive masterclass where voice students receive one-on-one coaching, practice with professionals and peers, and develop their repertoire. Students also participate in workshops, covering topics from branding yourself as a musician and overcoming performance anxiety to learning the Italian language, and often make day trips to such places as Verona and Milan.
“It was such a wonderful experience,” says Cabot. “For those two weeks I was fully immersed in my art. I was able to make these wonderful connections with other musicians and perform ensemble works with them while also working on my own solo repertoire.”
Cabot says she learned so much about herself as an artist and her aspirations.
“Performing in front of so many people I didn’t know, in a country that I had never been in, was eye opening,” says Cabot “It really makes you think, ‘Wow I can do this.’ Performing alongside these super talented musicians where people are super excited to see me — it does wonders for one’s confidence.”
Cabot’s experience was funded by the Bragg Women Music Opportunities Fund, which each year supports students looking to spend the summer engaging in beyond-the-classroom learning opportunities. It is just one example of the donor-created awards and funds that support an exemplary student experience and global citizenship.
For seven years, the Cedric Ritchie Global Experience Award has supported international travel for students. In 2024, political science student Tai Christie used the award to travel to Almaty, Kazakhstan to teach English at a public school.
“I wanted to go someplace where I could use my Russian language skills and it was important for me to work in a public school system, which is less likely to receive international volunteers.”
Christie made connections in Kazakhstan and worked with Mount Allison’s experiential learning office to create his unique opportunity. While in Kazakhstan, Christie taught English to various grade levels and created and delivered his own lesson plans.
“I loved exploring Kazakhstan and the people I met were just fantastic,” says Christie. “The students were eager to learn, not only about English but also about me and my culture and home. I was so proud to be able to tell them where I come from and what life is like in Canada, in New Brunswick, and in my hometown of Sackville.”
Christie was considering a career in teaching and says the experience confirmed his decision.
“The Cedric Ritchie helped me find my career and place in the world, but it also affected the more than 100 students I taught, the teacher I taught with, the family I stayed with in Kazakhstan and the friends I made there, and the students and people here in Sackville who I have talked to about this experience. I really want donors to understand the incredible impact they have, an impact that goes far beyond just one student.”