“I liked that I got the opportunity to work with people of different cultures instead of just working with the same people over and over again. I think that it helped enhance my team-collaboration skills.”

“I would say that the most useful or valuable aspect of this experience was gaining insights from the UAE students. On a lot of different things my partner and I had differing opinions from the UAE students which was very insightful.” 

“This experience allowed us to not only learn about the views and experiences of students from other countries, but we also got to practice working in teams with time constraints which although difficult at times, helped us grow and I think will help our own skills in the professional workplace.”

“I like the way that we can have our hands on analyzing a real case. It was interesting to see how we started from the most fundamental part to really building up a connection with the business owner and having a more comprehensive view over the company.”

“[My favorite aspect] was creating the ignite talk and discussing ideas with my teammates, it helped me develop skills in creating presentations.”

“What was most useful was the research done into how organizations and governments work towards the UN SDGs and how this differs from entity to entity, which greatly increased my understanding of things.”

“I think the aspect of this virtual exchange that was the most useful was the knowledge I gained about cultural sustainability in relation to the UN’s culture. I also think the interaction between students my age in the UN was an eye opening experience as we compared our cultures and norms and got to understand each other more.”

“Understanding the SDG I chose in particular, which made me realize how dire it is to draw solutions and come to a conclusion.”

“[The virtual exchange] made us more aware about the sustainable practices we could take to make our planet a better one, and also it made us more aware of our surroundings and how one small thing can take a huge toll on us. Moreover, this virtual exchange helped us work better as teams and set goals and expectations in order to achieve better results.”

“Collaborating asynchronously on the same project was beneficial, as it fostered flexibility in the workflow and enabled independent thinking, allowing for diverse contributions to the work.”

“The coordination needed to work students abroad, along with time management and workload distribution helped me understand better what needs to be done when working on important (or any) projects with other students regardless of where they are.”

“The class trips and then incorporating them into the project. It was cool to apply the knowledge I had learned first-hand, as opposed to just applying things I had learned from power points or articles.”