Each year the conference focuses breakout sessions around four themes. Breakout sessions allow students to choose which topics are of most interest to them. There will be three blocks of breakout sessions during the conference with presentations covering a variety of topics taking place during each block.
The conferences four breakout sessions will revolve around the following themes:
- Going Abroad Again
- Reflecting on Your Experience
- Study Abroad in Your Career
- Becoming A Global Citizen
2019 conference schedule:
10:00-10:30 | Registration/Breakfast/Resume Review
10:30-10:40 | Welcome
10:40-11:20 | Plenary Speaker
Yasmin Mattox
Raised in Harlem, NYC, and now happily living in Upstate NY, Yasmin Mattox has greatly benefited from the opportunity she’s had to be immersed in different environments, and be exposed to a wealth of ideas from different vantage points. Trained in the social sciences, specifically Political Science and then International Affairs, with a focus on Transatlantic Relations and Counter-Terrorism Strategies, Yasmin is a proponent of better understanding the global landscape and using a historical and interdisciplinary approach to more successfully anticipate what the future may bring. She’s worked in the legal, mental health, renewable energy (hydrogen fuel cell), research, and higher education fields. In 2017, she founded Arkatecht, a company creating digital professional advancement tools tailored to the needs and aspirations of working parents. The company was founded in large part as a result of her own struggles with professional advancement after becoming a mother, and her need to ensure such struggles don’t continue to become others’, and certainly won’t be her daughters’ dilemmas years down the road.
11:30-12:20 | Session 1
- “Global Careers at Home or Abroad in the Public Sector”
In this session, participants will learn about different career fields in the public sector related to international relations, human rights, diplomacy, and pressing global issues. Additionally, participants will learn what it is really like to work at a nonprofit or the government and dispel myths that they will “never make any money”, have to move to a big city or another country to have a career in the international field. Panelists will share stories about how they got into the field and share insights about how having a study abroad experience will make for an ideal candidate in this line of work. - “More than just a Fullbright: Study Abroad Scholarships and Fellowships”
This session will explore the range of fellowships and scholarship opportunities available for supporting study abroad, undergraduate and post-baccalaureate. There will be discussions in depth about the US Student Fulbright program as well as other programs such as Boren, Critical Language Scholarship, DAAD, Congress-Bundestag, UK summer Fulbright, Gilman, Freeman-Asia, Schwarzman, the UK fellowship programs like Marshall and Mitchell, as well as teaching programs such as JET and TAPIF, and even Peace Corps and its accompanying Coverdale program. - “Storytelling After Studying Abroad”
When you get back from studying abroad, people may ask about your experience. What’s the best way to convey the most essential aspects of your experience in a way that will capture your listener’s attention, imagination, and interest? This session will focus on crafting short oral stories as a way of communicating experiences, ideas, and knowledge in a way that will stick with listeners back home. - “Perspectives on Working Abroad in Education”
In this panel session participants will hear from four different education professionals on their experiences working abroad. Some of the topics to be covered include: where to look for jobs in education; different educational settings to consider; work and life requirements; and how to leverage your experience when you come back to the US. Short panelist introductions will be followed by an open question-and-answer session. Resource: Teach AbroadWork Abroad Resource Guide - “Not Just a Semester at the Beach: Professionalizing your Study Abroad Experience on Your Resume”
The session title reflects the common stereotype of study abroad being unprofessional or less rigorous than a typical semester of study. The focus of this session is to guide students in not only understanding, but also articulating, the professional nature of a semester abroad. Students will learn how to build strong resumes that integrate the NACE Career readiness competencies to capitalize on the transferable skills learned while studying abroad. *This session is also available during breakout II. Resources: PowerPoint, Not Just a Semester at the Beach Resume Handout - “Learning About Ourselves While Serving Others and Global Citizens”
Students from Nazareth College will describe their travel and experiences with a short term service learning program in Ethiopia during the winter break of 2019. Students will discuss the partnership with Visions Global Empowerment and how this agency impacted their views about school aged children who are deaf and hard of hearing and children with differing abilities. Nazareth students will share the aspects of sustainability of their work, the importance of being global citizens through openness to other people and cultures, how their viewpoints shifted over the two-week program and the importance of reciprocity in the context of their own learning and personal growth as well as the overall educational outcomes from this service. The panel of students welcomes questions about their experiences.
12:30-1:50 | Lunch/Networking/Resume Review
2:00-2:50 | Session 2
- “Not Just a Semester at the Beach: Professionalizing your Study Abroad Experience on Your Resume”
The session title reflects the common stereotype of study abroad being unprofessional or less rigorous than a typical semester of study. The focus of this session is to guide students in not only understanding, but also articulating, the professional nature of a semester abroad. Students will learn how to build strong resumes that integrate the NACE Career readiness competencies to capitalize on the transferable skills learned while studying abroad. *This session is also available during breakout I. Resources: Not Just a Semester at the Beach Resume Handout Not Just a Semester at the Beach PowerPoint, - “Fullbright and Peace Corps Opportunities”
The Student Fulbright Programs and the Peace Corps are wonderful ways to continue your international experience. This session will provide you with information about the programs as well as how to apply. - “From WWOOFing to Working: A Sampling of Post- Graduation Opportunities Abroad”
This session features a panel of study abroad returnees who have gone abroad again to pursue various international opportunities. Some returned to the country in which they studied, while others ventured to a new continent. This panel will give participants a taste of what opportunities are available and how to get started with your own. Resource: From WWOOFing to Working Worksheet - “Global Citizenship: Making it Last”
It’s easy to settle back into old habits and routines despite having gone thorough, profound and meaningful changes overseas. Incorporating new ways of thinking, doing and being takes intention, action, commitment and persistence. In this session participants will participate in a hands-on activity to productively channel the knowledge, skills, and spirit from their time abroad and incorporate them into life at home. Whether finding volunteer opportunities with your local NGO’s, sharing favorite recipes from your host country with family and friends, or being conscientious of the power of your dollar—there is a lot one person can do to keep that spark of traveling alive as a global citizen.
- “Why Doesn’t Anybody Care? Processing Your Experiences Abroad at Home” Adjusting to life back in the US after time abroad can be challenging. Being back home can bring out complicated emotions, changes in relationships, and new understandings of identities. This session will allow participants to explore the social and emotional aspects of their re-entry experiences in ways that foster personal growth. Students will learn about theories of re-entry and participate in activities designed to increase insight about themselves and their experiences. This session will include a mix of individual reflection and group discussion. Students will be able to: 1) Increase their understanding of the social and emotional impacts of re-entry following study abroad; 2) Identify where they are on the re-entry curve and apply theories of re-entry to their own experiences; 3) Identify techniques for readjusting to life back in the United States/at their home universities; 4) List ways of coping and resources they can utilize to ensure a healthy transition.
3:00-3:30 | Closing ceremony
rocyourglobalfuture.com 