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Over 2026 spring break, Kaitlyn Mckee along with 27 other first year students explored entrepreneurship in Australia. Through Aboriginal entrepreneurship, volunteer opportunities, and plenty of fun, this First Year Global Experience (FGX) proved to be life changing for some of CU’s brightest students.

Mckee arrived at Leeds in the fall already hitting the ground running. She went on Career Treks, began knocking out her business core modules ahead of schedule, and joined Dean's Leadership Fellows and Business Engineering Women in Technology (BEWIT).Ìý

Entrepreneurship, however, was never really on her radar. It took a week on the other side of the world to change that.

"When I was thinking about entering the business world, I have not been like, wow, I want to start my own business. But I'm now more excited about it afterwards."

A Week That Changed Everything

The FGX cohort spent time with Yarpa, an Australian consulting group that works with entrepreneurs on business functions like operations, marketing, and strategy. For Mckee, sitting in on those sessions revealed a perspective of entrepreneurship she hadn't seen. She didn't need to be a founder to participate in the ecosystem. She could be someone who helps founders get there.

Outside of the formal sessions, the group volunteered at Our Big Kitchen, a community food service organization. The cohort received ingredients and competed to make the best meal. Mckee's team won with what they called the Mediterranean Mountain Medley.

"The meals that we made were then given out later that day. It wasn't something where it felt like it was gonna sit in a fridge for a while. It was actively going out to the community."

Her cohort also worked directly with Nat, an Aboriginal entrepreneur who runs a disability services business. Nat works with the Australian government to secure service packages for community members and then helps those individuals understand what the packages actually mean for their lives.

"She's bridging that gap. Seeing how she cares for her community was really cool."

Additionally, her cohort researched and presented on Aboriginal history and culture as a class project, which deepened her appreciation for what she witnessed firsthand. The way Aboriginal Australians spoke about their ancestors and their community left an impression. There was a depth of intentionality there that she hadn't expected.

A Different Kind of Ambition

Some of Mckee’s greatest takeaways were beyond entrepreneurship itself. The pace in which Australians lived their lives gave her perspective on expectations back in the US.

She noticed that the city's buses filled up closer to 3 p.m. than 5, and that people left work with time left in the day. While that may not seem significant, it correlated to the workers’ attitudes. They weren't disengaged. They were passionate. They just also made room for life outside of it.

"I could tell that they, as a business district, were passionate about what they were doing. They were gonna do it well, and then they were also gonna enjoy life."

By recognizing their hard work and passionate lifestyles, it gives them more opportunities to enjoy their surroundings. Their value of life gave Mckee permission to appreciate everything she had already accomplished.

Back in Â鶹ӰԺ, with finals on the horizon, she felt herself slip back into the familiar gear of doing more, faster. But Australia gave her a reference point. She's a freshman living in the dorms, in what she called a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and she doesn't want to run through it without looking up.

It’s something that she can carry with herself through the remainder of college, and her career. No doubt, she has the FGX program to thank for that.

More Than a Line on a Resume

For Mckee, Dean's Leadership Fellows wasn't just another line on a resume, although there’s no doubt it’s going to help. But more importantly, it’s the program that handed her a plane ticket to Australia and introduced her to the entrepreneurship world she hadn't known she was looking for.

But the Fellows program was just one piece of a remarkably full first year. Before the spring semester was even underway, Mckee had already gone on Career Treks, meeting with professionals across industries to get a feel for where a business degree could take her.Ìý

She's also a member of BEWIT, Business Engineering Women in Technology, a club that sits at the intersection of two of CU Â鶹ӰԺ's strongest programs. For Mckee, who is drawn to both the marketing and data sides of business, the overlap felt natural.

It's a lot for a freshman. Mckee credits her years as a competitive dancer for building the habits that make it manageable. In high school, her days ran from 8 a.m. classes straight into evening practice, with homework waiting at home after that. The schedule trained her to be selective and intentional about where she puts her energy.

"I’ve been leaning into saying yes to what I think will add value, and not just saying yes to things because they always pop up."

Her Own Definition, On Her Own Terms

Mckee is leaning toward a marketing concentration, with an eye toward the data side of the field. She's already completed accounting, finance, operations management, and organizational behavior as part of her core, with information systems and more coming next semester. BUSA is on the docket after that.

When asked to define entrepreneurship in her own words, she didn't hesitate.

"Entrepreneurship is filling a gap in a new way. Filling a gap in a market that you see and doing it in your own creative way."

She may not be planning to start her own company. But after Australia, she understands the people who do. That understanding, she said, is something she intends to carry forward.