What inspired you to work for IFSA?
I studied abroad with IFSA as an undergrad and loved the balance of support that came from going with a provider. Also, I loved the independence I still had as I was directly enrolled at a local university. I could forge my own experience, but still have someone to go to when I had questions or felt homesick. Working with IFSA gives me the chance to pay that experience forward and help guide students on their own journeys!
Exploring Mérida, Mexico with some of IFSA's wonderful resident staff.
Why do you do what you do?
I believe that in order to make the world a better place, we have to step out of our comfort zones, challenge our assumptions, and engage with new people and places. Studying abroad is a prime opportunity for students to question their place in the world and better understand their own impact. It's incredibly rewarding to play even a small role in the journey that students undertake as part of this experience, and I love hearing about what students learned and how they grew from their time abroad.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Working with students! I love getting to hear about their goals and dreams for their time abroad, as well as challenging them to think more critically about the experience and what they can gain from it.
Enjoying the beautiful Shakespear Regional Park in Auckland, New Zealand during an IFSA orientation.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Don't try to plan everything out. It's okay not to have specific expectations for every aspect of your experience. In fact, you may even gain more if you don't.
If you keep yourself open to the unexpected, you'll encounter opportunities that you couldn't have planned for, and you won't know how valuable those opportunities are until they're in front of you.
What makes IFSA special?
We have a really phenomenal team of staff, both student facing and behind the scenes. Everyone at IFSA is working toward a common goal of providing students with impactful study abroad experiences. There is so much passion and care that goes into every step of the process, from the development of programs to engaging students on-site to welcoming them back home as alumni. I feel very lucky to be part of a team that is so intentional and creative with everything we do.
Learning about the Mayan people and culture at Chichen Itza, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
Why should someone choose IFSA over competitors?
Whether students have never traveled out of their home state or they've been traveling and living internationally for years, we want to help students develop their own goals for their time abroad, whatever those may be and wherever they're starting from.
We are committed to supporting students as they make the most out of their study abroad experience, and we recognize that what that looks like is as unique as each individual student. There is no "right" way to study abroad and we are here to support students as they learn and grow and challenge themselves in whatever way works best for them.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I hope that students come out of their IFSA program feeling that they've really challenged themselves and that they've learned something about who they are and their place in the world. But more than that, I hope that they view this as a starting point, rather than an end result.
If students can take what they learned from their time on an IFSA program and find a way to apply those lessons toward their goals, or continue reflecting on what it means to be part of a global society, then we've done our job as a program provider.
How do you help support participants?
We encourage students to start thinking critically about their study abroad experience from the very beginning. We're dedicated to helping students find a program that will align with their interests, and once students have selected a program, they'll have the opportunity to articulate their goals in a personalized Learning Plan.
While students are abroad, they'll have the opportunity to meet with dedicated staff who can provide them with the resources they need to start actively working toward those goals. And we are available to help students adjust their goals as well. We meet each student where they are in their journey and we aim to support them, whatever it is they need to achieve success, whatever that means to them.
Working from home these days in our mid-pandemic world!
If you could participate on one of your organization's programs, where would you go and what would you do?
I would study on our University of Otago program in New Zealand. As a former English major, I've been fascinated by some of the literature courses that Otago offers (and a little envious of my students who sign up for those classes!), and the outdoor experiences available in New Zealand are unparalleled. I also really respect New Zealand's views on the environment and conservation efforts, and I would love to learn more about that.
What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?
Find the experience that works best for you. Maybe it's a semester or a yearlong program, maybe it's a summer program, maybe it's a spring break program dedicated to your major. And make sure you pick a location that you love and want to know more about. There are so many ways to study abroad, and places to go, and none of them are "wrong". Don't feel like you have to do something a certain way because that's how your friends or siblings did it.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel means finding ways to engage with and better understand the places that you're visiting. In the world of international education, as well as tourism for that matter, I think it's so important that we take some time to learn about the places we travel to and try to do so without judgment.
We should seek to understand the historical, cultural, and political context of these places, and consider our own biases and stereotypes.
We must be mindful that when we travel to new places, it is not up to the place to accept us. But rather, we should make an effort to understand why things work differently than what we may be used to, and be open to these differences and what we can learn from them.
