Kyle Anderson – Fall 19
What city did you grow up in?
Lake Worth, Florida
Where are you currently living?
Currently back in Florida with my family, enjoying the rest of the long winter break before heading by to New York!
What was your major?
Sports Management at the School of Professional Studies
Why did you choose to study away at NYU Sydney?
When I first came to NYU, I had absolutely no desire to study abroad. I never traveled as a child and liked living a structured life. Over time, I had become a bit tired of New York City and needed a break, which is when I really started considering going abroad. For some reason, I had this draw to NYU Sydney and Australia. It was really the only place I wanted to study abroad to and had I gotten any other choice, I probably would have stayed in New York. This gut feeling I had made me pick NYU Sydney over anywhere else, that’s the main reason.
How would you describe your experience at NYU Sydney?
Full of experiences and sights I never thought I would ever do or see at this point in my life. I learned a lot about myself and personality, which is important in the end of my college career. Skydiving in Australia, scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, hiking in New Zealand, surfing, there was so much I didn’t picture myself doing before coming. I was able to learn a lot about the typical life of an Australian and other cultures, including trying some good food that I can’t get in the states!
What was your favorite class and why?
Sports Media Strategies with Professor Alex Brown. This was the first time a sports class was offered abroad for a semester, and Prof. Brown was the perfect person to teach it. He realized that you don’t learn about the sports industry from a textbook, but from actually working and analyzing real life situations and dilemmas. He’d bring in highly known speakers and I made sure to soak in everything they had to say.
Did you undertake an internship and what did you think of the experience?
Yes, I absolutely loved my internship as a baseball operations intern with the Sydney Blue Sox, a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League! I got to work under the assistant GM and get a tasted of EVERYTHING a team does. While the Blue Sox aren’t on the same scale as an MLB team, I still felt special getting to talk with all the coaches and staff. I helped make blog posts for the website, set up the stadium for gamedays, wrote the backs of all the baseball cards, and even got to do analytics and make scouting reports for the coaching staff! I got to be surrounded by Australians and see what life was like in the suburbs, talk with Australian university students, and watch some baseball.
What was your favorite trip, excursion (Student Life or class related)?
Definitely the Uluru trip that Marcus and Laura took a large handful of us on. Staying up late at hostels, sunrise walks around the Uluru walk, and the bonds and memories created with everyone on the trip. I’ll never forget when we got back from our sunrise walk for a breakfast buffet and competing with other students and Marcus to see who could eat the most food and our “favorite” bus driver Dave.
Where are you currently working/studying?
When I get back to New York, I’ll be continuing to work as a fitness attendant at Palladium (if anyone ever wants to see me or say hi, you’re bound to run into me there). I’m currently waiting to hear on opportunities working as a baseball operation associate with a few professional teams and another position with MLB. Being optimistic!
When thinking about your experience at NYU Sydney, what stands out to you the most?
The beautiful sights. Trust me when I say you can never get tired of the amazing views whenever you go somewhere in the country. I’m not much of a photographer but I took and absurd number of photos during my time there. If you have an expensive camera, definitely bring it.
How has your experience at NYU Sydney impacted your plans for life after college?
It’s made me want to explore and travel much more. Australia was the first time I’d ever been outside of America, but now I want to continue traveling to other countries and just getting out of my comfort zone which I did so much of in Sydney. It’s made me realize how much there is to discover out in the world and to take advantage of every opportunity.