Have you been seeing information about study away experiences posted around campus, talking about peer advising hours? Have you seen the Office of Global Programs tabling in the Campus Center, with fellow students answering questions about study abroad? Or maybe a peer has come to your class to give an Introduction to Study Away presentation. So you may be wondering: Who are the Global Ambassadors?
We are a group of four students from UMass Boston, just like you, who studied abroad and now want to encourage you to take advantage of these awesome opportunities! We are paid student workers in the Office of Global Programs. Our names are Valerie, Lauren, Hannah and Mikael, and we believe that studying abroad is life-transforming—from making lifelong friends to getting to explore beautiful and unique parts of the world, studying abroad develops your character in unthinkable ways and creates unforgettable experiences. As Global Ambassadors, we also increase support for UMass Boston’s exchange students—we have an established buddy system with those studying here for a semester to assist with any curiosities they have about life at UMass Boston, or Boston itself. We plan buddy excursions to create memorable experiences for them as well (i.e. last semester, we brought a group to Salem, Mass. around Halloween time). While in the office, we provide peer advising, work on monthly newsletters for our international students, create Canva infographics for new programs and work on making posts for our Instagram: @umb_studyabroad. We also do class and club visits around campus to give introductory information on the study abroad process and speak about new programs available.
Our favorite part of the job: We host walk-in hours where you can come and talk to us about studying abroad! This is a very relaxed setting where we can assist with any questions you may have about applications, help you navigate our program website, help you look into scholarships, and more! Collectively, we have studied abroad in Japan, the Netherlands, Ireland and Mexico, and we have lots of advice to offer.
Valerie is also a Gilman Scholar—a prestigious scholarship awarded for studying abroad by the U.S. Department of State. She advises students on their Gilman Scholarship applications on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to help her peers win up to $5,000 toward studying abroad, just like her! She used her scholarship to study abroad in Saitama, Japan for a full semester. Valerie is now in her last semester of undergrad here at UMass Boston and will be graduating this May with a bachelor’s in East Asian Studies and a Japanese Language Minor. She hopes to help people get excited about traveling the world, trying new foods and experiencing new cultures.
Lauren is a senior majoring in political science and minoring in Arabic studies. She studied on exchange in Utrecht, Netherlands for a full semester and had an amazing experience biking everywhere around the city and making amazing friends! Lauren’s experience inspired her to help other students jump in and take advantage of the opportunities available here at UMass Boston to make new friends and discover amazing things abroad!
Hannah was awarded the Beacon Student Success Fellowship to go toward funding her faculty-led study abroad experience in Dublin, Ireland last summer semester. This scholarship is awarded to those who need support in their summer experiences, whether those be study abroad, research or internship opportunities. Hannah is also in her last semester of undergrad here at UMass Boston and will be graduating in May with her bachelor’s in English Literature. She wants to be able to study literature from all around the world and hopes to visit as many bookstores abroad as possible! She wants you to have as smooth an application process as possible, so all you have left to do is get excited for your study away experience!
Mikael is an accelerated master’s student at UMass Boston, focusing in international relations with a background in philosophy, political science, environmental science and education. Mikael studied in a faculty-led program to Mexico, which focused on human rights and migration. He is passionate about assisting in these international relations issues, as well as inspiring others to pay attention to such problems. He brings his background and expertise in the subject to his position as an ambassador and wants to collaborate with our future international leaders.
Our office hours this semester are Mondays 12-3, Tuesdays 9-12, Wednesdays 9-4, and Thursdays 9-4. We are located on the second floor of the Campus Center, suite 2100, by the elevators closest to Wheatley. For any questions about study abroad, you can also email [email protected]. We hope to see you soon!