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An American in Switzerland Imani's experience

Hi! My name is Imani and I am one of the American students studying at the American Institute of Applied Sciences.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and grew up playing every sport imaginable. I ultimately ended up falling in love with the sport of softball, playing from the ages of 4 to 22. I am a former Division I collegiate athlete and I hold a bachelor’s in marketing from Norfolk State University located in Norfolk, Virginia. I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in international business administration with a specialization in sports management from Tiffin University.
Now, I know what you’re thinking.
How did someone with a background like that end up across the world, studying at a small institution in La-Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland? This is a long winded question that starts in 2023, the summer I graduated from Norfolk State and moved back home. After finishing my softball career in the same year, I moved back to LA with no plans of staying long term. I knew I wanted to see the world while I was still young and mobile. Other than my amazing family and friends, I had no reason to stay in a city where I spent 18 consecutive years of my life before I left for college. Los Angeles will always be home and have my heart, but I knew there was more to the world and I wanted to see all of it.
I have always planned on earning my master’s degree but the question was always where and in what?
Luckily, something I spent a lot of time doing post softball was getting to know myself. I know that I like to pivot and change directions when something is no longer aligned with who I am or who I want to be, so I was conflicted on keeping it broad and choosing international business or being specific and feeling somewhat limited with sports management. I knew that choosing a degree where I can change directions without having to go back to school was important to me as well as accreditation in the States, safety, and being able to bring my cat, Alix with me. People always laugh when I say this but I passed up on multiple schools because he wouldn’t have been able to come with me. It was a very real dealbreaker for me.
With this information in mind, after months of searching, I finally came across AUS.
Honestly, it seemed too good to be true. It checked all of my boxes and happened to be in Switzerland, somewhere I had never been before. I applied for the April 2024 term, interviewed, and got in. I almost couldn’t believe I had committed myself to such a major move. Luckily, I was no longer afraid of homesickness as Virginia cleansed me of that fear.

And so on the 9th of April, 2024, I boarded a flight with my family and Alix to move across the world to somewhere most people dream of visiting, nevermind living. Honestly, I was horrified. I had no idea what to expect, how I was going to adjust to such a drastically different environment, learn a new language, take care of myself, go to school, make friends, and all of the other things. But all of this is a part of the adventure which is something I find myself saying often.

Now, it’s January of 2025 and I have been in Switzerland for around 9 months. Nothing in life is easy, especially moving across the world, but my experience in Switzerland and at AUS have been nothing short of incredible. I have made new friends, traveled extensively, explored numerous hobbies, as well as returned to running and photography, two things I had not had time to do while playing softball.
With AUS being such a close knit community (you'll hear those words a lot around here), I know that I have all of the support I need to be successful in my studies and in the real world.
I have thoroughly enjoyed having such small classes and being able to create relationships with professors who are working professionals and take the time to bring their expertise to the classroom. I truly feel blessed to be able to continue my education in a way that promotes honesty, transparency, and applying real world situations to the classroom.
Studying in an international environment has been eye opening for me. It has taught me a lot about intercultural environments, adjusting myself to being more socially and professionally aware, and allowed me to learn so many things about other cultures I probably wouldn’t have known had I stayed in the States.
I have also had countless opportunities at AUS such as being a Student Ambassador, starting a non-profit organization known as Swiss Riviera Juniors under the Junior Enterprises Switzerland network, taking industrial visits to Nestle, expanding my professional network, among many other things. I came to AUS with the intention of being involved — something I was not able to do in undergrad and have done just that. Making a conscious effort to take advantage of the opportunities that the school provides and also challenging myself in many areas of my life has provided me with an irreplaceable experience.
Living in Switzerland is truly a once
in a lifetime opportunity and experience.
 I am blessed to have a mother who supports me in everything I do and pushes me to get outside of my comfort zone and push my limits. There are things I have tried that never crossed my mind to do, met people that I wouldn’t have otherwise known had I not ventured outside of my comfort zone, eaten different foods and gone on countless adventures both solo and with my favorite travel companion, Alix. I cherish every moment I get to spend in this beautiful country with brilliant people and while time is certainly flying (I can’t believe it’s been nine months), I am excited to see what Switzerland and AUS has in store for me in the future.