Study Abroad Fair connects students to a world of opportunities

Today on the University of Washington campus, over 1200 students visited the annual Study Abroad Fair in Mary Gates Hall Commons. International universities such as Waseda University, Universidad de Guadalajara, and University of Bristol, as well as representatives from UW faculty-led programs, scholarship programs, and other organizations – over 60 in all – were on hand to provide information about the many opportunities available for study, research, and internships abroad. Study Abroad Peer Mentors and International Programs & Exchanges staff members were available during the fair to direct students to appropriate resources and provide new ideas. Student participants could also attend information sessions during the fair, including several on study abroad scholarships.

Study Abroad Peer Advisers Samantha Walters, Melissa Wong, and Jackie Lungmus

“The Study Abroad Fair creates a really exciting atmosphere for students,” says Mike Renes, a Study Abroad Adviser and Regional Lead, “they can come into the Office of International Programs & Exchanges any day for advising and learn about program options, but getting to talk with a Program Director or alumni of a program makes it real for them and gives them a good sense of the kind of experience they’ll have on the ground. That’s what the Study Abroad Fair is all about.”

The Office of International Programs & Exchanges plans to hold the Study Abroad Fair at the HUB next year to provide room for additional participants and information sessions. “We’re very excited to move the fair to a new home in the HUB,” says Renes, “the new space will give the fair room to grow. Even students who come in thinking study abroad may not be possible will have the chance to come and learn everything they need to know… from program options to how to fund it.”

[VIDEO] Tahiti becomes UW athletes’ second home

This summer, 11 Husky football and softball players participated in a unique study abroad program to Tahiti. Facilitated by UW Athletics and the Department of Anthropology, the two-week-long program allowed UW student-athletes to connect with Tahitian community members by sharing their passion for sport. The program’s shorter time frame allowed them to maintain their rigorous training schedule. Participating student-athletes made big sacrifices to join the trip. “They had to choose between [using the break] to visit family or study abroad,” says Liberty Bracken, an Academic Adviser for UW Student-Athlete Academic Services who coordinated the program.

Tahitian club football players at a clinic Photo: Liberty Bracken

While in Tahiti, the UW football players facilitated nightly clinics for 5 Tahitian-American football teams. The softball players introduced local women and girls to their female-dominated sport. Female athletes are a novelty in Tahiti, where most women do not participate in organized sports. “Watching [UW softball player] Kaitlin Inglesby pitch was very impressive… the women began to think of the players as great role models for Tahitian girls,” says Bracken. Off the field, the Husky athletes connected with Tahitian culture by teaching English through PE classes at Punavai Elementary School, where they met with 17 classes and over 400 students.

The trip was also academically focused, and the student-athletes engaged in lectures and field trips related to topics of local interest, including the impact of decolonization and nuclear testing. In addition, the athletes kept journals to note their observations about Tahitian culture, politics, language, and identity.

UW athletes and Tahitian hosts practice a traditional dance Photo: Liberty Bracken

UW football and softball players made meaningful and long-lasting connections with the Tahitian community through the program. “The kindness and generosity of the UW athletes in coaching and mentoring Tahitian teams made a huge difference,” says Bracken, “the student athletes were so open to learning about the Tahitian players’ lives and journeys… football and softball helped to facilitate that.”

When it was time for the student-athletes to return home, over 60 community members came to the airport to bid them farewell. The emotional sendoff was a fitting end to a transformative experience for 11 Huskies, in which, as they put it, “Tahiti became our second home.”

UW named top produced of Fulbright scholars

The Institute for International Education recently named UW a top producer of Fulbright scholars. The efforts of UW staff and faculty members are key to the scholars’ success, both on-campus and abroad.

In late September, 51 UW faculty and staff members volunteered to serve as Fulbright campus interviewers, providing feedback to 58 UW seniors and graduate students who applied to the Fulbright US student program for next year. The Institute for International Education recently named UW a top producer of Fulbright Scholars.

“The campus selection process demonstrates the wide-ranging resources and research interests available at UW,” say Robin Chang, Marilyn Gray, and Natalia Dyba, UW’s Fulbright advisers. It is just one of many ways that UW contributes to the success of Fulbrighters, abroad and on campus.

“I don’t think there’s another university that would so readily accept a business faculty member in the College of Engineering,” reflects Dr. Yan Cimon, the 2012 – 2013 Fulbright Visiting Chair in Innovation at the UW College of Engineering’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “I benefited greatly from my amazing colleagues and research group at UW… they were instrumental in making my Fulbright year a success.” Dr. Cimon is Associate Professor of Strategy at Université Laval in Quebec, Canada and Deputy Director of CIRRELT, the Interuniversity Research Center on Logistics, Transportation and Enterprise Networks.

While at UW, Dr. Cimon investigated the integration of international value chains through a multi-disciplinary research project. He also collaborated extensively with UW Scholars, including Dr. Anne Goodchild of the College of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “The cross-fertilization of ideas between visiting Fulbright and UW scholars enriches the level of academic scholarship and discourse at the university and makes UW very globally relevant,” he says.

Sam Lim, a UW alumnus and Fulbright US Student Program Fellow to Germany, emphasizes the importance of his UW education in preparing him for his Fulbright fellowship. “My research experiences, particularly the ethnographic research I did with Dr. Taso Lagos during a study abroad program in Greece, allowed me to go on my Fulbright to Germany feeling quite comfortable with my research goals. Another critical aspect of my Fulbright prep work was simply the access I had to UW faculty mentors who helped me shape my research approach.”

As a Fulbright Fellow in Germany, Sam served as an enthusiastic ambassador. “I have great pride in being an American and a UW alumnus. I always seemed to find an opportunity to inform [fellow Fulbrighters and friends in Berlin] that the UW would be a great place for them to further their career. One ended up coming to UW for a summer research opportunity.” Currently completing his Master of Arts in Education Policy at Columbia University’s Teachers College, Sam continued his ambassadorial work when he was selected in 2012 as a Fulbright Alumni Ambassador to assist with Fulbright’s national outreach efforts.

For visiting Fulbrighters and those abroad, UW is an ideal place to prepare for international scholarship and make strong connections with fellow innovators.