Name: Jeremiah Baldwin
Major: Government, Rhetoric and Writing, and African and African Diaspora Studies
Year: Senior
Project: As a Global Student Fellow, I created a project called ‘Drop-In with DDCE Global.’ The project aims to inform students of marginalized communities on the many study abroad opportunities available at The University of Texas at Austin. Another key component of the ‘Drop-In with DDCE Global’ project is to help students build strong application materials for their study abroad programs. For the fourth workshop series, I successfully wrote a proposal for the event to be included in International Education Week (IEW), a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and Education. Furthermore, I believe that the four-part workshop series I created helps connect students of marginalized communities with transformative study abroad opportunities offered through DDCE.
Why that project? I created the ‘Drop-In with DDCE Global’ project because I learned about the Cape Town, South Africa study abroad program from Dr. Devin Walker at last year’s application workshop. Because I had a transformative abroad experience, I created a project that allows me to share how my abroad experience helped me grow personally, academically, and professionally with other students, especially those of marginalized communities.
Why did you become a GSF? Reflecting on the transformative abroad experience I had in Cape Town, South Africa, I became a Global Student Fellow to connect students with DDCE’s study abroad opportunities. I believe that studying abroad not only prepares undergraduate students for the competitive workforce, they also enrich a person’s view of themself. Because of my experience on the African continent, I am left feeling more confident in my Blackness and I hope to share that experience with other students who are interested in studying abroad.
Favorite memory w/ DDCE? Testimonial from your trip that covers the importance of minorities going abroad. While I was abroad in Cape Town, South Africa, I had many memorable experiences that broadened my worldview. Reflecting on this transformative experience, I can say that my favorite memory of the trip was hiking to the top of the Cape of Good Hope, recognized as the most south-western point of the African continent. Aside from the hike challenging me psychically, the hike further challenged me to reflect on the false stereotypes I had been taught about the African continent. Therefore, I believe that it is important for those of marginalized communities to go abroad because it forces one to think critically and it broadens one’s view of the world.
