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Georgia State University Highlights GlobaLinks Learning Abroad Alumna

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:58:27 +0000

Javahnda Kea, who studied in Seoul through AsiaLearn, is featured by the GSU College of Business on its web site.

Excerpted from the profiles section of http://robinson.gsu.edu/index.html

by Meiling Arounnarath

This past fall, Javahnda Kea, a student at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business who had never traveled anywhere outside of the South nor been on a plane, signed up to study abroad in a country where she’d have to take a 14-hour flight to get there.

The Robinson College senior had the opportunity to study abroad at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, during fall 2011. She said it all clicked for her after a conversation with a fellow student at a study abroad seminar during her sophomore year. The young man had studied abroad in Japan solely on scholarships. That conversation made her believe it was possible for her, too.

“It was something I didn’t want to pass up before I graduate,” said Kea, who currently has a concentration in marketing and is pursuing a certificate in international business. She expects to graduate in spring 2013.

Kea’s actions prove that she is no stranger to grabbing opportunities when she sees them.

“I decided to become a business major at Robinson, because of its prestige and numerous opportunities available for its students,” she said. “I chose to go to GSU because I wanted to go to school in the city and I fell in love with the campus and student diversity.”

Making it happen

Kea plans to spread the word that studying abroad is more financially feasible than people may think. She offers her own experience as proof: Kea was able to get enough scholarships to pay for her entire study abroad trip, one of which was the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for fall 2011.

She managed to have her entire study abroad trip covered by grants and scholarships. The costs were what she – and what she knows others are – worried about when it comes to studying abroad.

“I want to tell people they really can get scholarships, and to help them do their best,” Kea says.

To read full article, visit the GSU website here.

Go Vote NOW for GlobaLinks Learning Abroad as Winner of a People’s Choice Award from GoAbroad

Stacey — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:40:58 +0000

Every year GoAbroad.com gives awards to universities and international education organizations for their innovation in the field of study abroad. New in 2012, GoAbroad added a category called the “People’s Choice Award” where study abroad advisors nominate their favorite international education organization.

GlobaLinks Learning Abroad was nominated and is now in the top 5 nominees for the award.

How can you help GlobaLinks Learning Abroad win? By casting your vote of course! Go Abroad has utilized a contest app in Facebook to collect votes from now until May 30.

Who can vote? ANYONE! Please tell your friends, your family, your colleagues, etc., to take a minute and place your vote here:

To vote just go to GoAbroad’s People’s Choice Award page on Facebook and vote for GlobaLinks Learning Abroad.

GlobaLinks Learning Abroad will also send voting information to all alumni, current students, inquiries, advisors, etc. over the coming weeks.

Wish us luck!

Foundation for Global Scholars Awards Scholarships to 22 GlobaLinks Learning Abroad Participants

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:25:19 +0000

The Foundation for Global Scholars has awarded scholarships to 22 GlobaLinks Learning Abroad students participating in international education programs across the globe.

Among those student is Jody Wendt, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student who received the Banks Family Scholarship from the the Foundation for Global Scholars. The $1,000 scholarship, personally donated by the family of Cynthia Banks, founder, executive director and president of GlobaLinks Learning Abroad, is awarded annually to support future leaders, and in particular, students in business and entrepreneurship.

“I am absolutely loving my time here in Manly at the International College of Management – Sydney,” Wendt said. “I couldn’t have imagined a better place to go for 3-4 months. The people here are so supportive and really want to add to your overall experiences. Not only have I become close with the American bunch, but I’ve also really gotten to know some Norwegians, Germans, and even Australians. It will definitely be super hard to leave this place and these people. I guess a visit in the future will probably have to happen.”

The GlobaLinks Learning Abroad participants who received scholarships from the Foundation for Global Scholars are:

Emily Wechter, a student from Illinois Wesleyan University, received $500 to attend Mahidol University in Thailand for an academic semester.

Taylor Johnson, a Lewis-Clark State College student, received $1,000 to attend Sichuan University in China for an academic semester.

Arielle Boulette, a University of Maine student, received $1,000 to attend a custom internship in Australia.

Robert Brown, a University of Maine student, received $1,000 to attend James Cook University in Australia for an academic semester.

Lindsay Stevens, a University of Maine student, received $1,000 to attend a custom internship in Australia.

Ashley Heim, a University of New Hampshire student, received $1,000 to attend the University of Queensland in Australia for an academic semester.

Haley Filhart, a Central Michigan University student, received $1,000 to attend a custom internship in Australia.

Ann Sekerak, a Towson University student, received $1,000 to attend James Cook University – Townsville in Australia for an academic semester.

Tara Medrano, a California Lutheran University, received $1,500 to attend AUT University in Australia for an academic semester.

Rachel Head, a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, received $1,000 to attend Murdoch University in Australia for an academic semester.

Cody Olson, a Colorado State University student, received $500 to attend James Cook University – Townsville in Australia for an academic semester.

Gabrielle Biskaduros, a University of South Carolina student, received $1,000 to attend Murdoch University in Australia for an academic semester.

Jeremy Primus, a University of Minnesota Duluth student, received $1,000 to attend the University of Newcastle in Australia for an academic semester.

Jade Marszalek, a University of Massachusetts Amherst, received $1,000 to attend Griffith University – Gold Coast for an academic semester.

Hannah Preble, a University of Minnesota student, received $1,000 to attend Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand for an academic semester.

Beau Miller, a University of Minnesota student, received $1,000 to attend the University of Melbourne in Australia for an academic semester.

Max Tucker, a University of Maryland, Baltimore student, received $1,000 to attend the University of Otago in New Zealand for an academic semester.

Emily Neldon, a University of Tulsa student, received $500 to attend American College of Thessaloniki in Greece for an academic semester.

Olivia Michalak, a Rider University student, received $1,500 to attend Queen Mary University of London in England for an academic semester.

Katie Mount, a Richard Stockton College of New Jersey student, received $1,500 to attend Lancaster University in England for an academic semester.

Evan Campbell, a University of South Carolina student, received $1,000 to attend American College of Thessaloniki in Greece for an academic semester.

Jody Wendt, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student, received the $1,000 Banks Family Scholarship to attend International College of Management – Sydney for an academic semester.

EuroScholar Presents at National Conference Her Legal Research Conducted While Studying Abroad in Belgium

Stacey — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:19:53 +0000

Charlotte Luks conducted research abroad while studying in Belgium at Katholieke Universiteit. She got to work on her own human rights project and had her own office next door to a judge for the European Court of Justice.

By Stacey Hartmann

GlobaLinks NewsWire Editor

Published research wasn’t the ultimate goal when Charlotte Luks decided to study abroad, but her semester in Belgium through the EuroScholars program resulted in just that kind of achievement, as well as her presentation of her findings last week at a national conference.

Majoring in human rights law and sculpture, the 20-year-old Hampshire College student wanted to study at a specific university in Belgium – Katholieke Universiteit Leuven – so she could be near her grandparents who live there.

“I’m a citizen of Belgium, Canada and France,” says Luks, who moved to the United States when she was 5. “I’ve been living in American for the last 15 years, and (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is actually where my dad got his Ph.D., so I already had a lot of friends there before I went.”

What she didn’t expect from her January-June 2011 semester abroad was high-impact academic discovery.

“I wanted to do a human rights project, but they didn’t have any listed,” she says, so Mona Miller, director of EuroLearn’s partnerships and development, “worked really hard and found me the perfect project with the perfect mentor.”

How perfect? After arriving at Katholieke Universiteit, Luks was given her own office in the law department of the university next to a judge for the European Court of Justice.

“It was amazing,” she says of working under Prof. Geert Van Calster, head of the department of International and European Law. “I didn’t see my mentor that often, but he emailed me what I should be doing, and I had a lot of independent time to do my research.”

In fact, a research project on corporate social responsibility was created just for her to work on. The project involved analysis of the Alien Tort Statute – part of U.S. law – to see if the statute is a viable forum and legal method to try corporations for human rights and environmental abuses in third-world countries with lax laws and policies.

“It’s usually related more to the environment that affects human life, like indigenous people who are affected when oil companies completely pollute the area,” Luks says.

Charlotte Luks presented her research on the Alien Tort Statute in March 2012 during the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at Weber State University.

Luks’ resulting research is complex but generally shows the Alien Tort Statute to be a viable method, although the law itself needs to be better defined.

“Charlotte was thrown into the deep end, in a research and teaching-intensive department of the faculty,” said Van Calster in reference letter for Luks. “Upon Charlotte’s arrival to the department, I decided to employ the ‘immersion’ method: I outlined a research interest [comparative research in employing private international law/conflict of laws to apply environmental and labour law/human rights law extra-territorially] to Charlotte, and asked her to kick-start the North American/US leg of it. Charlotte had not had any training at all initiating research like this from scratch. I was hoping that pulling her out of her comfort zone would show her true skills. It certainly did.”

After her time abroad, Luks decided to submit her research for presentation at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at Weber State.

Her research – “The Use of Private International Law in the Corporate Social Responsibility Debate: The case of the U.S. Alien Tort Statute” – was accepted out of several thousand applicants. She presented it last week during the conference.

The work also was deemed of such high quality to be fed by her supervisor directly into a proposal submitted to The Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), as well as for joint publication with the European law side of the debate.

“For me, it was definitely an experience that very few people get to do in that capacity in undergraduate,” Luks says. “I missed a semester of classes, but I think this has prepared me more than a semester of classes.”

Most importantly, the international law research experience reinforced for Luks that she definitely wants to do law, while confirming that she does not want to spend her career sitting in an office writing all day.

“It was a really good experience for me,” Luks says. “It was an opportunity to see if this is actually what I want to do with my life.”

Participants in Bridging Cultures Program Deliver 405 Lbs of Books to School in Fiji

Stacey — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:09:14 +0000

Group shot at Sote Village.

The shelves at Sote Village School in Suva, Fiji, are now chock-full of imagination following a donation of 405 lbs of gently used library books delivered last month by GlobaLinks Learning Abroad.

Members of the Mother's Club at Sote Village school stand near their new sink, installed by GlobaLinks Learning Abroad students.

The books, given by a primary school in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, were delivered during a February visit to Sote Village as part of GlobaLinks Learning Abroad’s Bridging Cultures Program for university students studying abroad in Fiji at the University of the South Pacific (USP). Students participating in past visits have planted gardens to supply lunch food for the children and painted classrooms.

The old sink at Sote Village school.

The most recent group of students not only delivered books that filled up a wall of shelves at the school; they also planted vegetables and shrubs and installed a new sink for use by the Mother’s Club for preparing food for the children.

Planting vegetables with the kids.

“The children don’t bring food to school,” said Kym Treacy, resident director, GlobaLinks Learning Abroad – Pacific Region. “The Mother’s Club cooks the food in a little area next door to where the children eat.”

Before the recent book donation, the school library consisted of books only on the top shelf.

The community service project is one of the unique programs offered by GlobaLinks Learning Abroad.

The visiting group of GlobaLinks Learning Abroad participants and staff presented the books to the headmaster and the teachers. The presentation was held on the group’s last day and the Village Preacher was also at the presentation.

A game of Duck, Duck, Goose with the kids.

Students helping in the classroom.

Scholarship Opportunity: $500 for Students from Canada Enrolling in Medical School and Other Full Degree Programs of Australian Partners

Stacey — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:52:09 +0000

GlobaLinks Learning Abroad, a provider of international education programs across the globe promoting academic, cultural, personal, professional and social discovery, is announcing new $500 full-degree Discovery Scholarships, a special study abroad funding opportunity for students from Canada who want to complete an entire degree abroad at any of the company’s 26 Australian partner universities.

“More students from Canada are looking for a world-class degree program coupled with international experience in order to stand out from their peers,” said Chad DuMond, director of Canadian institutional relations and recruitment for GlobaLinks Learning Abroad. “Our new $500 Discovery Scholarships will open doors for more students from Canada to earn medical degrees or attend degree programs in any field of study at any of our high-quality Australian university partners.”

The 26 Australian member universities of GlobaLinks Learning Abroad are:

1.    Australian National University
2.    Bond University
3.    CQUniversity
4.    Edith Cowan University
5.    Griffith University
6.    International College of Management, Sydney
7.    James Cook University
8.    La Trobe University
9.    Macquarie University
10.    Monash University
11.    Murdoch University
12.    Queensland University of Technology
13.    Southern Cross University
14.    Swinburne University of Technology
15.    University of Adelaide
16.    University of Canberra
17.    University of Melbourne
18.    University of Newcastle
19.    Deakin University
20.    University of Queensland
21.    University of South Australia
22.    University of Sydney
23.    University of Tasmania
24.    UTS – Sydney
25.    University of Western Australia
26.    University of Wollongong

For eligibility requirements, visit the Full Degree Discovery Scholarship page.

In addition, prospective full-degree students from Canada can visit with Australian university representatives during special sessions planned between March and May 2012 in Toronto, Vancouver and other locations. Highlighted universities include the University of Sydney, Griffith University, University of Wollongong, and Monash University. Get details and RSVP information here.

The Discovery Scholarship is just one of the many study abroad funding options available to students in the U.S. and Canada participating in GlobaLinks Learning Abroad international education programs in Asia, Europe and the Pacific Region.

Students Planning for Medical School in Australia Should Note 2015 MCAT Changes

admin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:25:42 +0000

Students from the United States and Canada who envision one day going to medical school in Australia need to plan ahead for changes starting in 2015 to the MCAT exam, which is required to apply for entry to Australian medical schools.

Sweeping changes in the MCAT were announced recently by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Katherine Mangan of the Chronicle of Higher Education detailed the changes in her article, “Medical-Admissions Test to Look More Broadly at Who Will Be a Good Doctor.”

The Association of American Medical Colleges on Thursday approved sweeping changes to the Medical College Admission Test that will require aspiring doctors to show that they understand the psychological and social underpinnings of medicine, and not just the hard science.

The changes, the first in the test since 1991, will take effect in 2015, giving the current crop of premedical students a few years to broaden their course loads.

The revamped test is designed to help students prepare for a rapidly changing health-care system and a patient base that is growing, graying, and becoming increasingly diverse, officials said.

“Being a good doctor is about more than scientific knowledge. It also requires an understanding of people,” the association’s president, Darrell G. Kirch, said in a prepared statement.

The changes were developed by a 21-member advisory committee that spent three years studying the matter and analyzing 2,700 survey responses from college and medical-school faculty members, medical residents, students, and advisers. The panel released its recommendations in November.

The test will include two new sections: one on the psychological, social, and biological foundations of behavior, and another on critical analysis and reasoning skills. It will also have two natural-science sections covering material learned in introductory biology, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, and physics courses. The new test does away with a writing section that wasn’t widely considered.

The changes will tack an extra two hours onto a grueling test that currently takes four and a half hours to complete, Dr. Kirch said during a conference call with reporters. To prepare for it, students might want to add introductory courses in psychology and sociology to the natural-sciences courses they have traditionally been told to focus on, he said.

To reach the entire article, visit here.

Four Globalinks Learning Abroad Students Selected as La Trobe University Study Abroad Ambassadors

Stacey — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:21:53 +0000

La Trobe University has selected four GlobaLinks Learning Abroad students as Study Abroad Ambassador Scholarship recipients.

Students receive study abroad scholarships ranging from $1,000 – $2,000 (AUD) per semester for their participati0on in the Study Abroad Ambassador Program, which includes a combination of cultural outings, networking opportunities, and special events at no extra cost. Scholarship recipients also act as future ambassadors of La Trobe University after returning home.

The La Trobe University Study Abroad Ambassador Scholarship recipients for Semester 1 are:

Stacie Rodriguez, University of South Carolina – Columbia
Rizza Soriano, University of Alaska – Southeast
Danielle Utianski, Temple University
Jordan Wells, University of Utah

University Leaders in Canada Want More Canadian Students to Study Abroad

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:54:27 +0000

University leaders at a recent gathering in Canada discussed the need for more homegrown students need to study outside their own backyard to develop strong worldwide connections and an instinct to innovate, according to an article in The Globe and Mail.

Universities have been vocal about their ambitions to lure more international students to Canada, but they are quietly worried far too few Canadian students go abroad for their own formative experiences.

Federal and provincial governments are eager to market Canada as a higher-education destination. They feel international students make the classroom more diverse and globally oriented, while also attracting new revenue.

But when 25 university presidents converged in Ottawa to discuss Canada’s innovation agenda with parliamentarians on Tuesday, several of them cautioned that more homegrown students need to study outside their own backyard to develop strong worldwide connections and an instinct to innovate.

“Canadian students are not big travellers in comparison to, say, Americans or New Zealanders or Australians, and they don’t even travel that much from province to province,” said Queen’s University principal Daniel Woolf.

About 9 in 10 Canadian students go to university in their home province, and evidence suggests a large proportion choose a school within 20 kilometres of home. Only 12 per cent of undergraduates have an international placement or exchange experience, according to a 2009 survey – reason to fear the experience of many students is too parochial given high demand for the ability to work and think globally.

“If I look across the U.S. universities which are most like ours, it’s more like 20 per cent, or a little higher,” said Herb O’Heron, director of research and policy analysis at the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “When I talk to people in Germany, more like a third of students have [such] an experience.”

Sean Riley, president of St. Francis Xavier University, was skeptical of his school’s service learning program that sent students to Guatemala to examine topics like the coffee economy, until he made the trip himself. Now he is “fanatical” about fostering international connections.

“If I had a choice, I’d take the number of students that have a significant international exposure and multiply it by 10 or 20,” Dr. Riley said. “I think we’re kidding ourselves if we think we actually have a global mindset.”

To read the full article, visit the Globe and Mail here.

Tailoring Your International Internship for the Best Possible Fit

Stacey — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:36:19 +0000

GlobaLinks Learning Abroad is one of the leading international education organizations arranging internships abroad in all fields of study for U.S. and Canadian students.

Winery intern Calah Kaslow crushes grapes.

The company regularly places interns with businesses and entities in Australia, New Zealand, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Spain.

Students who want to intern abroad through GlobaLinks Learning Abroad can choose between two different internship programs:

- Professional Development for Academic Credit (PDAC) internships, which last 10 weeks and include pre-set dates and built-in academic credits from Chapman University.

(or)

- Custom Date Internships, which offer varying dates and are customized to meet a student’s individual needs in almost any academic major.

Students also have access to a variety of support services from program application to return home:

Pre-departure assistance.
Airport pickup.
Bridging Cultures Program or on-site orientation.
Housing.
24-hour in-country support from resident directors.
Language education (for Shanghai internships) to assist students with cultural integration.
Internship opportunities conducted in English.
Academic credit through Chapman University or credit approval assistance through home university.

To connect students to these internships, GlobaLinks Learning Abroad works mostly with small businesses and nonprofits to find internship opportunities, says Barbara West, manager of internship programs.

Students have worked for CanTeen in Sydney, Australia, for example, putting together fundraising events to providing services to teens with cancer, for Toyota New Zealand in engineering capacities, and for the New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust to assist with research.

“We can do internships in virtually any industry or field,” says Barbara West, manager of internship programs for GlobaLinks Learning Abroad. “The only area we can’t really do placements in is clinical health care.”