How study abroad and a love for country music changed Daisy’s life
By: Communications
“One thing is guaranteed… it will expand your horizons.”
For Daisy Innes, a final-year American Studies student at the University of East Anglia (UEA), it’s nearly time for graduation and goodbyes.
Though this chapter is coming to an end, thanks to her life-changing experience studying abroad in Vermont, USA, Daisy will soon be setting off for her second adventure across the Atlantic: a Master’s degree (MA) at the University of Wyoming.
What inspired you to apply for this MA in Wyoming?
During my second year at UEA, I spent a semester studying abroad at Middlebury College in Vermont. It sounds like a cliché, but my time there genuinely changed my life. I realised just how happy and comfortable I felt in the US, I met people that I bonded with instantly and found people that shared my interests, thoughts and feelings in a new and different way. Honestly, it very quickly felt like another home.
When I was thinking about what I wanted to do when my time at UEA came to an end, I was pretty certain that I wanted to find my way back to the US – the only question was how. I was looking into options for further study when a couple of American Studies professors at UEA mentioned the award from the British Association for American Studies, one that would lead to a fully funded assistantship to spend two years completing my MA at the University of Wyoming.
My initial thought was, Wyoming? Is that really going to be a good place to go? However, I applied, was interviewed, and got the award! From that point, the more I found out about the University, the environment, the state of Wyoming and the way of life in Laramie from people who had spent time there, I realised that it might just be a perfect fit for me.
Image L-R: Middlebury College in Vermont; Daisy (left) during her study abroad
How did your time at UEA prepare you for this opportunity?
I started my American Studies degree at UEA fuelled by my love for American culture, media, lifestyle and history. I have always seen such importance in storytelling, and I remember writing in my personal statement that I believe America is a nation built on storytelling – the good and the bad. I still believe that now, just with three years more knowledge behind it.
Throughout my time at UEA, my love for American Studies has deepened into something that I want to keep pursuing. I’m leaving UEA having had the opportunity to shape my degree to the areas of study that I’m most interested in and having taken every opportunity I could to further it.
However, I think UEA prepared me for this opportunity in one way more than others: it got my confidence up. Being surrounded by students and academics that care about something in the same way that I do made me realise that there is worth in my interests, and if it’s something that I care about, then I can move forward with it.
I really can’t thank the academics in the UEA American Studies department enough – they’re truly wonderful, and it’s inspiring to see how much passion they put into what they study, research and teach. I really hope they know how valued they are by the students.
What are you most looking forward to about studying and living in Wyoming?
Wyoming is going to be an entirely different environment to anywhere that I’ve lived or even visited before.
The time I spent in Vermont showed me what it was like to live in small-town America, and that took some adjusting to, even if New England might be the closest you can get to life here in the UK. Wyoming on the other hand: it’s rural, further West than I’ve ever been, has its own lifestyle cemented in Western culture, and apparently some quite brutal weather. It’s all entirely new, which is a little bit daunting, but I’m really excited about the change, too.
My main focus and interest within American Studies is the world of country music. Alongside my studies, I work as a freelance writer for a couple of online music publications, I’ve had a country radio show on Livewire for the last year at UEA, and I’ve shaped many essays, projects and classes towards music. I also just finished writing my dissertation on the country music of California, enthusiastically supported by Prof Thomas Ruys Smith.
Wyoming has its own little place in the world of country (and Western!) music, and I’m really looking forward to being able to look deeper at the regionality and locationality of music in America; it’s so deeply connected to the people that I think it’s one of the best ways to understand everyday life.
The University of Wyoming also places a large focus on the history, culture and environment of the state – Wyoming has a complex Native history, so I’m keen to further my knowledge in Native American Studies as well as the history of the west.
How do you think this experience will shape your future plans?
When I started at UEA, I had no idea that my love for American Studies would expand as much as it had. When I went to Middlebury College for a semester, I had no idea that it would lead me to working so hard to make an international move a possibility. So, it’s difficult to say how this will shape my future plans. I’m almost certain that I’ll come away from it having met some wonderful, interesting and passionate people though.
Ultimately, I’m hoping to work in the world of music journalism, so if an opportunity arises when I’m over there to make that happen, then I’ll probably take it – whichever state it takes me to next!
Image: Daisy at the Middlebury College Radio Station (WRMC)
Any advice for other UEA students thinking about studying abroad?
All I can say, with complete sincerity, is DO IT. It’s intimidating, it’s a lot of hard work, and it’s a big undertaking – but if the option is available to you then please go for it.
There’s really no knowing where it could take you or what will happen, but one thing is guaranteed and that’s the fact that it will expand your horizons. It will make you realise a lot about yourself, the things you care about and the opportunities at hand. It’ll make you want to take them too.
Find out more about American Studies at UEA
Looking to start university in September 2025 and still thinking about your options? Consider joining UEA, a UK Top 25 university, this September through Clearing.
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