Hailey Lovett

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Hailey joined the CYA team in May 2018 and has loved it ever since! It was her study abroad experience in Scotland that inspired her to join the International Education field, and one of her favorite parts of this job is helping students also have an amazing time studying abroad!

What is your favorite travel memory?

My favorite travel memory is standing in front of Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland during the fall of 2016 while I was studying abroad. Standing there, knowing that some parts of the castle were from the 12th century and that I was standing where countless historically crucial people have stood, was an amazing feeling. I truly can’t describe it! Being in a place that had seen the world change so much was absolutely breath taking!

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I feel that I have personally grown a lot since joining the CYA team! I had never realized just how much goes into sending students abroad. Getting to see the whole process first hand has taught me so much. I also love working with our Alumni Ambassadors! Just because you come back from studying abroad, doesn’t mean you stop learning from the experience. I thought I had an understanding of that when I came back from abroad, but I have gained a whole new perspective working with our recent alumni. I love hearing from them and working with them on their home campuses!

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

My favorite stories from our returned students are ones where they find ways to deeply connect with the culture around them. Whether it’s making local friends during a morning workout or spending time with children when babysitting, it’s always fascinating to see how people can connect through different means.

These kinds of interactions end up teaching our students so much about the culture of the host country, and about themselves! It’s also amazing to hear just how great of an impact these kinds of connections have on our students!

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

If I could go on any of our programs, I’d go on our academic year program! Having the opportunity to study abroad for one semester during undergrad was incredible, and my only regret is that I didn’t stay longer. You learn so much about the world and yourself while abroad, and if I had known everything that I know now, I would’ve chosen to stay abroad for a full year! Getting to see the world from a different perspective is a privilege that I never expected to have, and cherish so much now!

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

I think what makes CYA so unique is how the company is like a family, and I believe that is felt by everyone from the staffers to the students. It creates an extremely unique working dynamic that enables us to connect with our students the way that we do, and this is what keeps the company growing. We had a record number of students with us this most recent semester, and I believe that truly is a testament to the dedication and hard work that is put in by everyone!

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

I believe dedication is what makes a company successful. When you have a great group of people, who are all dedicated to making a company successful, come together, remarkable things can happen! This is such a dynamic field to be in, and one always has to be responsive to changes in the social, political, and global environments. In order to be able to do all that, everyone has to be dedicated to bringing the company’s vision to fruition, and that is exactly what I have witnessed here at CYA!