What inspired you to work for IFSA?
I have always been motivated to help students and educators, and I loved IFSA's focus on student success. Plus, I love being in an environment where education is highly valued.
Describe a typical day at work.
There is nothing typical about my days, which might be my favorite part. I love the cyclical nature of the academic calendar, which means that some activities repeat annually along with the school calendar, but each day is unique. Sometimes I'm in strategy meetings or leading my team, and sometimes I'm working on urgent communications.
In January 2020, our entire Institutional Engagement team traveled to Israel, visiting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
As an engineering major in college, I know how prescribed the academic plan is for those students. I try to show empathy and support for STEM students in particular as they look for study abroad programs that will align to their curricular needs.
Why should someone choose IFSA over competitors?
We think a little differently about study abroad—we start with students' futures in mind. If we can start with their goals in mind, then we are more likely to help each student make meaningful progress toward personal, professional, and academic goals.
Study abroad is about more than seeing the sites. It is about learning a new culture, meeting new people, and understanding more of the world to help you make sense of where you came from—it really is a journey, and the few weeks or months a student spends abroad is just the start.
Several years ago I traveled to Florence and Rome with a group of friends. I loved the piazzas and fountains in Rome.
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
IFSA creates global learning environments designed to foster the development of critical perspectives, knowledge and skills essential for students to thrive in the future. We work toward that by staying focused on our four commitments: inclusive excellence, individualized learning, intercultural agility, and enduring impact. These concepts are inextricably linked together and make our programs more robust and meaningful for students now and in the future.
How do you help support participants?
Support for IFSA students begins before they ever commit to an IFSA program. Applicants receive top-notch, personalized advising from a team of program advisors who are experts in program details and academics. They help applicants choose their best-fit program, guide them through the application process, and answer detailed questions about life in the country.
Once students arrive for their study abroad program, IFSA has in-country resident staff to serve as mentors and guides for the students. We conduct an orientation to help students get familiar with their new home country and city as well as their host university. During the semester, the resident staff check in with students periodically to assist with their goals, and all students are invited to multiple co-curricular events and excursions.
View of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, taken from The Old City.
If you could participate on one of your organization's programs, where would you go and what would you do?
This is such a tough question because we have programs in great places, offering so many academic opportunities. From a travel perspective, New Zealand is definitely on my bucket list. Culturally, I would love to visit our program in Sri Lanka. Academically, I'd love to audit a class at Oxford or the London School of Economics and Political Science!
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
Travel helps us question what we know, challenge assumptions, and think differently. Once we see how other people live and work, we can better make decisions about our own culture.
What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?
Going abroad is not as difficult or as costly as you might think it is. It's also increasingly possible to work a study abroad summer or semester into your degree plan. Do a little research and get on that plane—you won't be sorry!
When IFSA opened our program in Prague, I was lucky to visit the inaugural group of students. Prague was a great city, and it was the first time I explored a city completely independently.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
To me, meaningful travel means being more than a tourist. It means engaging with the people, having conversations, and trying to understand local perspectives before making judgments.
What hopes do you have for the future of international education?
I am hopeful that international education is increasingly accessible to all students, not just those for whom the cost is not a factor. I would love for the financial model for study abroad programs to be easier for students and parents to understand, but with the wide variety of tuition models and scholarship/aid policies at institutions, this is very difficult.
