A Student Reflection:
The Lessons I Brought Home From Australia
Kaitlyn Nolt '28 reflects on how her journey to Australia for the 2026 Round Square International Conference became an opportunity to step outside her comfort zone, connect with people from around the world, and discover the importance of living in the moment. She returned home with lessons that will continue to shape who she is becoming.
By Kaitlyn Nolt
Class of 2028
Carrollwood Day School
Kangaroos, vegemite, gigantic spiders. When you first think of Australia, or also known as “The land down under”, you might think of these common associations. And it is true, Australia does have all of these embedded in its country. But it is far more than the stereotypes that come with its name. I discovered this when I went to the 2026 Round Square International Conference along with several other students from Carrollwood Day School.
This trip not only introduced me to a whole new part of our world, but taught me lessons that I will continue to carry with me for the rest of my life.
There were two events during the conference that were the most memorable. The first was pin-trading with others, where you would go around and trade pins from your country while getting to know the other attendants of the conference. I remember walking through crowds of people, introducing myself to people from hundreds of different cultures and backgrounds. My lanyard quickly filled up with pins from all different countries. This moment stood out to me as it allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and meet new people.
I discovered ways to connect with people from around the world and learn about their cultures.
There was another moment from the conference that forced me to step out of my comfort zone as well. We were all with our baraza groups and had to put on a performance for others. My group decided to create a combination of different dances from different cultures. I was nervous when we went on stage in front of everyone, but my fear quickly dissolved as everyone cheered each group on. This made something stand out to me that I didn’t expect. There were no expectations during this trip, no need to meet social standards or care about judgement. Every person that I encountered at the conference lived life in that moment, not caring about others opinions. This is something that I carry with myself long after the trip.
If you are constantly caring about others opinions or if some action that you take will be seen as too weird, then you will miss out on experiences that could have impacted you in ways you could not have imagined.
Later on the trip after the conference, we went to Cairns, Australia and went into the Daintree rainforest. While on the way to our cabins next to the beach, we went and swam in a swimming hole with a couple other schools. Afterwards, we all sat down and our tour guide encouraged us to talk about lessons that we learned on our trip. And there was one lesson that many people had in common. It was to live life slowly. To appreciate the little moments. And I feel like this idea is lost very quickly in our ever changing society. Yes, it is important to learn and grow. But it is also equally important to live in these moments.
Our lives are only a short glimpse in time. And we are the only ones who can tell our stories.
This conference and the moments that followed taught me not only to appreciate life as it is, but to live in the moment no matter what. Tomorrow's struggles will always be there. Don’t add them to the struggles that you will experience today. Not only was I able to grow closer with others and explore a whole new part of our world, but I learned lessons that will forever impact who I am becoming. And, most of all, I am glad that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and have the courage to sign up for this trip.
If you'd like to learn more about Global Programming at Carrollwood Day School, click HERE.