Alisha Unick

Overall Experience

In this experience, I was able to go on tour with Iowa State's Cantamus choir. We toured in Finland and Sweden for 12 days. During this time, we had 7 performances and multiple workshops, including performing in the Tampere Festival and on our cruise ship between Finland and Sweden. While we were only there for a short time, we were able to make great connections with the other groups we performed with and learn about different traditions and cultures.

Learning experience

Without a doubt, the most valuable learning experience was our workshop in Stockholm, Sweden, with two Sami women. The Sami people are indigenous to Scandinavia and we were able to learn about their culture and specifically the tradition of Joiking. Learning this musical expression was such a valuable workshop. Hearing the passion in their voices as they shared what their culture and traditions were to them is something I had never experienced before, and it touched so many people's hearts in the room, including mine. I learned that there are so many different ways that people can express themselves and their emotions and how important it is to be unapologetically yourself. These women, despite receiving hate in their past, opened up and were vulnerable in sharing their traditions and it was beautiful and uniquely them.

Memorable experience

One of the most memorable parts of this experience was not only when we got into the finals of the Tampere Music festival but also when we were awarded the top honors of 3 stamps. Going into the festival, we were all just excited to be able to share our music and perform in such a unique experience. Because of that, we were very surprised to hear that we made it into the finals. I remember when we got the news, my roommates shouting at me through the shower that we made it! It was even more unbelievable that we got the highest honors. We all knew that our set was touching but it wasn’t necessarily as complex as the other choirs we got to hear. It was amazing to hear the roar of not only Cantamus but the friends we made in other choirs when we received the stamps.

What did you not expect?

In all honesty, I didn’t expect to connect to the people I traveled with as much as I did. I am not a super social person so despite being in the group for a semester, I didn’t have very many connections prior to the trip. I was pleasantly surprised to make so many friends in such a short time. This taught me to put myself out there and to be okay with feeling unsure about things because everyone is feeling that way about something. I have a feeling this will help me not only in my personal life but also in my professional setting. Being able to put myself out there will help grow my connections to those around me, which as I’ve mentioned before is a goal of mine, and it will also help me connect to people professionally. I think that it is important to be able to connect to your colleagues and in some ways your clients and this trip helped me learn how to do that!

What advice would you give?

Do it! There will be times of uncertainty and anxiety but what you get out of it outweighs the challenges. I had never been out of the country before and didn’t really know the people I was going on the trip with so it is fair to say I was pretty anxious leading up to it, but I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I feel like I grew so much as a person not only through what I learned in the other cultures, but also through what I learned within my group. Be open to new experiences and say yes to life while you can.

How has this experience impacted your life?

It was really eye opening because I had never been overseas before. It impacted my personal goal of being open to learning about those around me. There were so many different chances to learn about the culture there, and I got to see that even though we live in different parts of the world, we aren’t all that different. We shared a lot of the same values and beliefs and that was very cool to see. Another aspect of my life that was influenced was my ability to connect with my peers. My team-building skills improved because I was forced to get to know the people I was traveling with quickly in order to get to places safely and make sure that everyone had the best time that they could. We were all experiencing new things together and we had to navigate different emotions and concerns (along with exhaustion) in order to perform our best and work together as a team. This will be beneficial in my future because it will help with my goal of connecting with those I work with, navigating new challenges, and finding the best results for the issues.

How did you learn about this experience?

I learned about this experience in 2024 when the choir started their fundraising for the trip. While I was not in Cantamus at the time, I worked to be able to re-audition and join them in time for this life-changing experience. Being able to share my love of music with people around the world was something that I knew I couldn’t pass up.

International Connections