Spotlight
Summer 2007 Back to Spotlight home page
Envision tomorrow -
Diehl's trip to Australia as a Rotary Scholar
Ryan Diehl, a native of
Iola, was a do-everything
undergraduate at ESU,
earning a dual 
degree
in English and history in
2004 with the assistance of
numerous scholarships.
While working on his
master’s degree in
English at ESU, he was
awarded the $25,000
Rotary Ambassadorial
Scholarship to study for
nearly a year in Australia,
at the University of
Melbourne. He earned a
graduate diploma there,
returning in late 2006.
“Not a day goes by that I
don’t think about something
that occurred when I was
living there,” Diehl said. “Going
there on my own has led me
to have a better understanding
of who I am and what is actually
important to me. Now I have these
wonderful memories and lifelong
friends to look upon as guidance
for my future.”
Diehl finished his ESU master’s
in May, and he’s finally broken his
Australian habit of calling
elevators “lifts.”
Q: Did Australia change your outlook on life? On education? How did your preconceptions of Australia change after being there?
A: Although I had a good idea that they would not be true, I did have the typical images of kangaroos and the Outback in my mind when I left the States. However, upon arriving in Melbourne, a city of 3.5 million people, I soon learned that the stereotypes did not apply to all parts of the great Down Under. In fact, I never actually made it to the Outback (although I made it to several rainforests), and it was over a month before I saw my first wild kangaroo, which I literarlly almost ran into when I was out in the Wombat State Forest for my morning jog.
Q: Some might think, 'Hey, it's Australia. They speak English. How much of an international experience can it be?' What kind of cultural differences did you see?
A: First, Australian English may appear to be similar to American English; however, there are many words that Aussies use on a regular basis that differ from those used in the States. Some examples would be a jumper (sweater), lift (elevator), and footpath (sidewalk). My friends would often have fun calling out my Americanisms. This, though, would just be the beginning of variations, for the very core of the Australian identity greatly differs from ours. Aussies were all about the experience gained through life while Americans often focus on the final goal, which unfortunately at times leaves people here to miss many of the little pleasures of life.
Q: How has the experience enriched your life? Your education? Your teaching?
A: My time in Australia changed my life in so many different ways ranging anywhere from my knowledge on international politcs to how I try to be more environmentally friendly. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about something that occurred when I was living there. My going there on my own has led me to have a better understanding of who I am and what is actually important to me, and now I have these wonderful memories and lifelong friends to look upon as guidance for my future. As far as my education, the degree I received was in an area completely different from my usual scholarly focus. Now, I have the ability to bridge these disciplines together and create new methods to examine the medieval literary and historical texts, which in turn will allow for a better understanding of these documents through these different perspective.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: I believe a PhD will be in my future because I love teaching at the university level; however, I intend to go with the flow of life and try to experience everything that I can.
Q: H ow did your ESU undergraduate experience prepare you to earn the Rotary scholarship and to study overseas?
A: It goes without saying that my education gained while I was a Hornet prepared me for studying at a university ranked nineteenth in the world; however, it also prepared me for adjusting to life in Australia. This would especially hold true for the couple class I took from Professor Jim Hoy on Australian literature and film. By knowing these parts of their background, I had a better idea about the culture long before I departed Kansas City International Airport. However, one of the greatest experiences from my undergraduate that prepared me for the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship would be my time as an ESU Ambassador. Through that amazing group, I gained more confidence in myself as I did my best to represent ESU both on and off campus. I often found myself at Rotary Clubs in Australia thinking back to the alumni events I attended as an ambassador, which then gave me the strength to carry on conversations with people I had never met before and build lasting bonds with them. Last but not least, ESU Ambassadors also taught me how to be highly adaptable and think on my feet, which are two traits that are essential to living somewhere far from home.
Last Updated April 17, 2008