Peer Advisor Pizza Party!

We will miss you!!

Work at the Education Abroad Office!

It's Sarah's last day!

We are so sad to see our wonderful Peer Advisor, Sarah Cunningham, graduate! But we are so excited for her and her exciting future!

We are now looking for new Peer Advisors! If you are a UM student with work study and are interested in international education, consider joining the Education Abroad Team and apply here: bit.ly/1HB1I14

Peer Advisor Highlight

Last but not least, we highlight Peer Advisor Aubrey! 

We hope you've enjoyed our International Education Week show of appreciation for our fantastic Peer Advisors! Stop by the Office in the Student Activities Building to meet them in real life!

Aubrey Sitler - Dual Master's student in Social Work and Public Policy

1. How has your international experience influenced your life academically and professionally?

Every time someone asks me this, I think of what I'm pretty sure is an Albert Einstein adaptation of an old adage: "The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know." Global engagement feels like this kind of intellectual, personal, and cultural curiosity to me, and this translates directly into my academic and professional life. My experiences studying, working, and traveling overseas have taught me more about who I am, what drives me, and what I believe to be worth working for than anything else in my life. I can confidently say that without various encounters in Spain, India, and Argentina, I would not currently be pursing graduate degrees in public policy and social work. International experience has become inextricably linked to who I am and what I do.

2. Would you recommend traveling internationally to other U-M students? Explain.

Absolutely. It can teach you so much about what you want out of life and how you fit into a larger global context, if you go into it with an open mind, humility, and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. The people you meet -- whether in hostel bunk bed above you, on overbooked RyanAir flights, in the community in which you live, or elsewhere -- have the capacity to expand your worldview in specific ways that I have never experienced in a classroom.

3. Tells us about one place you are dying to visit! Why?

Indonesia -- While I was doing a social work field placement in Australia this summer, one of my clients was from Borneo. She talked frequently about how much she missed it, how delicious the food is, how beautiful the islands are, and how much she preferred the culture, language, and lifestyle. All of this inspired me to want to visit. (Plus, let's be honest: Bali sounds and looks like the most incredible/culturally thriving place EVER.)

4. What is your travel motto?

"You do you." You want to spend your summer in Buenos Aires traveling to new places every weekend? Do it. You'd prefer to eat your way through Paris and never leave the confines of the city while you spend a semester there? Fantastic You plan to spend your time in Salamanca memorizing the interior of its every bar and chupiteria? Be safe! (XOXO, -Mom/Dad) But "you do you." Always.

#youdoyou #mgoabroad

Peer Advisor Highlight

International Education Week Peer Advisor Highlight! 

Brenda Duverce -- 1st year Master of Public Policy student

1. How has your international experience influenced your life academically and professionally?

My international experience helped shaped my academic and professional goals. I always had an interest in issues facing people in marginalized communities, and going to Botswana, South Africa, and Morocco reinforced this interest. I had a chance to work with organizations focused on promoting gender equality, preventing new HIV infections, and ending poverty. Those experiences helped shaped my educational goals to pursue a degree in public policy, and a career in making a difference.  

2. Would you recommend traveling internationally to other U-M students? Explain.

Absolutely! Going abroad is a nice way to incorporate what you learn in the class outside of the classroom. You learn to be more patient, flexible, and more creative. Often times you find yourself in situations you never in a lifetime expected to be in or experience, and you laugh, cry, or do both. My fondest memory as an undergraduate student was studying abroad. 

3. Tells us about one place you are dying to visit! Why? 

The one place I am dying to visit is Alaska. I have had the opportunity to travel to many countries, but now it's time for me to explore more places in the U.S.

4. What is your travel motto? 

Travel motto: You only live once (YOLO)! 

Peer Advisor Highlight

Continuing our International Education Week celebration, we present:

Kinza Ilyas, Senior, Screen Arts & Cultures

1. How has your international experience influenced your life academically and professionally?

Through traveling abroad I have found my true aspirations; I aspire to document my experiences along with telling the stories of these vibrantly unique cultures of which current media still lacks a true understanding.

2. Would you recommend traveling internationally to other U-M students? Explain.

Absolutely, traveling anywhere is a fun filled adventure  and the challenges the adventure throws at you helps you grow as a person. Traveling helps you find your passions and it tests your strengths. Why wait until you’re old and unable to enjoy things; now is the best time to travel!

3. Tells us about one place you are dying to visit! Why?

New Zealand! To go on an unexpected journey (a.k.a. a Lord of the Rings + The Hobbit style adventure)

4. What is your travel motto?

“It is better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times” -Asian proverb

Peer Adivsor Highlight

Alison Climes, Senior, International Studies & Spanish

1. How has your international experience influenced your life academically and professionally?

My first international experience in college was a volunteer trip to Nicaragua after my freshman year with a group of other U of M students. This positively influenced my decision to go abroad the next summer to intern in Spain, led me to my job as a peer advisor, sparked my interest in public health and Spanish, and even influenced my decision to go to Ghana this past summer. It was a very important part of my freshman year and impacted the rest of my undergraduate career.

2. Would you recommend traveling internationally to other U-M students? Explain.

 

Yes! I think going abroad is one of the best experiences a student can have. By being outside of your comfort zone, you will be able to learn so much about yourself and those around you. It will challenge you and can be difficult at times, but overall I think it is an enriching way to learn outside the classroom. 

3. Tells us about one place you are dying to visit! Why?

Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia... so many places left to explore! Because of my interest in Spanish, I'm eager to travel to spanish-speaking countries and I have yet to set foot on the continent of South America, but it's on the top of my list.

4. What is your travel motto? Example: “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” - Lao Tzu

Travel motto: "The people make the place" -  From my experiences, I have learned that what makes the place you are traveling to special is the people that you meet along the way and/or the people who are there to experience it with you. 

Peer Advisor Highlight

Up next for our Peer Advisor highlight is, Sarah Cunningham!

Sarah Cunningham, Senior, Cell and Molecular Biology and Anthropology

My international experience gave me a new language, a new family, a new perspective, and above all, a new understanding of the world and my place within it. Living in another country provides real-life lessons every single day in communication, organization, cultural awareness, adaptability, persistence, and independence that are invaluable in both an academic and professional setting. International experience also helped me decide what career I was passionate about and wanted to pursue. Everyone should try to travel internationally - as students we have so many opportunities to go abroad (many of which can be funded!), and international experience allows you to apply what you've learned in the classroom to real-world experiences. Traveling abroad also exposes students to so many different cultures, lifestyles, and ways of thinking that challenge what we think we know, and promotes global awareness and thinking on a global scale. The next place I want to visit is Morocco - I've always wanted to learn Arabic, and I think the culture and history of the country is fascinating.

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." - Nelson Mandela

Happy International Education Week! #mgoabroad

Peer Advisor Highlight

In honor of International Education Week, the Education Abroad Office will be highlighting our wonderful Peer Advisors! 

Our advisors work hard every day to provide up-to-date information on all things travel, work, and study abroad. They inspire us and many others to get out and see the world on a daily basis! 

Stop by the Office for a visit and learn more about all the opportunities available for you! 
Make your appointment here: http://bit.ly/1HbgyL8

Michelle Gonzalez – 2nd year MPP student 

1. How has your international experience influenced your life academically and professionally?
My international experience reinforced my academic and professional goals. I always had an interest in poverty alleviation. I know that term is very broad but I think my goal was to dedicate my professional career to help in the fight to alleviate poverty. My time in Latin America, both as a student and Peace Corps volunteer, helped me realized that for as much progress as we have made, there is still so much work to be done abroad and here in the United States to combat poverty and inequality. I felt that the place where I could possibly make the most impact was through policy, which is what brought me to Michigan to pursue my Master’s in Public policy. 

2. Would you recommend traveling internationally to other U-M students? Explain.
If you have the chance to travel internationally do it! Traveling internationally helped me in so many ways. I experienced a lot of personal growth. I definitely became more independent. It also opened up my eyes to the fact that there is a HUGE world outside of the U.S. I stepped out of my comfort zone and felt like I had such an amazing and unique experience abroad. 

3. Tells us about one place you are dying to visit! Why?
I’m dying to visit Turkey! Turkey is a country that has such an interesting history and I hear that it’s incredibly beautiful. 

4. What is your travel motto? Example: “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” - Lao Tzu

My travel motto I guess would have to be “expected nothing”. I say that because the times that I've traveled with no expectations (in terms of how I thought I wanted my trip to go, or what I wanted to experience when I went there) I've had the most memorable experiences. A lot of times, we can have really high expectations when we travel. You set an itinerary and you expect things to go according to plan and when it doesn't, you’re disappointed. When you have no expectations you open yourself up to so many new and incredible experiences.