On the Journey to Med School, a Stop in Madrid for an Exciting Semester

February 23rd, 2022

How a Bio Major Met her Academic and Personal Goals in the Madrid Science Program

Isabella Pompa (CAS ‘22) knows the power of saying “yes” to not just easy, straightforward opportunities, but also to things that challenge her. More

A Path to Public Service Paved by Academic Experiences in D.C.

February 23rd, 2022

Augustine Jimenez stands out as an award-winning student, study abroad participant, and budding public servant

Augustine Jimenez (CAS ’20) has always been interested in law, government, and politics. More

Getting to Know BU Study Abroad’s Newest Site Directors in London and Geneva

February 23rd, 2022

Christine Hoenigs and Leonella Castellano have joined the ranks of BU Study Abroad Site Directors who serve as leaders at our study abroad sites across the world. Thrilled about this next chapter for London and Geneva programs, we recently sat down with Christine, who is heading up London, and Leonella, who is at the helm in Geneva, to learn more about their career paths, first impressions as directors, and advice they have for BU students who want to work internationally.

1. You both have interesting backgrounds. Can you talk about your paths to becoming Directors of the Geneva and London programs, respectively, please?

Leonella (from Geneva):

When the BU Study Abroad Geneva program looked for a new Director, I could not hesitate for a second.  I had been working as internship placement manager in BU Geneva Study Abroad programs for the past 7 years and I sincerely enjoyed working with incredibly inspiring young adults. I had guided hundreds of students in their first steps in the international arena and helped them to explore the realm of international cooperation.  I had a lot to share and to pass on from my previous experiences. I wanted to do more.

I am lucky that I inherited a fantastic program that has offered, since 2005, a unique setting for thousands of students to be exposed to internationalism and diplomacy, and live at the crossroads of the European experience.  This role perfectly aligns with my aspirations and my values, but my career path to becoming director was not a straightforward journey.

I was born in Geneva, Switzerland, to Italian parents and was raised in the neighboring France. Three cultures in one! I was home in a multicultural environment. Many BU students can understand this feeling of being the recipients of more than one culture. Not always simple, but so enriching. After graduating in Law and public administration, with a double minor in English and Russian civilizations, I completed my studies by earning a master in international law at the Graduate Institute in Geneva.

From there, I did several internships in the private sector and in international organizations to finally intern for a year at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. I was eventually recruited and sent to my very first missions to the North Caucasus and Central Asia. I worked 7 years in different countries and conflict areas before I decided to explore a career in the private sector. What a change! I learned an all-new job and spent the following 10 years in the commodity and energy trade finance sector.

I never stopped learning and questioning my surrounding world. I became experimented in humanitarian affairs, and then in oil and energy trading, but all this resulted in even more questions.

I studied corporate social responsibility searching for a balance between extremes. Interesting but not satisfactory.   And then I got the opportunity to join the Boston University community.

Christine (from London):

I was the Director of the London Programme at Lawrence University, a small liberal arts college in Appleton, Wisconsin, before I came to BU London, but I had been teaching at several US study abroad programmes for years (including Florida State University, the University of Maryland and Global Education Oregon).

My first love is teaching Literature and Theatre, but the complexity of administrative work can be quite creative and fascinating as well, especially if it involves innovations which make a study abroad programme more accessible to a wider group of students. I am also a qualified teacher of German as a Foreign Language and taught at the Goethe Institute London for over 7 years – a wonderful time during which I met a lot of Londoners who share my love for learning languages. Teaching a foreign language can really focus your attention on the process of learning itself – how do you break down a topic so it becomes easy to understand, how do you create a lesson that allows students to learn with confidence while enjoying the learning process as such? At university, my dream had been to work in the theatre, which I did for a while - the highlight was a stint at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, which was run by the formidable Sir Alan Ayckbourn at the time.  I learnt a lot by just observing him at work and helping out where an extra pair of hands was needed. Up to this day theatre is an essential part of my life and I try to see as many plays in a week as I can.

2. What were your first impressions serving as Director? What stays with you the most from your first semester serving as Director of a BU Study Abroad program?

Leonella:

The job of BU teams abroad is thrilling but challenging! Taking my new role amidst covid-time is not an easy task. Every detail that seemed obvious, became a challenge. Housing, health, safety, teaching, traveling… I would not have been able to take up the challenge without the support from Boston Study Abroad team and without the tireless efforts and unwavering support from Geneva team; Alexandra, Matthew, Lujan and Mehrnaz.

What stays with me the most from my first semester? The Muzy residence returning to life, like a heart that starts to beat again along with happy noise and frenzy activities of students.

Christine:

The sheer size of it! BUSA London is a huge operation – we are the biggest BUSA site, we welcome around 1200 students each year, and it is challenging to help make each student’s experience unique. I love the buzz at 43 Harrington Gardens and it was a joy to welcome students back after the Covid-19 related hiatus. Our students, faculty and staff make this programme what it is and it makes me proud to see how everyone is trying their best to adapt to pandemic restrictions and still make the most of London. Our students have taken it all in their stride and can now enjoy London as a classroom again.

3. What’s been most surprising or noteworthy about the students’ experience this past fall or thus far this spring? Does anything stand out to you?

Leonella:

The eagerness to learn and the urgency to experiment. Students truly represent Boston University abroad and are the ambassadors of BU highest educational standards.  The employers love our students!  I was also pleased to see fall and spring students brought with them a great sense of adaptability, an outstanding discipline for COVID measures and maturity.

Christine:

Everyone’s determination to adapt and make things work, despite some restrictions. One example is the internship – most students had to work from home on some days, instead of working at their placement full-time, which added a different skill set to their work experience. One of the key aspects of studying abroad is developing your cultural competence and communication skills – and working from home can make both more difficult. Students however have been incredibly professional about it and showed great willingness to learn in this new working environment, which will stand them in good stead in their future professional life.

4. What advice do you have for BU students who may be interested in working internationally upon graduation?

Leonella:

One can imagine that an international career is primarily meant for students in International Relations. This is not true. I encourage students in sciences, business, engineering, or with any background to go abroad to start a career. There are a multitude of ways to work internationally. Corporates are present worldwide, the United Nations offer different programs to get recent graduates on board (Junior Professional Officers), paid internships abroad are a good way to start an international career.

Make good use of BU community and alumni, they are precious resources to you!  Develop your independence, resourcefulness and problem solving!  Identify your region of interest and become familiar with the culture and working codes. Learn languages and meet young people from those countries.

Remember that a career path is neither linear nor a predictable journey. Be on the lookout for chances and go with your aspirations.

​Christine:

Be curious, be a good listener and observer – especially while you study abroad. There is a joy to learn how to read subtleties expressed between the lines. Keep working on your communication skills. In the British context for example the sense of urgency in a request such as “Could you please…if you have the time?” is easily missed! I believe that kindness, politeness and willingness to openly engage with new people are key. When you apply for jobs after graduation, think about transferable skills you have developed, such as your ability to solve problems, manage your time efficiently, solve problems, or to notice and navigate cultural differences at work with confidence.

Panel of BU Experts Discuss the Global Climate Crisis

February 23rd, 2022

Researchers share their work on equity, climate change mitigation strategies, health effects, and more

According to a recent U.N. Report on Climate Change, scientists are observing unprecedented changes in the Earth’s climate. Immediate action is necessary, and efforts require collective, bold action on a global scale. That was the topic a panel of BU researchers examined during International Education Week’s Faculty Panel on the Global Climate Crisis.

The panel included Cutler Cleveland, Associate Director of BU’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, and Professor in the Department of Earth and Environment; Dennis Carlberg, Associate Vice President of University Sustainability, and Adjunct Assistant Professor in Earth and Environment; Madeleine Scammell, Associate Professor of Environmental Health in SPH; and Patrick Kinney Professor of Environmental Health in SPH. Science Journalist and WBUR’s Senior Producing Editor Barbara Moran moderated the discussion.

Held on the heels of the 26^th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, Scotland, the IEW panel event drew a crowd of faculty, staff, and students who were eager to ask the researchers about their thoughts on the international conference, among other pressing climate issues. The panelists agreed that while some progress was made, the change is too incremental. Stronger, bolder action is needed urgently.

Summarizing some of the high points, Cleveland said, “Overall, there was some good news: Fossil fuels were ‘named;’ a lot of countries, including the U.S., strengthened their commitments to reduce emissions; and there was strong commitment, including by Brazil, to cut deforestation by 2030. 450 banks and international lending institutions agreed to make their asset portfolio carbon neutral by 2030…and 100 countries signed on to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030.”

Illuminating some of the gaps, Cleveland added, “I think the worst news was on the equity front.” He explained how developing nations and island states who are especially vulnerable to rising sea levels wanted to create a loss and damage fund where wealthy, developed nations would pay to help developing nations adapt to, avert, and minimize loss and damage from climate change. Talks of establishing such a fund did not move beyond the dialogue phase.

“It’s frustrating not to see more rapid action,” Kinney said. “I can understand, because politically it’s very difficult, especially between countries, so it’s understandable but it’s also unconscionable in a way because of what we’re facing.”

For years, scientists have clearly defined and modeled the earth’s temperature changes that will happen if climate policies are not implemented and followed. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the U.S. and 196 other countries pledged to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, and to also “pursue efforts to limit warming” to 1.5 degrees C.

Cleveland walked attendees through this chart from OurWorldinData.org that projects how climate policies can abate greenhouse gas emissions, based on assumptions about economic activity, population growth, technological changes, and more. If no climate policies were put into place, the earth’s temperature would rise by ~4 degrees C, where irreversible and catastrophic changes would occur.

“The last major climate conference – from which came the Paris Climate Accord – said we should limit global warming to below 2 degrees C,” explained Cleveland. “If we really want to avoid the worst effects of climate change we keep [the warming] to 1.5 degrees C or less. With the current policies, we were on track for about a 2.7 degrees C increase. Most countries did increase their commitment to reduce emissions at Glasgow, and that would put us at about 2.4 degrees C. The good news is there were a lot of new commitments, but we’re not on track to reach 1.5 degrees C.”

In addition to COP26 and the urgent need to invest as much as we can in equitable climate solutions, the panelists discussed some of the health effects of climate change.

“We’ve found that the number of people who die each year from extreme heat is higher than deaths from other weather-related events,” Kinney said. “Often they are elderly, children, or people working outdoors.”

Scammell added, “They call heat the silent killer…and it’s not experienced equally by people.” She explained that undocumented workers, people who work outside, and agricultural workers are more susceptible and that they are often disincentivized to slow down when working in the heat.

Scammell is principal investigator a longitudinal study of agricultural workers in El Salvador. She is also studying occupational risk factors – such as extreme heat – of kidney disease in both El Salvador and Nicaragua. These efforts are focused on identifying and preventing exposures that may contribute to the epidemic of chronic kidney disease in Central America.

On the issue of health, Kinney explained how there are health benefits that can be captured as cities achieve their carbon reduction goals in the face of climate change. Moreover, there’s an opportunity for Boston and Massachusetts to be a leader in this.

“I was encouraged when looking at [Boston Mayor] Michelle Wu’s transportation platform to see how strongly she supports bicycling infrastructure,” Kinney said. “Boston could be more like Copenhagen or the Netherlands with bike highways that allow people to commute safely. Those bike paths get shoveled before the roads do. We could reduce a lot of carbon emissions and improve cardiovascular health… If you have political will you could put the resources where they are needed. And, as we’ve been saying, to do that in the most equitable way possible. It’s not just about biking – it’s about public transportation and green space.”

On the topic of infrastructure, Carlberg walked attendees through the incredible opportunity and need that exists to focus on adapting or retrofitting buildings and reducing building emissions. He noted, “In Boston, two thirds of our greenhouse gas emissions are from existing buildings.”

He explained that this fall the Boston City Council approved an ordinance that addresses climate change by requiring all buildings larger than 20,000 square feet to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050. He also showed BU’s newest building under construction: the Center for Computing & Data Sciences, which is the largest fossil fuel free, carbon-neutral building in Boston.

“It is 350,000 square feet and 19 stories, but there’s no gas line connected to this building; that is incredibly bold!” Carlberg said. “This is serious leadership that the university is bringing to the city, and the city is supporting and sharing what we’re doing with other developers who are building.”

Carlberg explained how the building will be heated and cooled by using the thermal mass of the earth.

For all the urgent and long-term work that exists in the areas of climate change mitigation or reduction and related areas, projects like the BU Center for Computing and Data Sciences should give people some hope that progress is being made and there are many brilliant minds dedicated to one of the world’s more pressing challenges of our time.

Watch the full panel discussion on the Global Programs site here.

When Change is the Only Constant: How Study Abroad Navigated an Ever-evolving Landscape amid Omicron

February 23rd, 2022

A Look Back on the Scale & Complexity of Changes & How Students Ultimately Journeyed to Sites

Undeterred by the constantly shifting COVID-19 public health guidelines and the unpredictability of new variants, Boston University’s Study Abroad sites have continued to welcome more students back this semester. Just as BU’s campuses in Boston have evolved with changing public health requirements in the city and state, BU’s sites abroad have had to meet the evolving requirements of seven countries and nine cities – in addition to Boston University’s expectations for keeping our students as safe as possible in this pandemic.

Gearing up for the return of students this spring to the BU Study Abroad sites in London, Geneva, Sydney, Madrid, Padua, Venice, Paris, DC and LA, the site staff had many new challenges to focus on, like finding and communicating locations for students to get their booster shots, keeping track of local vaccine passport requirements, sorting out quarantine plans if needed, and securing adequate supplies of COVID tests. Because of the amazing job BU has done in setting up the testing system on campus and the ease with which all students, faculty and staff can test whenever we need to, it is easy to forget that is not the case away from Boston. In one example, due to the initial short supply of rapid antigen tests in Australia, Mark Connellan, the Sydney Australia Director and his team, who welcomed students back for the first time since Spring 2020, went to extraordinary lengths prior to their students’ arrival to ensure an adequate supply of tests for the students. Mark found a supply at a local grocery store but purchases were limited to one 5-pack per visit. He returned to that market three times, and he and his team visited multiple other stores to meet their needs for the first two weeks of the program. Mark also worked with the Boston team and BU Purchasing investigating sourcing the tests outside of Australia. Luckily, supplies soon opened up in Australia and Mark was able to get all the tests he needed locally.

It’s a team effort to safely bring back the breadth and depth of high-quality programs that Boston University offers. The Study Abroad sites have support from Boston-based Global Programs and Study Abroad. As the Omicron surge rolled through different countries at different stages, Global Programs issued 116 updates in December alone to keep students and families apprised of changes to travel, housing, testing and attestations, internship placements, classrooms and office updates, quarantine information, and more.

Countries continue to open back up and approach pandemic mitigation strategies in their own ways. Although the pandemic continues to challenge us all, we are proud of our students, faculty, and staff – at home and abroad – for their resilience and adaptability. And as you can see from the following opening week pictures from the sites, students are once again experiencing the joy of studying abroad!

Geneva

London

Madrid

Padua & Venice

Paris

Sydney

Washington, DC

Anthropology PhD Student Conducts Research in Pakistan Amid the Pandemic

February 4th, 2022

Hafsa Arain examines the intersection of internet cultures, LGBTQ+ identities, and languages

In June 2020 Hafsa Arain (PhD ’24) had planned to travel to Pakistan to complete research for her dissertation in sociocultural anthropology. With the pandemic disrupting or bringing so many aspects of life to a standstill in 2020, Arain had to face the difficult reality that she’d have to postpone her research.

Arain came to anthropology via religious studies and English literature – she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from DePaul University and a Master of Arts in Religious Studies from Claremont School of Theology – and describes her background as an eclectic one. With her education rooted in the humanities and social sciences, Arain has a deep appreciation for the diversity of human cultures. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, but raised in the United States, Arain decided to focus on Pakistan and some of its citizens for her anthropological studies.

“I chose Pakistan mostly because I think it is a really interesting place where a lot of very disparate concepts kind of come together,” she says. “All at once you have, on the one hand, these conversations about religious piety or piety movements, especially among women. You also have this burgeoning middle class that is trying to be really cosmopolitan, and that has sort of launched this massive diaspora community that's all over the world. And then you have this new emerging queer group of various identities that are trying to come together and trying to figure out exactly what role they want to play within the country.”

It’s at this intersection of cultures, identities, and languages that Arain explores Pakistan and gathers research data within its queer communities using ethnographic methods: observing, interviewing, and participating. Conducting this research in-person was crucial, and she made that case clear when she gained the support of her Dean to petition for travel to Pakistan during August 2021 through the University’s Global Travel Risk Assessment Committee (GTRAC).

“I think everyone really thought about my safety, and we talked through options to make sure that I was being as safe as possible,” Arain says. “It was really helpful to get some more resources and tools in terms of who I can rely on, like the U.S. Embassy. It's nice to know that I'm not on my own in this, even though sometimes I think a lot of anthropologists feel alone in their field sites.”

Joe Finkhouse, Global Programs’ Associate Director of Health, Safety & Security, who worked closely with Arain, said "Hafsa was exemplary in how to think about conducting research in a complicated context – how to measure and mitigate risk as well as think through options, among other key things. Conducting research is crucial, but it doesn't obviate the need to think about the safety of the researcher – that is always top of mind for us."

Arain adds that she views Pakistan as a particularly interesting place to study queerness and burgeoning LGBTQ+ movements because of its “long history of [having] a third gender population.”

“I guess I would say it’s analogous, although it's not a really clean translation, to trans womanhood in the U.S.,” she explains. “But what's really new about these queer LGBTQ movements are things like trans masculinity and lesbian and bisexual womanhood…And so I’m looking more at these new, emerging forms and seeing how they are able to legitimize themselves in this environment.”

She is also exploring the kinds of work that queer Pakistanis are having to do to convince the rest of the population that homosexuality is not a Western import but, rather, something that is indigenous to the environment. Arain asks, “What are the things they’re doing to integrate themselves into larger society in the hopes that they would get rights and access to a lot of things that states normally provide.”

In gathering her research and interviewing members of the community, she shares her own identities and background to help establish trust and let them know that she, too, wants to see their rights protected and expanded.

“I think, in any kind of case, access to a really marginalized community is really tricky for anyone who's trying to do research,” Arain says. “I think one of the reasons that I have the kind of access I do is because I'm also a queer Pakistani woman who has something at stake in what they're trying to achieve. We kind of see our goals as being aligned by providing one piece – the research on this from an academic perspective – which in some ways can give them some legitimacy to say, hey, people write articles about us, people write books about us. And therefore, we can sort of prove our existence beyond just, you know, our own identities.”

Because of many factors – the global pandemic being chief among them – Arain explains that her work has not been without its challenges.

“It's definitely taken a lot of work, and it’s been a challenge to do this during COVID. But, that being said, I don’t think that you could do this research without being here in-person,” she says. “And that's actually one of the things that I hope my research will contribute to anthropology. Because there are questions around whether or not we can do our research digitally. It would be safer, cost less, for instance. And that's enticing, for sure. But I think that from what we know about the internet and how people use the internet is that we think of the internet as very global. But actually the internet is an extremely local thing. Our phones, our computers know where we are in the world and tailor our internet experience to where we are. So how people use dating sites, for instance, I wouldn't be able to know that without being here [in Pakistan] in-person and scrolling through the dating apps to see what does queer dating look like?”

Through all of this, Arain deeply appreciates and respects the fact that research can be extractive and painful for people, especially those from marginalized or disadvantaged communities. And with a thoughtful and gracious mindset, she also understands how her work can help shed light on their experiences.

“I don't take lightly the fact that they share their stories with me,” Arain says. “And I don't sort of expect them to do that without me offering something up in return, or at least some reassurance. And for them, I guess some hope that what they're sharing with me will lead to some kind of change or will lead to some kind of support for them down the road.”

International Education Week 2021 is Set for Nov. 15 – 19

October 7th, 2021

Events will be offered both in-person and virtually

Global Programs looks forward to once again facilitating International Education Week (IEW) at BU. IEW 2021 will mark Global Program’s 10th consecutive year of leading IEW efforts for the University.

IEW is a joint initiative of the U.S. Departments of State and of Education, seeking to highlight the importance of international education. From November 15 - 19 the BU community will come together to host numerous events – both in-person and virtual – by student groups, schools, colleges, cultural centers, and other organizations across BU’s campuses and at BU Study Abroad locations. To highlight your event as an IEW-related event and to contribute to BU’s commitment to international education, please share some details with us here.

“We are proud to once again play a lead role in International Education Week for Boston University,” said Willis G. Wang, Vice President and Associate Provost for Global Programs. “This week showcases the diverse work being done across the BU community to advance international education and global engagement. This year’s celebration feels even more uplifting given the collective challenges of last 18 months due to COVID-19. We hope you enjoy the many virtual and in-person events that will be offered.”

This year, the marquee Global Programs IEW event will explore the global climate crisis, and Global Programs is thrilled to feature a multi-disciplinary panel of BU experts and a science journalist:

• Barbara Moran, Senior Producing Editor, WBUR: Moderator
• Cutler Cleveland, Interim Director, Institute of Sustainable Energy (ISE) and Professor in Earth & Environment: Panelist
• Dennis Carlberg, AVP, University Sustainability, and Adjunct Asst. Professor in Earth & Environment: Panelist
• Henrik Selin, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Studies at The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies: Panelist
• Madeleine Scammell, Associate Professor of Environmental Health at the School of Public Health: Panelist
• Patrick Kinney, Professor of Environmental Health at the School of Public Health: Panelist  

Climate change efforts require collective, bold action on a global scale, and we look forward to discussing the work being done as well as the ways in which climate change impacts – and is shaped by – geopolitics, global health, human migration, and more.

In addition to the annual IEW marquee event, Global Programs and its units of Study Abroad, International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO), and the Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) host several IEW events. Check the IEW website for event updates and details as they become available. We look forward to seeing you in November!

Also of note: In July 2021, the Biden administration renewed the U.S commitment to International Education. With the renewed focus on the importance of international education, research, and global exchange, we look forward to the 2021-22 academic year being a year of celebration and re-commitment to international education. So much so that we encourage departments, groups, schools/colleges, and anyone at BU to tag their events over the course of the academic year that highlight international education and global engagement. We would be thrilled to help promote your event.

A Chat with Maria Arruda

October 7th, 2021

CELOP’s New Managing Director Shares Experiences Living in Egypt, Importance of Fostering Cross Cultural Understanding 

Maria Arruda has fascinating professional and personal experiences on which to draw as she takes the helm as the new Managing Director for BU’s Center for English Language & Orientation Programs (CELOP). Arruda’s professional path has taken her from Boston to Ghana, West Africa, then back to the U.S. and, most recently, to the Middle East. While living in Egypt as an expat, Arruda experienced the dramatic social, political, and cultural changes of the Arab Spring and Egyptian Revolution firsthand.

Her interests in international education, Islam, and the Middle East brought her to the intersection of some profound moments both personally and professionally while living in Egypt. Arruda’s desire to develop a deeper understanding of different cultures has fueled her in more ways than one, and she continues to be a strong advocate for exchange programs and other opportunities where cross-cultural interaction and learning can take place.

Arruda graduated from Emerson College, earned a Master of Science in Education with a focus on TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Long Island University, served as Director of the English Language Resource Center at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, and most recently, as the Assistant Country Director for Programs at AMIDEAST Egypt. We recently sat down with Arruda to discuss her path to international education, the importance of developing cross-cultural understanding, and what students should do if they’re interested in an international career, among other things.

Q&A:

You have a very interesting background. Can you share a little about it, please?

Arruda: Sure. I grew up in Fairhaven, Massachusetts and studied film at Emerson College as an undergraduate.  While at Emerson, I worked on and off in the Boston and Los Angeles film industries in casting and production.  Once I completed my studies at Emerson, I moved to Ghana to help start a film school for Ghanaian youth. I lived and worked there for a brief period and then decided to shift gears altogether and pursue a different career path. About two years after I left Ghana, I pursued a master’s degree at Georgetown University in the field of Islam and Muslim-Christian relations.

What interested you in this field of study after working in the film industry?

I was curious about the root causes of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and wanted to understand why this happened and to do my part in possibly helping to address areas of misunderstanding around Islam.  After about a year into this program, I found this degree to be more theoretical than I preferred and decided to move into an area that was a bit more practical in nature - teaching. I then applied and was accepted to teach English in New York through the New York City Teaching Fellows program.

Where did the NYC Teaching Fellows Program end up taking you?

After teaching English to immigrant high school students for five years as a Fellow, I started thinking again about working abroad. Because I was interested in the Muslim world, I decided to look for opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa region. I had heard about a program through the State Department called the English Language Fellows Program, so I decided to apply and was accepted. As an English Language Fellow, I was assigned to work with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on a project at Al-Azhar University where I would teach English to junior faculty from the faculties of Islamic and Arabic studies and provide teacher training to selected graduates from the Faculty of Language and Translation. I was thrilled to be working at Al-Azhar University, which is well known in Sunni Islam and is one of the oldest universities in the world.

What was your professional path at Al-Azhar University and what was it like living in Egypt during the Arab Spring?

After two years as an English Language Fellow, I was promoted to Director of the English Language Resource Center at Al-Azhar University, which was funded by the US Embassy in Cairo and administered by Amideast. The center began as a joint initiative between the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and Al-Azhar University to increase the English proficiency levels of junior faculty members and improve cross-cultural understanding between Americans and Egyptians.

I arrived in Egypt in September 2011 following the inception of the Arab Spring and the Egyptian Revolution. During that time, the country went through a great number of changes. I experienced the protests, which took place after Friday prayer in Tahrir Square, and witnessed the first democratic presidential election and the military-led coup of Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi.

Being able to experience the Egyptian Revolution firsthand was very exciting. Egyptians were finally able to express their opinions openly about political issues for the first time in a long time. It made me think that there's a lot we take for granted here in the United States in terms of our rights, particularly to free speech.

What stays with you the most from your time spent living in Egypt and all that you experienced?

I think one of my biggest takeaways from the Egyptian Revolution was that it's not easy establishing a democracy in a country like Egypt, which had been under military rule for so long. Democracy isn't just about having the right to vote. It's also about having the right systems in place and for people to be given certain rights that are then protected by the law.

Another thing that struck me is the respect for faith in Egypt. I think my experience at Al-Azhar University in particular had a profound impact on my decision to return to my own faith tradition, Christianity.

What are some things people can do if they want to improve their understanding of different cultures?

Find opportunities to engage with people from other backgrounds and cultures, wherever that may be… whether it's within your own neighborhood, school or place of work. Try to reach out to people from other backgrounds and cultures and get to know them on an individual level.

I believe very strongly that the way in which we change our minds about other people, particularly from other cultures, is through relationships – it’s through getting to know others and being open to learning more about them. I think this is why I continue to love my field of international education. I think it's so important for students to be able to have the chance to engage with other cultures.

What I love about CELOP is that our students come from all over the world and get to meet and interact with other international students and Americans. I love that my role is integral in creating opportunities for engagement.

You have such a worldly background and perspective. What advice do you have for BU students who may be interested in working internationally upon graduation?

Good question. I would say the first step is to identify where in the world you would like to work and then research the companies, agencies, or organizations that you would like to work for there. You may want to consider entry-level positions, internships or volunteer opportunities – basically, anything you can do to get a foot in the door and then prove yourself as a valuable team member while developing your professional network. To gain international experience, you could also consider volunteering with an international organization like the Peace Corps or pursuing an English teaching certificate, which will open the door to paid international teaching opportunities. And while you’re waiting for your international dream job to open up, use the time to learn a new language and let friends and family know about the work you’d like to do and where. You never know who they might know and what that could lead to!

How Study Abroad in Paris Shaped an Architectural Designer’s Career Interests

October 7th, 2021

Karen Wang returned to her beloved Paris for an exciting career in heritage architecture

You could say Karen (Kai-chun) Wang (CAS ’13) came to BU with a big imagination. More

Gaining a Global Perspective during the COVID-19 Pandemic

October 7th, 2021

Study Abroad Delivered Popular Cross College Challenge Course

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of all in-person study abroad programs around the globe in spring 2021, BU Study Abroad brought parts of the world to students through the BU Hub’s Cross-College Challenge (XCC).

Three Study Abroad instructors from three different continents came together to create and teach a remote course titled XCC Worldwide: The Intersection of Gender, Race, Media and COVID-19. The course explored the impact of the pandemic through a social-economic and a racial/ethnic prism in Australia, the U.S., and Europe. Students examined how the pandemic has further exposed inequalities of race and gender across the globe, and they looked at media representations in each country, including key challenges created and exacerbated by the global health crisis.

“We were proud to offer this unique course to BU students,” said Willis G. Wang, Vice President and Associate Provost for Global Programs. “Our Instructors and Study Abroad Site Directors did a wonderful job exploring some of the most critical issues of the pandemic and delivering valuable insights from different corners of the world. As exciting, the course was likely a first for BU to teach our students from three different countries at one time.”

The instructors, who are all BU Study Abroad Site Directors, come from different backgrounds. Elisabetta Convento, Director of Boston University Italy Programs, has been working in various roles in Study Abroad since 1998 and has served as Director of Boston University Italy Programs since 2009. Charisse McGhee-Lazarou, Director of Boston University Los Angeles Programs, spent 15 years at NBC rising through the ranks, from Programming Associate to Vice President of Primetime Programming, before moving into higher education. Mark Connellan, Director of Boston University Sydney Programs, has been the Site Director since 2004. He has taught the Australian Culture and Society course to nearly 6,000 students.

Bringing current events – in this case the global COVID-19 pandemic – into the classroom and taking an interdisciplinary approach were important and valuable to the instructors and students alike.

“The Cross-College Challenge is intended to be a signature learning experience at BU and a capstone for juniors and seniors completing their general education through the Hub,” said David Carballo, Assistant Provost for General Education and Professor of Archaeology, Anthropology, and Latin American Studies. “We are thrilled that Global Programs was able to pivot during the crisis to leverage existing strengths of BU Study Abroad sites to create an interdisciplinary and multi-continent learning experience for students on these timely issues.”

“I think the students were particularly struck by COVID-19 and wanted to take a course that could offer them a broad perspective on what was happening not only in the U.S. but worldwide,” Convento said. “They also were aware that a discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on race, gender, society was extremely meaningful as we all witnessed how the pandemic made inequalities even bigger. The course offered students time and ways to reflect and discuss, and the format and the pedagogical approach was, I think, very inclusive.”

LA’s Director McGhee-Lazarou noted how Study Abroad is uniquely situated to give students access to three different countries and continents – and the issues that are unique to those areas.

“This was one of the times when we’re all having a similar experience of living through a pandemic in all parts of the world, yet inequalities are growing even more,” McGhee-Lazarou said. “We thought this was a tremendous learning opportunity.”

Despite having to manage vast time zone differences, the interdisciplinary team of instructors all taught, shaped the curriculum, and helped recruit community partners in Australia, Italy, and the U.S.  Boston-based Study Abroad executive staff members, Gareth McFeely, Executive Director of Study Abroad, and David Lamitie, Associate Director of Program Development and External Programs, helped in the development of the course as well.

“Our team of instructors came together despite time zone challenges to offer synchronous activity and learning,” Lamitie said. “Sometimes that meant teaching late into the evening or early at 6:30 a.m. The Site Directors’ dedication to making this successful was evident, and I think students enjoyed the intellectual engagement with scholars at our sites.”

Working with nonprofits that the Study Abroad directors had lined up as community partners in Sydney, Padua, and L.A., students created podcasts, videos, and other media that communicated key issues about vaccine access and equity, among other things. Students learned in real-time about issues while also experiencing the effects of the pandemic in their own ways.

“Our final project was a zine that showed how our community partner’s model of generative welfare would benefit society,” Briana Morgan (CAS ’22) said. “We also talked about how COVID-19 has impacted minority groups in Italy, such as the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to the zine, we created an informational cartoon or animation for the community partner that explained generally what generative welfare is and how it can be used to help society post-pandemic.”

Students had to conduct a needs assessment with their organizations and gain an understanding of what would be most valuable for them to deliver as a final project. This was done against the backdrop of gaining a solid understanding of what societal issues the pandemic has exacerbated and created in different countries and communities.

“Our students didn't just drop into this; we gave them about five weeks of cultural prep, so to speak,” McGhee-Lazarou and Connellan explained. “We switched up our lectures; we broke it down into economics, we broke it down into race and gender, and how the various countries and cultures approach those sorts of things…mini lectures on our particular sites. The first weeks were filled with readings and learning about issues of race, gender, and ethnicity.”

“Some very thoughtful, bright, engaged students had their eyes opened,” McFeely said. “This course also allowed Study Abroad to deliver on some creative ideas that we’ve been wondering if we can do for some time. Reimagining what Study Abroad can offer students is exciting and connecting the academics to the wider University fully illustrates how the academic components of Study Abroad hold up completely.”

Reflecting on her time spent taking the course, Morgan said, “As someone who came out during the pandemic, I think talking about gender has stuck with me most while taking this course. Amongst my team members, we talked a lot about how the pandemic has forced us to look introspectively at ourselves more than we ever had before. We got to explore our sexualities and genders more intimately, and our time in quarantine was a very vital part of getting to know ourselves and who we are outside of the greater image of society.”

In addition to fostering more introspection, the course offered students a global perspective that can be used to consider future matters in less U.S.-centric ways.

“Learning that the same awful pandemic has an impact all over the world and how it affects various communities is truly mind-opening,” Convento said. “I hope that working in teams helped students be more tolerant and respectful and autonomous, as they all had to contribute to the final project using different skills.”

This type of cross-cultural and multidisciplinary work helps prepare students to face the global nature of modern work. It also provides the opportunity for students to engage with people whose experiences and perspectives may be different or lesser known.

“This is next-level work… it’s challenging, and it makes an impact,” Connellan added. “I think that was part of the draw of the experience. It involved working with students worldwide, across cultures and across disciplines. It challenged their intellect.”