What inspired you to work for GlobalEd?
After working eight years in the study abroad field for two of the largest study abroad providers, I decided to start up GlobalEd 13 years ago. I have always loved the idea of having the creativity to create dynamic, engaging and affordable programs, and this entrepreneurial adventure has allowed me to do so.
Describe a typical day at work.
That depends on the time of year. I love my job! I usually wake up in the morning and take my dog for a walk, get a little bit of exercise and sit down at my desk to continue the productive conversations I have every day with students, faculty, and university administrators.
Every day is not the same though. I spent nine months every year in the United States promoting our programs to universities and students. And three months every year overseas helping to deliver the programs we promote.
Why do you do what you do?
I enjoy the freedom to choose how GlobalEd focuses its time, resources and energy. Being able to choose who I work with in terms of universities and faculty is liberating. I found myself to be the most happy when I stopped worrying about money and only focused on creating value for others and staying true to my values.
Here's a picture in our early stages promoting GlobalEd at study abroad fairs.
What is your favorite part of your job?
The most rewarding aspect of my job is receiving an email from a student or parent after they finish the program to tell me that they got into the grad school they wanted or they got the job they most wanted and that their experience abroad was the highlight of their interview.
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
Everything I've learned about in school, at the University and throughout my career has been directly applicable to everything I do. There's not one experience, positive or negative, that I've ever had that has not shaped my management style or decisions I make for our organization. I studied economics and Spanish.
And then I went on to pursue two masters degrees in business and international business. When I got into education I mistakenly assumed that my business degrees would not be beneficial. Not true. Even educational organizations need to be solvent. Every single aspect of business is also applicable to our sector.
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
I love this question. I always tell people that the word "problem" is not a part of my daily vocabulary. I always coach my staff to present to me the challenge that we're facing and what their solution is. I often refer to employees in the study abroad sector as firefighters. We're constantly putting out fires. But that's what study abroad is all about!
Study abroad is all about stepping outside your circle of comfort and dealing with the unknown. That's an invitation for challenges. As providers, we are here to help students maneuver through these challenges. Sometimes their cultural misunderstandings, feelings of loneliness, insecurities, etc... Dealing with challenges on a daily basis is what we do.
What are some current projects you are working on?
We are constantly looking for ways to add more value to what we call our career path programs. All the programs we design are focused on the academic disciplines of our program participants. For example, in healthcare, we've created a certification program in Pre-hospitalization Trauma and Life Support taught in English in Seville, Spain for students.
We also launched an online internship program to provide affordable opportunities for low income families/students to develop critical skills related to remote work while incorporating international elements. We want to roll out these online internships internationally and create international teams and teach cultural and team dynamics.
Traveling the world and reaching collaboration agreements with organizations and business professionals is a passion of mine.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Get ready for the ride of your life! Embrace the change and face the challenges. Don't be afraid to make a fool of yourself and you are guaranteed to have an exciting life.
Why should someone choose GlobalEd over competitors?
I'm not trying to convince anyone that they should choose us over another program provider. Every program is different and offers some degree of value. What I would love is an opportunity to share with any interested students, faculty member or university representative what we do.
The care and interest we bring to the table and why I think we would be a great partner in the development and delivery of programs that are focused on one simple concept… EMPLOYABILITY.
What hopes do you have for the future of GlobalEd?
Our plan is to become a premier partner to universities and their faculty to develop, promote and deliver engaging programs all around the world. We love working with faculty and utilizing our knowledge and resources to help materialize their vision and deliver the learning objectives of their course.
What is GlobalEd’s mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Our mission is to design programs to elevate the employability of our students by giving them meaningful experiences culturally, professionally and linguistically and working with them to articulate these experiences in a résumé and an interview. We want our programs to be the highlight of your interviews for years to come.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
The participants in our program walk away with a greater understanding of what they are capable of achieving. Increased confidence. Stronger language skills. Greater cultural awareness. Self-awareness. The ability to manage expectations. Knowing how to follow and knowing how to lead. And knowing how to accept and deal with challenges as they arise.
We love traveling the world and meeting up with our GlobalEd Alumni (a.k.a. Friends).
What questions do participants often ask you, and how do you typically respond?
The most popular question is… What is the internship placement process like? I love to answer this question because I tell people that we don't place them in internships. We match them with opportunities, present them with an offer and THEY are the ones that need to accept the offer in order to move forward.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
Traveling abroad has changed my life. It is giving me a perspective on cultural values that has allowed me to reflect on my own values and realize that a golden rule is wrong. We should not be treating other people the way we want to be treated. That assumes that we all have the exact same cultural values. We should learn to treat others the way THEY want to be treated.
Why do you think learning a new language is important?
Learning a new language is more than just being able to communicate with others. It increases your empathy. It allows you to more effectively manage international teams. It also increases your own vocabulary as you discover new ways to express yourself.
What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?
Do it! Don't overthink it. I've never met someone that did not find their experience abroad to be beneficial or even life-changing. Even the challenges that you may face while abroad will make you stronger, better, more empathetic and more prepared to face the challenges of life.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel is the opposite of simple tourism. Meaningful travel is about observing, participating, incorporating, assimilating, and embracing that which is different from you.
I love working on the ground with our students and faculty to deliver amazing programs and experience and develop personal relationships with our students, faculty and staff.
What issues do you see in the world of international education that don’t line up with your values and expectations for mutually beneficial & educational relationships between providers/programs and the communities in which they are located within?
What most upsets me about the study abroad field is how expensive it is and cost prohibitive for those of lower income. I feel that the community college sector is primarily ignored by most study abroad providers because they simply don't see it as an attractive business model. I would like to change that.
How is your company handling Covid protocols? What should participants know about your Covid readiness? How are you assisting participants with navigating the new travel landscape?
The health and safety of our program participants and faculty and staff are our highest priority. When the Covid pandemic began, we preemptively canceled our programs before most of our colleagues in the sector did.
As we enter our third year of Covid, the study abroad sector is starting to open up and we have put in place a series of protocols to minimize risk and maximize the safety of all our students, faculty and staff.
Our orientation slides offer considerable detail on staying safe and helping program participants understand that the rules are constantly changing. We are monitoring the pandemic as well as following the guidelines of the study abroad sector.
