Need some assistance with your study abroad essay? The Global Leadership and Social Impact department of the DDCE will be hosting a writing workshop to provide techniques, advice, and support for your study abroad essay needs!

On September 27th, 2019, the Office of Global Leadership within the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement launched the inaugural Beyond Borders symposium, which highlighted the unique personal benefits and professional opportunities international education provides for Black and Brown students. The event started with an intimate fishbowl conversation, where students of various racial and ethnic backgrounds talked about their experiences “going back” to the homelands of their ancestors.

Next, symposium participants had the opportunity to choose breakout sessions that spoke to their specific interests. Breakout sessions included,

1. Put It On Paper: Adding your study abroad experience to your resume.
2. World Citizen? Race, Sex, and Travel
3. FLI Around the World and Live to Tell Your Story.
4. Modificado las normas tradicionales para optimizar nuestro potencial global: Strategies on Latino family communication.

Following the breakout sessions, there was a networking reception where undergraduate students who participated in DDCE’s Costa Rica program had the opportunity to do poster presentations on the servant leadership research projects they conducted while abroad.

All attendees came back together for the Globalization and Entrepreneurship panel which highlighted young entrepreneurs whose international experiences empowered them to launch businesses with a global outlook.

Our esteemed Keynote speaker, Dr. Natasha Gordon-Chipembere, followed the entrepreneurship panel with a powerful and lively retelling of her story. After her highly influential study abroad experience in Kenya, Dr. Gordon-Chipembere went on to earn her Ph.D. in South Africa in the midst of the downfall of the Apartheid regime. Her experiences ultimately led to her to Costa Rica where she is a professor and conducts research on Afro-descendant communities in Costa Rica.

After dinner catered by locally owned Black business, Lucille’s, students had the opportunity to tell their stories and experiences from abroad through spoken word, musical performances, and poetry at the 6th annual Diversity Abroad Showcase hosted by the talented Jarvis Dillard.

Overall, the event was a huge success and falls in line with DDCE’s vision of providing all students with access and exposure to global experiences.

Friday, September 27th @ 1pm – 7:00pm
Julius Glickman Conference Center 1:00 -5:15pm
Art Auditorium 5:30-7:00pm

Hosted by the Office of Global Leadership and Social Impact under the Division of Diversity & Community Engagement at The University of Texas At Austin, this symposium will highlight the unique personal and professional development outcomes of education abroad for Black and Brown students. Our goal is to inform and enrich students, staff, and faculty’ understanding of the intersection between international experiences and career readiness through critical reflection and structured engagements on topics such as identity, career development, global entrepreneurship and citizenry.

RSVP for the Free Symposium and Dinner

Speakers

Read about our speakers on the bios page.

Program

1:00 – Welcome – Dr. Devin Walker

1:10 – Heritage seeking but heritage found? – This intimate ‘fishbowl’ conversation will explore how traveling abroad to the region of one’s ancestors influences students racial and ethnic identities. Panelists: Orlando Ochoa, Rozahnea Charles, Marissa Martinez, Chase Moore, Che, Lucille Li

1:50 – Breakout Sessions

Session 1: Modificado las normas tradicionales para optimizar nuestro potencial global: Strategies on Latino family communication.
This workshop will explore challenges first-generation Latinx students often encounter when seeking international opportunities. Participants will leave with a better understanding of how to navigate familial traditions and discuss international travel with parents and guardians by focusing on the personal and professional development outcomes. Presented by Denise Morales.

Session 2: Put It On Paper: Adding your study abroad experience to your resume.
This session will highlight tips and strategies on how to leverage your study abroad experience to strengthen your resume and generate conversation for your interviews with employers. Presented by Dr. Darren Kelly.

Session 3: World Citizen? Race, Sex, and Travel
What roles do race, class, gender, and sexuality play in our understandings and experiences of travel and tourism? This session will examine the nuances of how and why people travel, the trials and benefits of being a host location or destination, and will interrogate the meeting point of tourist and local. It will explore what it means to be a socially responsible, culturally sensitive and generally savvy traveler. Presented by Dr. Traci Wint.

Session 4: FLI Around the World and Live to Tell Your Story.
This workshop will explore the art of storytelling. Learning how to effectively recount your stories from abroad is not only a great networking tool, it is an essential part of highlighting how your experience served to develop you personally and professionally. Presented by Thais Moore.

2:30 – Poster Presentations and Networking Break w/coffee, snacks, etc. Tabling for faculty-led study abroad programs in African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS), and Mexican and Latino Studies (MALS)

3:00 – Entrepreneurship and Internationalization Panel – Traveling abroad expands our understanding of what is possible. Come hear from young entrepreneurs whose international experiences provide them with the skillset and inspiration to run effective businesses. Charles Allen, Britney Turner, and Javier Wallace

3:40 – Keynote – Dr. Natasha Gordon-Chipembere

Dr. Natasha Maria Gordon-Chipembere is of Afro-Costa Rican and Panamanian parentage and was born in New York.  She graduated from Vassar College in 1992 with a BA in English, during which time she spent a semester abroad in Kenya (1991), which opened her to the world of international travel and intellectual study. She was then awarded a Fulbright Research award after graduation to the University of Nairobi, Kenya in 1992-1993. Upon returning to New York in 1993, she began an MA in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Read more on the bios page.

4:20 – Close – Dr. Walker

4:30 – Catered Dinner served at Glickman Conference Center

5:20 – Transition to Art Auditorium across the street

5:30 – 7:00 – Diversity Abroad Showcase in Art Auditorium