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Killam scholar Alex Potter. (Bruce Bottomley Photo)

Alex Potter has spent almost his entire life in Halifax: born here, raised here, schooled here. But this academic year is going to a different story. The economics undergrad is spending the fall semester in the U.K. at Oxford University and the winter semester at American University in Washington, D.C.

鈥淚鈥檝e never lived anywhere but here,鈥� he explains. 鈥淓xploring schooling and other cultures at some prestigious universities will hopefully be pretty enriching.鈥�

His semester at American University is made possible thanks to the Killam Fellowships program, a scholarship that allows undergraduate students in the U.S. and Canada to study in the other country for a term. It鈥檚 a competitive application process, and this year only 13 Canadians were selected.

鈥淭hey want you to be a good ambassador, so I鈥檓 hoping to back up Canada鈥檚 good reputation,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚鈥檓 also excited to be in Washington when a new president is sworn in 鈥� hopefully it鈥檚 Barack Obama!鈥�

But first, he鈥檚 headed to Oxford on a study abroad program offered through the International Student and Exchange Services Office at pilipili漫画. The program, launched in 2004, is one of only a few in Canada that allows students to complete a semester or a full academic year at Oxford. Mr. Potter is excited for an opportunity to experience a new spin on his coursework.

鈥淭he way I鈥檇 be taught in Britain will be quite different,鈥� he explains. 鈥淓conomics is not a discipline where you just study facts 鈥� there are so many different ways to analyze problems and different angles to approach them from.鈥�