Alumni Spotlight: Georgia
During the 2023-2024 academic year, the Global UGRAD Program welcomed 10 students from Georgia. As alumni, they have applied their experiences from the Global UGRAD Program to give back to their communities. This includes organizing a Career Development Camp in Georgia, funded by Gulf Georgia following the end of their Global UGRAD exchange. Project leader Zurab Shatirishvili, who studied at West Liberty University, noted that “The primary goal of the Career Development Camp is to empower Georgian adolescents with the skills and knowledge necessary to enhance their career prospects, prepare for studying abroad, and become competitive candidates for jobs, universities, and scholarships; experiences that can be used to help their country develop and prosper after they graduate.”
The first part of the Career Development Camp was a “boot camp” that spanned four days in July 2024. The schedule was comprised of sessions focused on career planning, scholarship applications, resume writing, and interviewing.
Zurab shared that “The camp brought together an inspiring group of speakers, including alumni from the Fulbright and Erasmus Mundus programs, a representative from U.S. Embassy Tbilisi, and members of the International Education Center. Their insights and experiences provided invaluable guidance to the participants and enriched their understanding of career development and study abroad opportunities.”
The Global UGRAD alumni are working to ensure the impact of the camp reaches as many people in Georgia as possible. “Even though the initial boot camp has concluded, the project is far from over. Participants have one more month to implement follow-up activities in their communities. We estimate that the beneficiaries of these follow-up activities will reach approximately 100-120 individuals. The participants will share the knowledge and skills they gained during the boot camp, fostering a ripple effect of empowerment and learning. After this month has concluded, we will hold a follow-up gathering where participants will share details about the activities they conducted. During that event, we plan to award symbolic prizes, such as nominations for categories like “Most People Reached,” to recognize their efforts and encourage further engagement.”
Ultimately, the alumni from Georgia hope that the impact of the camp is long-lasting. They desire for Georgian youth to be as empowered as they were and to have the necessary tools to participate in programs such as the Global UGRAD Program. Zurab concluded, “Thank you once again for your support in making this camp a reality. We are excited about the ongoing impact this initiative will have in the community.”