My Committment to Improving the Field of International Education

For my Follow-on Service Project, I aim to promote the notion that studying abroad is an experience that everyone can have. I will emphasized that this opportunity is not limited to the elite few who have the money to pay for the experience out of their own pocket. I will accomplish this by highlighting the various funding opportunities available to students, especially those opportunities geared specifically toward lower-income students. I will encourage students to look at every possible avenue such as local scholarships available back home, university scholarships, organizational scholarships, departmental scholarships, state-level scholarships, and national scholarships.

In the article, “Colleges Adapt to New Kinds of Students from Abroad,” Karin Fischer (2011) explains the increase of foreign students in U.S. universities leads to make more problems in campus and how universities are trying to overcome those problems and help foreign students to adapt to campus. Fischer explains the increase of the foreign undergraduate students due to the support from foreign governments. Fischer quotes Wesley Young, the director of services for international students and scholars at the University of California at Davis, to discuss that the increase of foreign undergraduate students especially requires more care and help than graduate students. While older students know what they need to do and what to do in U.S. university,

My passion towards working with students every day has led me to the decision of pursuing a doctoral degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Miami University. I have chosen this program to prepare myself for a future role as a professor or a senior level college administrator. This program will allow me to become more proficient within the students’ educational experience and therefore better engage students in active learning.

After reading Sonja Ardoin’s (2014) “the strategic guide to shaping your student affairs career” book, I read a variety of important content that has allowed me to reflect not only in my fieldwork position, as an Advising Assistant for the Puente Program, but also my current status as a graduate student in the Educational Counseling program.

Her obligation to the enhancement of humanity and continually seeking out occasions to develop her knowledge, impressed me. She served in a leadership capacity of the Social Work Student Alliance and had taken her position to heart. They were involved in activities to promote social justice in the local community, as well as globally. She also participated as a social work peer mentor to a social work junior student.

When I began at USU, I decided to pursue a career in dentistry. Those first years at USU were difficult. I moved to Logan with only a few hundred dollars in savings, no financial assistance from my family, and a stubborn resolve to make things work. Pell grants and financial aid made my education possible, and so I tried to give back where possible. For two years I volunteered in a leadership role with SNAC, the Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC) at USU. SNAC offered nutrition services and food assistance to struggling students. Although our services were limited, we helped our fellow students

Extensive experience positively interacting with thousands of diverse UBC students as a teaching assistant for multiple departments, including Sauder, to successfully mentor and coach them in their academic and career interests.

Poor education in school and no access to money is no excuse to give up because if one does not have an adequate education, they cannot qualify for a degree that will potentially elevate their socioeconomic status. Born into a struggler family infested with homelessness, destitution, and poverty, I chose to educate myself outside of the classroom because my school failed to provide an adequate education to be successful in today’s world. I chose to study abroad in France, which was a complete learning experience in itself. Despite being in a struggler school, an exchange student foundation, American Field Service (AFS), presented the idea of studying abroad. They offered anyone who wanted to embark on this once in a lifetime journey a full scholarship of $15,000. Initially, I thought that it was too good to be true, but I ended up being the only student in my school that went abroad for a year. After experiencing an entirely different way of life, I recognized the historical differences of

Pursuing a degree in Anthropology provided me with the opportunity to learn analytical techniques that facilitated an appreciation for unfamiliar cultures and belief systems. College shaped who I am today, allowing me to learn and grow in a challenging and fostering environment. Participating in service learning and study abroad had a profound impact on my education. Collaborating with the Appalachian Community Together (ACT) Office I participated in two Alternative Service Experiences (ASE). These programs allowed me to volunteer during spring break within the United States and abroad. Upon completion of my first ASE, I developed a drive to make a difference. Subsequently, I spent the next spring break in Granada, Nicaragua working with the nonprofit La Esperanza Granada teaching English in a local school alongside my fellow peers. This program was an extraordinary experience that had a profound impact on my outlook of service leading me on a path of personal growth and my commitment to serving the community as an active and informed citizen. Gaining the tools to effect positive change is my

The learning categories for VCU ASPiRE were solicited via the digital survey that was sent out to peer institutions. Based on the results of the surveys, the ASPiRE team chose four co-curricular learning categories on which to focus: engaging with the community; leading co-curricular sessions or program recruitment; learning by attending workshops, lectures, or community events; and living in the residence hall designated for all ASPiRE cohorts and by participating in “social activities like watching and discussing a movie” (G. Hart, Personal Communication, Survey Response, November 5, 2015). Dr. Brown, VCU ASPiRE Director, also indicated that while they “do not focus on linking ASPiRE goals to general education requirements”, she did acknowledge a “reinforcement of skills and overlapping of goals” (Dr. E.B. Brown, personal communication, November 13, 2015). Similarly, Clarke (1994) expresses this overlap and transferring of skills occurs when teachable moments are “expanded beyond the classroom as they engage in non-academic environments”

These skills, outreach and evaluation, bring me to larger aspects I am seeking as a Graduate Associate. In this role, I am pursuing opportunities to collaborate and engage with peer student affair leaders to synthesize our classroom studies and professional experiences. This network of practical knowledge, I believe, is in the best practice of students affairs to foster an industry environment of long-term dedication and

As a new emerging professional, I see my role as one of constant learning about others and myself. I believe that continuous training to improve knowledge base and skill set is important to be able to serve a diverse student population. Essentially, demonstrating an understanding of serving diverse student populations, and learning the value of being comfortable with discomfort. Through annual conferences, newsletters, and workshops I can stay updated on best practices to use with students in order to build a working alliance that can result in positive outcomes. In addition, through my experience as a college student, I understand of the impact of the Students Affairs profession, which makes me aware of the immense responsibility involved

My work in student affairs provides significant opportunity to contemplate, implement and assess initiatives related to student success and retention. My current research is connected to peer education and the 1st year experience and I have active and growing experience in the needs assessment and

“In 2006 to 2007, according to the data compiled by the Institute of International Education, 582,984 students from all over the world were enrolled in American colleges and universities in a wide range of fields” (Carter, Paragraph 2, 2008). The United States has the highest number of students who are coming to study abroad than any other countries. Each year, the number of international students coming to the United States to obtain degrees is increasing by thousands, and home countries of these students are primarily India, China and Korea, all located in the whole different continent. But what are the motives of students who are crossing the sea to study? Their goal of studying abroad is to experience diversity and to adapt attitudes

Each year, students from the International Educational Development Program continue to enroll in foreign language courses as both formal and informal audits every semester, even though studying a foreign language is not a requirement of their master’s program. Hindi, Swahili, Spanish and French are among the most popular languages studied by the Penn graduate students, and as future international development workers, they might be instrumental motivated in studying them since those languages might be