Q&A: USask graduate, staff member talks about ‘life changing’ study abroad experiences

During her studies at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), Kathryn Sawatzky (BA’24) had the opportunity to study abroad in a country she had only studied in a classroom.

Through funding available through the Global Skills Opportunity (GSO) program, Sawatzky took a Political Studies course—POLS 300.3 with Dr. Kirsten Fisher (PhD)—in Uganda in summer 2023.

Global Skills Opportunity (GSO) is a national program that has enabled 12,000 Canadian post-secondary students to study abroad and gain skills that are applicable to their future careers. The GSO program is funded by Employment and Social Development Canada and is administered jointly by Colleges and Institutes Canada and Universities Canada.

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Sawatzky’s overwhelmingly positive experience led to her becoming a champion for the GSO program, she was one of 20 students chosen to talk about their study abroad experiences in Ottawa last year.

She was recently selected as one of 15 students from across Canada to be a GSO Ambassador and raising awareness about the benefits of the GSO program. Currently, Sawatzky is the study abroad coordinator in the College of Arts and Science.

This year, Sawatzky helped coordinate the new study abroad course INDG 298: Indigenous Colonial and Contemporary Yucatan Mexico, which was partially funded by the GSO program.

The College of Arts and Science communications office spoke with Kathryn Sawatzky to learn more about her study abroad experience, and how it impacted her life. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

This year, you were chosen as an ambassador for GSO. What is the Global Skills Opportunity program?

It is a pilot program that is through the Government of Canada's (national outbound) student mobility program. It started in 2020 and it’s a fund to give students the chance to study abroad, particularly in countries that they call non-traditional. Students from Canada tend to go to places where they feel super comfortable, such as England and Australia because they speak English.

They wanted to give students funding to go out into the world and gain global experiences and bring those skills back to Canada and to the workforce here. The (GSO program) is currently in its renewal phase. They’ll know by March 2025 if it will be renewed or not. The purpose of the advocacy program is to try and gain awareness in the political sphere of Canada and also amongst everybody in Canada so that it can be renewed and more students can study abroad.

What is your role as an ambassador for the program?

I am one of 15 ambassadors, and we represent the 12,000 Canadian students that have now had an international experience partially funded by GSO to share stories about where we went, what we learned, and what global skills we gained. How our lives changed for the better since coming home, whether that be in the workforce, or in our personal lives, or leadership roles.

Showing that all students can study abroad, especially because this program specifically is for people who are low income, Indigenous or have a disability. It just shows that every type of student can go and that it's beneficial for all types of Canadian students. And that the renewal of this program is really important so that we can continue to have our workforce expand with global knowledge, especially as the world becomes more globalized.

You mentioned this program is life changing. How has your life changed being part of this program?

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I received the scholarship in 2023 last summer to study in Uganda. I had taken a class about Ugandan politics and I had found it really interesting. Going there and getting to experience it in real life has given me such a different perspective on what it really means to live in a place that has experienced extreme conflict. You really don't get that perspective in Canada, and now (Uganda) is a very safe place to go. Just understanding what life can look like in different parts of the world. I have traveled before but never to Africa and it really changed how I interact with people and how I approach people in my day-to-day life because I realize that every single person has a story to tell and something to teach you.

I made so many friends there, both with people in my classroom from USask and so many people that I learned from and got to be friends with (in Uganda).

In my personal life, I’m taking more time to get to know people and learn what makes everybody unique. I felt like (the program) really increased my confidence and well-being to be able to strike up a conversation with anyone. 

On a professional level, I realized how important studying abroad is to all types of students. Being involved in study abroad here at USask has really opened my eyes to the world of international education. I was able to get a full-time job right out of university with my bachelor's degree, which is not always possible in today's job climate.

If there are students who are considering studying abroad but aren’t totally certain, what would your advice be?

I usually say to students who come to my desk and are a little bit anxious, “If you're thinking about it and you're on the fence, you pretty much already know the answer. If there's something that's holding you back, I can pretty much guarantee you I can find a solution to it.” GSO solves the money part. Money is a huge worry for so many students.  Scholarship wise, there's so many here at USask. And I think a lot of students tell themselves no before someone else has told them no. Letting yourself be vulnerable a little bit, apply, and then let somebody tell you yes or no.

I like to tell (students), “Just see what happens.” If students come to me and they're anxious about it, I ask them if they've even applied because they're saying, “Oh, I don't know.” Don't let yourself be the thing that holds you back, because most of your fears will be worked out as the process goes along. In a nutshell, just try and see what happens.

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