The Unsung Heroes of IES Abroad

There’s a lot of different people involved in the study abroad experience — classmates, roommates, professors, advisors, the doctor who says you’re healthy as a horse… However, there’s one group of people that I never considered until I got to Vienna: the IES Abroad staff. If I had tried to imagine one of these shadowy figures, I would no doubt have pictured a faceless administrator lording over the students from afar, cackling as they order their unpaid intern to fetch them an iced vanilla latte. Most of my interactions with bureaucrats and administrators throughout my life have been neutral at best and infuriating at worst, and so I never would have expected the staff to make such a positive impact on my study abroad experience. But they have!

The IES Abroad Vienna staff are some of the kindest, most attentive people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. I wanted to write a post appreciating them because they are truly the unsung heroes of study abroad. In case you’re wondering, no, IES Abroad did not coerce me to write this post. I am only heaping praise on them because I feel it is very much deserved.

From the first day I arrived and was shuttled through IES Abroad check-in at the airport, I was impressed by the professionalism and kindness of the staff. As I was whisked through the stations at warp speed after 24 hours of travel, I was relived to be met by so many friendly and helpful individuals. Since then, my opinion of the staff has only increased.

I don’t know how many people work for IES Abroad Vienna, but it feels like there’s about fifteen or twenty staff that I regularly see around. There are about 225 students here this semester, but the staff have a remarkable ability to remember people’s names (or at least my name; maybe I’m especially memorable due to my winning personality). I will now provide several anecdotes of interactions I’ve had with various staff members, just to paint you a picture of why I like them so much. This is not a comprehensive list, just some of my favorites.

Chronicles of a Chronic Hole-Puncher

I came to reception to use the hole-puncher and as I was punching holes in my sheet music, someone said "Hi!" behind me. I turned around to see Holly, the housing coordinator, beaming at me with the light of a thousand suns. “How’s your housing?” she asked, and I assured her it was great. I told her about how I love living in the 5th District and me and my roommates get along. We talked about some of the pitfalls of study abroad housing and how she places people according to their needs. It was a simple conversation, but it warmed my heart to see her genuinely care about how my housing was going. (I’ve asked to use reception's hole puncher so many times that I like to think they know me simply as "that hole puncher guy.”)

The Darling Dachshund

I got an email from Shelby, the Trips and Events Coordinator, asking who I wanted to room with for the Styria excursion. As she explained, I was the only nonbinary student on the trip, and she didn’t want to shove me in a room I would be uncomfortable with. I asked if I could see a list of people going on the trip, and she offered to show me if I came by her office. I popped by later that day and we figured out a solution. I expressed my gratitude that she went to the trouble of personally reaching out and asking what I would want, rather than putting me in a random room. Her response was quite simply, “That’s not how we do things here.” Rather than expecting me to heap praise on her, she expressed that she was just doing her job — even though many people would be comfortable doing a significantly worse job. After we figured out the rooming situation, I pet her adorable dachshund, who was sleeping on a chair in her office. I told her I had never pet a dog in Vienna because I didn’t know how to ask, and she wrote down “Can I pet your dog?” in German on a sticky note and gave it to me.

The Conflicting Classes Conundrum

I went to the academic office to drop a class because I was in two that conflicted, and Jennifer (the academic director) said, “Oh good, we were wondering when you would come by.” As I left the office, I heard she and another staff member discussing who else they were waiting on. It was a small comment, but it demonstrated the staff’s attention to detail and professionalism. I am sure if I had never showed up to the office, they would have sent me an email asking which class I planned to drop. Granted, having fewer students to manage than a big university makes it easier to keep track of these things, but I still really appreciate that they pay attention to things like individual students’ schedules. It just makes everything feel more personal when you know there’s people looking out for you.

The Enlightening Email

Maeve, the Health and Safety Coordinator, read my blog post about struggling to find a hair salon and wrote me an email with a suggestion of one, if I need to cut my hair again. First of all, it was nice to know that she read my blog post, but beyond that, giving me a hair salon suggestion was something so unnecessary for her to do in the scope of her job. This is what I mean when I say the IES Abroad Staff aren’t just focused on fulfilling the duties of their jobs, but providing the best possible experience for the students. And that doesn’t go unnoticed.

So in conclusion, I can of course only speak for the Vienna staff, but I have been SO impressed with their kindness, compassion, and hardworkingness. They are such real people in a way that is super refreshing, and they all seem to love their jobs. I am truly grateful to them for all they do. To my fellow students, TALK TO THE IES STAFF! They are super cool, and if you ask them about their lives and show an interest in them, they will also take an interest in you. Maybe one will even name their firstborn child after you. You never know!