Three MAIEM reporters' mission to bring the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the 2018 Diversity Abroad Conference to life in our community.
Sponsored by the Middlebury Fund for Innovation
MAIEM Reporter Interviews
Conferencing Pro Tips from the Conference Planning Chair
Evelyn Interview with Dr. Eduardo Contreas, Diversity Abroad Conference Planning Committee Chair, University of Portland Director of Studies Abroad Director.
It was an honor to interview Dr. Contreas (Eddie). As a MIIS IEM Marketing and Recruitment student, I was honored to work with Eddie as our semester-long learning partner. In this project, I worked with other MIIS students to create marketing and recruitment resources for their office and more specifically, resources serving their First Generation students. This institution is a pioneer in the field incorporating inclusive excellence into the design of their programs from recruitment to reentry peer mentorship opportunities. Stay tuned for a very special interview with one of Eddie's student mentee's (will insert name once we get FERPA approval)
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Conferencing advice from Eddie:
What advice would you give to one of your conference attendees?
"Be sure to take advantage of the small size of the conference. This conference creates a community - the more connections you make the better"
" Be strategic about what sessions you attend, we have created tracks that are deep dive specific, and strategically scheduled sessions within those tracks not to over lap. You can still sample everything, but this will allow you to easily customize your session track specific to what you really want to learn "
Attached here is a video that Eddie recorded specifically for our MIIS students! He was excited about our reporting project and congratulated us on our ability to share out Diversity Abroad insights with all of you - Thank you for reading and bringing our project to life!
Intercultural experiential learning at home, and abroad
Evelyn Interview with Dr. Susan Goldstein, Conference attendee, University of Redlands Psychology Faculty, Study Abroad Pre-departure and Re-entry course designer/ facilitator, and Cross-Cultural Psychologist.
Wow! Susan introduced me to an entirely new perspective intercultural programming! I have met English writing faculty, Student affairs professionals, and a variety of other kinds of pre and post-program designer and facilitators, but I have never met one with a background in psychology - this was a real treat!
I met Susan in my very first session on Researching Underrepresentation in Education Abroad. We immediately connected sharing our mutual interest in study abroad qualitative data research, and first-generation study abroad participants. Susan's value of language learning and expertise in cross-cultural psychology inform her course design at the University of Redlands. Be on the lookout MIIS, Susan sounds like a great future learning partner!
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One of my favorite Susan quotes:
"The people who do cross cultural psychology versus the people who study integration and discrimination are in different fields - the intersection is new, it doesn't make sense that it's new... these Issues of power have been separate in academia for too long."
I really enjoyed discussing the intersection between intercultural learning and diverse student integration on college campuses. I often question why students need to travel abroad to take cultural plunges when so many of us shy away from "otherness" at our home campuses.
Being able to learn from Susan and her first hand experience guiding students on these cross cultural experiential learning journeys both at home and abroad, was eye opening. I often think that a cross cultural experience like studying abroad is the plunge that so many of us need to begin, or further, our own journeys of humanizing the other. I loved the opportunity to discuss this with Susan and look forward to working with her again in the future!
Which came first... forget the chicken! The theory or the practice?
Evelyn Interview with Dubois Jennings, SIT Graduate, and Susquehanna University Study Away Advisor
Forget my terrible chicken or the egg reference, this question of the relationship between theory and practice is an important guiding question for all of us IEM's. When I started devising a conference attendance plan I asked a Diversity Abroad veteran "who should I contact to learn about connecting theory and practice? Lucky for me I was connected to DuBois Jennings, a colleague known for his grounding in theory.
With a background in TESOL and language teaching in Japan, and his incredible story on how his own study abroad experience shaped his black identity - a realization he came to 10 years later at SIT - his unique perspective on the importance of diversity abroad is inspiring.
Quick DuBois wisdom on utilizing theory:
"The world is not black and white- you have to take both realities into account at the same time, the world is a grey area"
Are standardized learning outcomes inclusive by design? What is your opinion on differentiated learning outcomes?
"Yes... we also have return courses (both PDO and re-entree) talking to students about how we're preparing those students in pre-departure courses, one student with one background vs a student with a different background. Traditionally in our field we have prepared students as kind of a whole - this is the experience of an American abroad. But I talk to students who are American but vastly different from the other students in the classroom. 1) So what are their learning outcomes, what is going to be beneficial and meaningful for them? 2) When they come back, students are sharing their experiences abroad, an underrepresented student with certain identity markers is going to have a very different experience - but how understanding is the students in the room who didn't have that experience. Or who maybe don't have a lot of contact with "diverse" students. How does the diverse student feel when they are sharing the reactions that they're getting in the classroom. So also looking at not only differentiated learning outcomes but making sure that the classroom community is aware of the importance of the different learning outcomes for different kinds of students."
Wanting to hear more? Or just wondering how on earth you can put all of your learned theory to use in the field? Please tune in to hear our full audio interview here!
BONUS MATERIAL! DuBois was also generous enough to record a video clip specifically for MIIS students about Diversity Abroad- check it out!
Wanting to hear more? Or just wondering how on earth you can put all of your learned theory to use in the field? Please tune in to hear our full audio interview here!
Inclusivity as Excellence
Evelyn Interview with Dr. Aaron Bruce, Diversity Abroad Advisory Council Member, conference presenter, San Diego State University Chief Diversity Officer
So why do we need to be inclusive? Why must we challenge ourselves beyond access and incorporate inclusive excellence in to our programming? What does inclusive excellence even mean? And how can I get my stakeholders, my future employers, my colleagues to buy in? I was lucky enough to find the perfect interviewee to field these tough questions, Aaron Bruce.
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Why do we need to make Diversity and Inclusion part of our work?
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"Diversity and inclusion are closely partnered with excellence... If we're all committed to developing student leaders who are outstanding future employees, in a highly diversified global workforce, it's really important that we give them a foundation that helps every one of them to excel and thrive domestically as well as globally - it's important that we all have the skillsets to help students along that journey."
Aaron Bruce has an incredible portfolio of former and current inclusion by design programs and projects. I love the call to action that he presents, that we will have to be inclusive if we want to be relevant. He has made a tremendous impact on the San Diego State University campus and I consider the field of International Education extremely lucky to have a leader like him so dedicated to our cause. Check out our video interview to learn more about his background and his crucial perspective on inclusive excellence!
During the Diversity Abroad Conference, I had the honor of both having dinner with and interviewing Dr. Tasha Willis. I was first introduced to Dr. Willis’ work when writing a literature review on the on-site experiences of underserved students in education abroad. As a multiracial female who first participated in education abroad during community college, her article "And Still We Rise- Microaggressions and Intersectionality in the Study Abroad Experiences of Black Women", has served as one of the foundational readings that have guided my academic and career trajectory. Empirical studies, such as hers, in addition to my own personal and professional experiences, led me to focus my academic studies and career pursuits on diversity and inclusion work in education abroad. Thus, developing a relationship with Dr. Willis was a highlight of this year’s conference.​
Advancing Equity and Inclusion in Education Abroad
Ashley Interview with Dr. Tasha Willis, Diversity Abroad Conference Presenter, Cal State, LA, Assistant Director of Social Work & Faculty Director for Internationalization
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Diversity and Inclusion Advice from Tasha:
What professional advice would you give MIIS students looking to advance equity and inclusion in education abroad?
“Be an equity-minded practitioner. Always use equity and social justice lens to examine diversity issues. Make sure to disrupt power structures. Be choosy with your word choice. Build bridges between the international office and multicultural educational divisions. Learn the orientation of social justice and educational equity. And most importantly, know how to bolster student identity.”
To access Dr. Willis' article, click here .
Partnering with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs to Send More Students Abroad
Ashley Interview with Ochmaa Escue. Diversity Abroad Planning Committee, Director of Overseas Studies within Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs
Ochmaa Escue's mission is to send more students from underserved backgrounds abroad through the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity Equity, and Multicultural Affairs (OVPDEMA) custom study abroad programs. These in-house, custom programs are subsidized by the OVPDEMA, meaning students only pay $1,250 to $1,350 to study abroad. This price includes flights, meals, and all lodging. Students travel to non-traditional destinations such as Brazil, Dominican Republic, and Ghana, and are required to take a 6-8 week course on the country and its culture before departure.
According to Ms. Escue, “Our vision is to be able to afford students who don’t traditionally have the opportunity to travel and study internationally the chance to do so, then return to campus and their communities with greater knowledge of other cultures and an enhanced perspective of the world.”
To learn more about the impact of these programs,
check out the following Youtube video.
What are we doing to get underrepresented students abroad?
John Interview with Hernando Sevilla-Garcia. Diversity Relations Manager, conference presenter, IES Abroad
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IES Abroad’s mission is as follows: “We educate students to become global leaders through premier study abroad and internship programs, which offer students worldwide experiential learning opportunities that meet the highest standards of academic quality.”
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Integral in fulfilling this mission is a commitment to the representation and integration of diverse perspectives, cultures, and ideas.
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At IES Abroad, the entire team understands that diversity must be cultivated and supported in several ways and at multiple levels—from accessibility and inclusiveness of a diverse student body to the learning environment and courses offered. IES Abroad is dedicated to broadening access and cultivating a diverse, globally-savvy workforce.
“It’s not all about numbers, because that’s diversity. But inclusion is what we really focus on. But if we can’t even get them there… it’s not really reflecting what diversity looks like, with a large population of LatinX individuals in our country.”
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The Importance of Mentorship
Evelyn Interview with Victor Rodriguez Valdovinos. GlobalStudent Leadership Summit Student leader, University of Portland Nursing student, Study Abroad Alumnae, and a First Generation Study Abroad Peer Mentor.
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For his voice on The Importance of Mentorship please check out our video
What meeting Victor meant to me
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For me meeting victor brought my work full circle - he really stopped me in my tracks. Once upon a time I was a Pell Grant recipient unsure of my own potential as a study abroad candidate. A study abroad advisor named Dr. David Wick changed everything for me. I came back transformed by the cultural exposure of my experience - theopportunity to learn about the world in order to better understand myself and my potential in it, was something that I had to share. I too worked as a peer mentor and intern in my own study abroad office at San Francisco StateUniversity reaching out to undeserved students, then was lucky enough to go abroad yet again! Fast forward to my maters program at MIIS where I get to work with that same mentor and current MIIS faculty member, Dr. David Wick.
So wait... what does this have to do with Victor? In my program I was awarded the privilege of working on a semester long group project with the University of Portland Study Abroad office in support of their recruitment andmentorship offerings for First Generation college students. Sure enough, my learning partner, the director of Study Abroad at UP, would be Victor's own mentor and a renowned Diversity Abroad leader, Dr. Eduardo Contreas! So now here I was at the conference, meeting one of the very peer mentor exemplary students that I had heard so much about and hoped my work would serve. A student who embodies EVERY REASON why I want to do the work that I do - a student wholeveraged their own background to be incredibly successful abroad, and who is now advocating for similaropportunities for other students in his community.
For me one the real mission of this reporting project is that I am in this for reasons bigger than myself. I am doing this in hopes that the knowledge, skills, and attitudes gained form the Diversity Abroad Conference can be shared back with MIIS to benefit my community. Even as a college Sophomore, Victor has already committed his Study Abroad experience to something bigger than himself. He has dedicated himself to his community - He is an exemplary example of the importance of Diversity Abroad and peer mentorship. I found meeting him absolutely inspiring and look forward to seeing his big success that lies ahead!
I met Victor at the MIIS Recruitment event, but I had already heard a ton about his unique journey and incredible story. While studying abroad in Europe, Victor was able to leverage his love for soccer to make local connections and truly integrate within a new community. Victor shared with me that as a Latino, first generation college goer, he didn't look like anyone else on his program... However because of his hard work and the support he claims was paramount from mentors back home, he was able to turn his experience into something transformative. He leveraged his ability to connect with locals growing his community to include his peers, positively impacting his entire cohort. Victor was so inspired by his journey that he returned dedicated to sharing that journey out to other underserved students on his campus and in his community.
One of my favorite Victor quotes:
"Personally as a first-generation student, knowing that I have so much support and motivation behind me to do tall these great things, I know that it can be done. Because I know I’m not going through it alone - I’m always going to have the support of people like you. Or my mentors like Dr. Contreas or John (Victor’s peer mentor), I feel like everyone needs a John or a Dr. Contreas in their life. Then people really do have the potential to show greatness in life and really let their life shine – and there are mentors who can really help that happen."
For his voice on Why we need Diversity Abroad please check out our videos.