Partner Feature: Central Washington University

Partner Feature: Central Washington University

This month we are pleased to highlight our host partner, Central Washington University (CWU)! Rachel Gordon, International Partnerships Manager for the Office of International Studies & Programs at CWU, introduces herself and shares more about the exciting opportunities and programs available to international students at CWU.   How long have you been working at CWU? What is your role? I …

Reflections on the Virtual End of Program Summit

World Learning held its virtual End of Program (EoP) summit from November 8 -12. Global UGRAD students from all over the United States tuned into Zoom sessions hosted by facilitator Si Norton on topics ranging from building leadership capabilities to action planning/ community mapping. Traditionally held in Washington, DC, the virtual format of the summit served as a constant reminder …

First Look: Community Service

First Look: Community Service

Global UGRAD students are required to complete at least 20 hours of community service while they are in the United States in order to give back and make meaningful connections to their local communications. Many students have already started volunteering in their local host community. Please read below about the volunteering experiences written by current Global UGRAD students:   “As …

Alumni Update – Raul del Valle (Guatemala)

Alumni Update – Raul del Valle (Guatemala)

Since Sunday, December 15th of 2019, the date I “concluded” my participation in the Global UGRAD Program at American University in D.C., life has been a roller coaster of emotions. I mention “concluded” inside quotation marks because I truly believe that when someone becomes a Global UGRAD, they will forever be a Global UGRAD. After the program I came back …

Alumni Update: Cambodia

Alumni Update: Cambodia

I am very humbled and grateful to say that my life is not the only one that has changed after the Global UGRAD Program. Since June 2015 when I returned to my home country, Cambodia, I began to understand my purpose and my capability to make a substantial impact in my home community as a media practitioner. My academic experiences, …

Alumni Reflections: Advocating for Inclusion

Alumni Reflections: Advocating for Inclusion

I am an alumnus of the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program where I attended the University of Southern Indiana in 2010. The Global UGRAD Program brought me out of my comfort zone. As a disabled person with limited independent living skills, I had to force myself to become self-reliant during the program. For instance, my first trip on my own, without …

Alumni Update: Yacoub Dahah, Mauritania

Alumni Update: Yacoub Dahah, Mauritania

I was first introduced to the Bin Bayyah Foundation in 2015 by ECNU (the English Club of Nouakchott University) because they needed interpreters for the Starkey Hearing Foundation mission that they were sponsoring, which lasted for a week. I went back to volunteering for them during their second mission with the American Starkey Hearing Foundation early in 2017, but this …

The Impact of Diverse Community Service Experiences

The Impact of Diverse Community Service Experiences

I have been in the U.S.A. for 8 months and I have had amazing experiences. One of the most important things that I have done in my life is community service. Through all this time I have realized that students who get involved in community service not only help others, but also expand their abilities, develop empathy, leadership skills, problem-solving, …