Beyond Stereotypes in Education Abroad

8/3/2019 Beyond Stereotypes in Education Abroad

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BeyondStereotypesin Education

AbroadBy susAN LAdiKA

today nonradiional

sudens of all kinds

ehnic minoriies,aduls, hose wih

disabiliies, and gay

and lesbian sudens

are nding heir way o

new learning and life-

changing experiences

hrough educaion

abroad.


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HEN SUDENAshle Caveda began dis-

cussing the idea o studing abroad during her

senior ear at Butler Universit, C. Montgomer

Broaded, director o the Center or Global Education, ad-

mits to being rather overwhelmed b the prospect.

Caveda, who is confned to a wheelchair, wanted to

break out o her comort zone at the Indianapolis univer-

sit, and spend time studing Spanish overseas.

Broaded, who was going to Spain to check out various

universities anwa, used the trip to scout out potential

places or Caveda to stud in the all o 2006. Tat included

fnding classrooms, transportation, and accommodations

that were handicapped accessible.

Te housing coordinator at the Universidad de Alcala de

Henares in Alcala de Henares ound a household or Cavedato sta in that was alread modifed because the ather was

also in a wheelchair. And because o his own disabilit, the

host ather knew o services available in the area.

Cavedas ather, who was born in Cuba and is uent in

Spanish, came along during the frst ew weeks to help his

daughter fnd her wa around, and a roommate rom the

Butler Universit program also staed in the house to help

her navigate her new environment.

It was a reall good learning experience or me and

m sta to do this, Broaded sas. A lot o time its not

nearl as daunting as ou imagine. Tings can be done.

Solutions can be ound.

And it wasnt onl a learning experience or Broaded

and his sta. Studing abroad also helped Caveda learn

and grow. Im the kind o person who dislikes change. It

can be ver jarring and dicult, the 24-ear-old sas. Butits reall worth it. It teaches ou a lot about oursel.

W


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iNteRNAtiONALeducAtOR

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changng th Fa

f eatn Aba

Te abilit to learn and grow is a ke reason wh uni-

versities and colleges around the countr are tring

to get increasing numbers o nontraditional studentsto take part in education abroad experiences. It could

be older students, minorit students, parents who are

students, or homosexual or transgender students who

are being encouraged to spend time overseas.

At San Francisco State Universit, which has a pre-

ponderance o nontraditional students, M yarabinec,

associate director o the Oce o International Pro-

grams, believes the diversit o San Francisco State

should be reected in stud abroad. A lot o students

deselect themselves. he think thats not or me.

Tats just or rich, white kids. But yarabinec and

others are working to dispel that notion.Tat might come through role models who have

alread studied abroad, acult members o color who

emphasize the importance o such programs, market-

ing materials that cater specifcall to older students,

or booklets aimed at addressing the questions homo-

sexual students might have.

Tose involved with education abroad cant sit in

their web waiting or them, yarabinec sas. you have

to get out there into the campus.

At StntsAt the Universit o Pittsburgh, Kathleen Gallant,

graduate student assistant in the Stud Abroad O-

fce, serves as a poster child or older students who

want to stud abroad.

Gallant, who is now 40, began her undergraduate

career when she was in her mid-30s, studing part-

time. When she frst heard about education abroad,

she thought, Tere has to be a wa I can do that, and

she did, taking two courses at the London School o

Economics.

Now Gallant oversees a satellite oce o the stud

abroad program, located at the McCarl Center or

Nontraditional Student Success at the universit. Shes

developed a brochure designed to appeal to older

students, run blurbs in their newsletter, and spokenat lunches to discuss her experience with education

abroad. She even organized a photo exhibit eatur-

ing the work o a student who studied in Senegal and

Gambia. Gallant wants to promote the program an

wa she can so older students will begin to think its

a viable possibilit or them.

Imani Williams, a senior at San Francisco State

Universit, is preparing to depart on her second

education abroad program, this time bringing her

children along. Te 26-ear-old previousl spent nine

months at the Universit o Ghana, and had to leave

her daughters with amil members. Te Aricanastudies major was drawn to Ghana to see frsthand

the culture and people that I have heard and read

about and studied in school. I also elt an ancestral

connection to the land and the people.

During her time abroad, Williams sas she dis-

covered the leader and determination in me, and

wanted to bridge the gap between American and

Ghanaian women so she created a sisters group to

discuss commonalities and orm the basis or close

riendships.

Now she will take her three- and seven-ear-old

daughters with her to Deakin Universit in Mel-

bourne, Australia. I want them to know that there

is nothing that the cant do. Tis will urther change

their lives and broaden their horizons.

Because o the particular challenges acing older

students, who might have amilies or ull-time jobs,

man universities are emphasizing short-term educa-

tion abroad opportunities.

Annagene yucas, director o stud abroad at the

Universit o Pittsburgh, sas the school has put more

o a ocus on older students during the past couple o

ears. Surves b the universit ound that the preershort-term, cost-eective programs. As a result, we

are ver mindul o the cost as well as the duration.

Mnty Stnts

At Michigan State Universit in East Lansing, inter-

national studies programs have been a ocus or more

than a hal-centur. But now the universit is making

more o an eort to get minorit students involved,

sas Cind Felbeck Chalou, acting director o the

schools stud abroad oce

Te ability to learn and growis a key reason why universities and

colleges around the country aretrying to get increasing numbers of

nontraditional students to take part ineducation abroad experiences.


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Te universit is tring to have minorit acult members in-

tentional in reaching out to students o color, and hopes to hire aull-time staer to help with that eort, Chalou sas. I students

see models out there, it will all into place.

Part o the eort involves discussing minorit students ears and

concerns. Some students o color are concerned about how the

will be treated, and possible racism abroad, Chalou sas. And its

also crucial to involve their parents in the process. Parents are ke

plaers or the support o students o color, Chalou sas.

Sometimes it involves going against the grain to take part in

stud abroad. ana DePass, oce manager in the international

programs oce at DePaul Universit in Chicago, sas she alwas

had an itch to travel, so she planned to go to Japan or a semester

and staed or a ear during college. Her amils response: Black

olk dont go to Japan, and we dont do things like that, DePass

recalls. It was odd enough I was in college.

James Alvarez, now a graduate student at Caliornia State Uni-

versit, Long Beach, ran into a similar situation when he decided

to stud abroad at Uppsala Universit in Sweden during his senior

ear in 20052006. Alvarez was born in Mexico, and his amil im-

migrated to the United States when he was a bab. His was a humble

upbringing, where the siblings were expected to graduate rom high

school and then go to work to help support the amil.

Going to Europe was a dadream. Its the stu ou read about

in histor books, Alvarez sas. When he frst got the idea to studabroad, his oldest sister was supportive, while the rest o his close-

knit amil wondered wh he wanted to travel so ar.

But Alvarez, now 31, believed theres got to be more [to] lie,

and wanted to be a role model or his nephews to show them that

the have choices.

Gay an lsban Stnts

Tats the goal o man stud abroad advisers nationwideto show

students that an doors can be open to them. Lis Maurer, coordina-

tor o the Center or LGB Education, Outreach & Service at Ithaca

College in Ithaca, New york, sas that

when it comes to studing abroad, there

are man ga students who summaril

dismiss it (and think) there is no wa I

could do that in a wa that is sae.o address those reactions, Maurers

oice and the Oice o International

Programs put out a booklet, LGB Stu-

dents and Stud Abroad. Te booklet is

designed to help students think through

questions related to education abroad,

although there arent a lot o hard and

ast answers, Maurer sas.

Questions range rom How open will

I be about m sexual orientation and gen-

der identit with m teachers, peers, riends, host amil, and others? to

What are the cultural attitudes toward sexual orientation and genderidentit in m host countr?

Kevin Morrison, associate director o stud abroad at Meredith

College in Raleigh, North Carolina, sas theres an appropriate wa

to be ga or lesbian in an culture. When he meets with a student

who wants to go abroad, the discuss the students personal and

academic goals to fnd the place that is most suitable.

I those goals can best be met b studing in Morocco, I want

to send them to Morocco, Morrison sas, but he alwas wants to

be sure the understand all the potential risks involved.

While some students have no problem telling their education

abroad advisers about their sexual preerences, others are much more

circumspect. But Morrison believes its important or them to speak

up, so the education abroad oces both at home and overseas can be

there to help them. I students dont disclose, we cant help.

His frst priorit is putting them in the right housing environ-

ment. Te need a place to live where the eel sae.

Its also important to get students involved in the local culture in

whatever wa best suits their needs. For some its crucial to be part

o the local ga communitor others, its less o an issue.

Sht-tm Pgams

Ppa Amng Nntatna Stnts

When Joseph Kinsella, associate vice president o international pro-grams, took over as director o stud abroad at DePaul Universit in

2000, the school alread had quite a ew short-term programs in place

to serve its man nontraditional students. So his goal was to shore up

the qualit o the programs, ting them into coursework beore and

ater the trips. Te time abroad isnt the onl piece o the educational

experience. Tat has caused short-term programs to boom.

So or a course on the growth o urban space in Northern Eu-

rope, students stud the topic beore the trip, travel to Europe,

where the take photos and write down their reections, and then

the next quarter the unpack it all, Kinsella sas.

Ahle cavea, aenor at Btler

unvert, anfellow tent

at La Alhambra n

Granaa, span.


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At the College o Notre Dame o

Marland in Baltimore, both graduate

and undergraduate students, as well as

their amil members or members o

the communit, can take part in short-term programs that are designed and

led b acult members and are gener-

all about two weeks long, sas Lam.

O the Catholic colleges 3,000

emale students, onl about 500 are tra-

ditional students. Because most work

or have amilies, the cant squeeze in

a tpical semester abroad. With the

short-term programs, the generall

have to take onl a little more than

week o work, and a amil member

can babsit while the are awa.Susan Chance, a senior accountant

who is studing or a graduate degree

in management, has repeatedl taken

advantage o the short-term stud

abroad opportunities. I want to get

a little more out o m education, in-

stead o just sitting in a classroom.

She went to Mexico and El Salvador as an undergraduate in 2003

and 2005, then visited Morocco last ear. In 2009 she plans to take part

in a trip to Egpt and Jordan. Te trips ranged rom studing Spanish

in Mexico to studing Islamic religion and culture in Morocco.

Te 40-ear-old single mother with a 13-ear-old son has ound

her sons ather and other amil members to be willing care-takers

while she was awa. Shes used vacation time to get o work, and the f-

nancing has allen into place. I just kind o went with the ow, Chance

sas. I ou tr to line ever little detail up, ou never do anthing.

Te trips surpassed m expectations. Te changed m per-

spective on people and the world. Since her travels abroad shes kept

in touch with some o those she met, and met new Muslim riends

since her return to the United States.

She alread attends a Spanish church and sponsors a child in

Mexico, and she hopes to do volunteer work abroad when she fn-

ishes up school.ime abroad also has had a major impact on Karen Ford, a

51-ear-old married mother with a 14-ear-old son, who is stud-

ing or her undergraduate degree in political science at DePaul, with

a ocus on labor issues. Ford works ull-time as an administrative

assistant to two directors in the program unit or church in societ

at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and is involved with

the National Writers Union, which represents reelance writers.

Her interest in international issues was piqued when she attend-

ed a conerence o nongovernmental organizations on the politics o

class, held at the United Nations in New york. In 2007 she traveled

to Ghana, Benin, and ogo or three and a hal weeks with DePaul,

studing the areas histor, religion, and culture. It gave me the

opportunit to see what is happening on the continent as ar as

nongovernmental organizations are concerned.

Particularl intriguing was a home sta with a amil in Ghana

where the wie was involved in administering a microloan program

or women in the highl patriarchal societ.

What struck Ford was that Were not just talking about the

United States when were talking about povert and economicdownturn. Povert is povert. Its all interrelated.

Ford is ortunate to have a supportive emploer, which has a

continuing education program, allowing her to take das rom the

program, along with vacation, to go on the trip, and also helped pa

or part o the trip. Ater her return she spoke at a brown-bag lunch

at work about her experiences.

cst Nt Aways an obsta

While its oten thought that unsmpathetic emploers and lack o

mone are what keep older students rom traveling abroad, that isnt

Jame Alvarez, a rtgeneraton ollegetent who went

abroa a an alt,here n salzbrg,

German.

Te trips surpassedmy expectations.

Tey changed my perspectiveon people and the world.


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necessaril the case. About a decade ago, the Caliornia Colleges or

International Education did a surve o communit college presi-

dents, vice presidents, acult senate presidents, and other leaders

about the barriers to communit college students studing abroad,

sas director Rosalind Rab. Te results ound all presumed bar-riers are not reall barriers that exist or these students. College

leaders thought ke issues would be mone, racism concerns, and

hesitation to leave their environment.

In surveing the students, the ound mone wasnt an issue, and

most could work extra hours to bring in the cash the needed. Also,

about 70 percent o respondents had traveled abroad several times.

Tink about the changing ace o immigration. Te go home a

lot, Rab sas.

Instead, the ke issue was that communit college students

werent even aware that stud abroad programs existed. Te Cali-

ornia Colleges or International Education has unding to repeat

the surve this spring. While the economic downturn might make

unding more o a actor, Rab believes the ke issue will continue

to be lack o awareness.

Each ear, about 5,000 communit college students nationwide

participate in education abroad programs, and about 3,500 come

rom Caliornia. And thats without ull-time education abroad

personnel at most colleges. Can ou imagine what we could do

with a little support? Rab asks. People still dont understand

that international education is germane to the communit college

mission and is something that will beneft students.And that holds true regardless o what kind o higher education

program a student is enrolled in. In Caliornia, seven out o 10 jobs

have an international ocus, Rab sas. Tis is not just going abroad

to sightsee.

expanng offngs f

Nntatna Stnts

Other schools still are working on enhancing their stud abroad

programs. Te Universit o exas at El Paso (UEP) hired its frst

ull-time education abroad adviser last ear. Its like man schools

that are taking greater pains to reach students who might not think

studing abroad is right or them.

But there can be particular challenges at certain institutions, such as

the UEP, where the vast majorit o students are Hispanic. While part

live in exas, the others are residents o Mexico.With Hispanics in general, amil ties are so tight, it can be hard

or students to want to step out and do this, sas Carol Wenzel,

assistant director o the Oce o International Programs. In act,

man o the students have never let the El Paso area.

In todas global econom, citizens are no longer going to be

able to unction without having some kind o global perspective,

Wenzel sas. We want them to participate as global citizens, not

just have a narrow ocus.

For those who have studied abroad, Wenzel has seen that the stu-

dents have gained sel-esteem and are better able to handle change

and deal with a stressul environment. It also gives them an edge

when hunting or jobs.Tere can be particular challenges or Mexican students who want

to stud abroad, as the have to maintain both their U.S. F1 and their

visa to stud in another countr. One student was going to France,

and his U.S. visa would have expired while he was gone. So the oce

helped him renew his U.S. visa and obtain his French visa.

One wa the universit has helped students fnance their travels is

through a $4 international ee paid b ever incoming student. Tat

mone is used to und scholarships or stud abroad. UEP grants

scholarships o $1,000 to $3,000 per term, though as the number o

students who enroll in stud abroad increases, the size o the individual

awards decreases, Wenzel sas.

At Cleveland State Universit in Ohio, where the bulk o the

students are minorities who receive fnancial aid, that mone can be

used to pa or stud abroad costs, sas adviser Hannah Fischer.

rng M At Stnts in

Now there is more o an emphasis o drawing older students into edu-

cation abroad. Te have re-entered the higher education arena ver

aggressivel in the past couple ears, Fischer sas. More than 60 per-

cent o the studentsboth graduate and undergraduateare age 25 or

older. I the decide to stud abroad, grants are also available, reaching

up to $5,000 or longer trips.

Because the are used to having their independence, man olderstudents preer home stas rather than staing in dorms. And certain

programs allow the students to bring their spouses or children along.

One example is a Spanish-language education program in Mexico,

which also allows children to enroll.

Tough Fischer sas bringing the amil along can complicate

things. It does provide a distraction. Tere parents frst, then

students.

Regardless o their age, older students are students just like

the others. Whats available to others should also be or them,

Fischer sas.

Because they are used to

having their independence,many older students prefer

home stays rather thanstaying in dorms. And

certain programs allowthe students to bring theirspouses or children along.


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One o those making the most o his time abroad is Cleveland

State student Foda Conteh, a junior studing or his degree in

biolog-medical technolog.

Te frst challenge or the 29-ear-old was simpl enrolling in the

universit. Born in Sierra Leone, Conteh was a reugee in Gambiawhen he migrated to the United States with his amil at the age

o 21. While working in Philadelphia,he lost his job and decided he

needed to go to college, something his mother couldnt understand.

He recalls thinking, I dont need another job. I need a career.

In September he headed to the Universit o Sunderland in the

United Kingdom or a semester, where he is now captain o the soc-

cer team and interacts with other students rom around the globe.

I the world is going to be peaceul, we have to understand each

other frst.

Stnts Wth dsabts

ime abroad also is a wa not onl or nontraditional students toeducate themselves, but also or them to educate others.

Nicholas Goldsberrr, a senior at Butler Universit, has been blind

since birth, and headed to Guadalajara, Mexico in 2007 to stud Span-

ish, completing the last three hours o his minor. I would much rather

have the immersion and cultural experience o going abroad.

His host amils home was easil navigable using his cane, and

the bus station was onl a couple o blocks awa. He was paired with

a dierent teacher each da, who explained the cit in depth. One

da he might go to the zoo, and the teacher would describe what she

saw. Another da he might go to a museum, and the teacher would

explain the exhibits and allow Goldsberr to touch them just to

make sure I had the ull experience.

He views education abroad as a two-wa street. I can educate

others about m disabilit and learn about customs and ood that

ou wouldnt otherwise know.

Ashle Caveda had a similar experience in Spain, where a drama

proessor ought to prevent her rom enrolling in his class, and thendidnt want her to have an onstage role in a class pla.

She said on the last da o class he announced everones grades

and gave her an A. He also confded that he had been araid he

could not work with a wheelchair-bound student and hadnt been

sure he could handle the situation, but ater seeing Caveda in action,

said having her in class was one o the best experiences o his lie.

dang Wth rasm Aba

For minorit students, there can be concerns about racism, discrim-

ination and even ageism. Alvarez sas o racism, there are issues

everwhere. I reall make it a point not to take oense.

And DePass sas o her trip to Japan, ou are an outlier onceou get there anwa, though she was pleased to fnd other black

students and older students at Kansai Gaidi Universit in Osaka.

She believes that she benefted more rom her time abroad than

ounger students might because she viewed it as a major learning

experience. Who knew when Id get the chance to do it again.

Beore Gallant went to the London School o Economics, I had

a lot o age anxiet. It didnt pan out at all. Even i a student is the

oldest in his class, It makes ou stand out. youve got a dierent set

o experiences. you can add to whats going on in class.

Both classes she took abroad had a number o older students,

including a contingent rom the Sudanese government, as well as

proessionals rom the European Union and the World Bank, giving

her the perect chance to network.

His time abroad convinced Alvarez that he

wants to teach at the universit level. He cur-

rentl is substitute teaching in a ver diverse

classroom. Hes seen that the students have

so much to oer each other, and the dont

know how. Im tring to help them learn.

For Conteh, not onl does the semester

spent abroad bolster his resume, but he is

also cultivating the riendships and connec-

tions he makes along the wa. Tis wa I caninteract with European students. Students

are the uture leaders o the world. ie

SuSAN lAdikA has bn a journalist for

mor than 20 yars, workin in both th

Unitd Stats and europ. Sh is now

basd in Tampa, Florida. Hr last articl

for IEwas Nursin gos global in th

Novmbr/Dcmbr 2008 issu, which

is part of th onoin intrnationalizin

raduat prorams fatur sris.

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Beyond Stereotypes in Education Abroad