Generation Travel Radio

Sein Park is originally from South Korea, but she has spent a third of her life outside of her home country, primarily in Germany. The significant amount of time she has spent in a culture different from the one she grew up in has provided her with a rich perspective on how people in South Korea approach life differently from those in Germany and Scandinavia - primarily, with what attitude do you approach the present moment? 

Join GTR for a conversation reflecting on how culture shapes the way we tackle every day life, and how spending time in different cultures makes us more aware that the way we grew up living is not the only way... 

In this month's Travel Takes - Outgoing episode, Kelly goes into detail about her experience applying for a student visa for a masters program in Oslo, Norway, during the pandemic. Her experience dovetail into a conversation about resistance to and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination QR codes. 

Please note that what is said in this podcast are the experiences and opinions of the hosts and should not be understood as official or legal advice. The opinions of the hosts are reflective of their personal perspectives and do not reflect any institution or employer. 

Recent updates on DACA and discussion around bringing international students back for the Fall semester. 

Generation Travel Radio is back with Season 2, Defining Global Citizenship! Throughout season 2 we will hear from travelers, scholars, and professionals about how travel can impact our sense of identity. We will speak with lovers of languages, practitioners preparing to help students study abroad in a world changed by the pandemic, and those who have conducted research on how we portray travel and the impact being in another place has on whether we consider ourselves citizens of the world. 

This short introduction episode sets up a season that will make you think - globally. 

Welcome to Travel Takes, Incoming! Generation Travel Radio is excited to release updates in immigration and travel for those coming into the United States with our knowledgable new voices, Olga Grosh Pratt and Keavy Gilbert. Tune in every 6 weeks to keep up with changes in the travel and immigration landscapes. 

Show Notes:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) - "Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)": https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-of-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-daca

U.S. Department of State - "Visa Wait Times": https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html

Biographies

Olga Grosh Pratt

Olga Grosh was born in Kiev, Ukraine and immigrated to the United States as a child. Olga graduated with high honors from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia with a major in Hispanic Studies, and a minor in International Relations. Olga earned her J.D. at the University of California, Hastings College of Law in San Francisco where she realized her passion for immigration law, which she has been practicing since.

After her own 15-year struggle to obtain citizenship, Olga is a driven and compassionate representative of immigrants’ rights. Olga focuses on removal and deportation proceedings, Board of Immigration and Ninth Circuit Appeals, family petitions, consular processing, adjustment of status, affirmative and defensive asylum, and has particular expertise in U visas and Violence Against Women Act applications for victims of crime and domestic violence. Olga is a member of the Washington, D.C. Bar and is admitted to practice before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Keavy Gilbert 

Keavy has been working in the field of International Education for 7+ years. During this time, she has held a variety of roles, ranging from Admissions Specialist to her current position of Assistant Director for Student Services and Compliance. In her current position, Keavy supervises the student services and compliance teams at the University of Washington International Student Services office. Keavy is an alumna of the NAFSA Academy, Class 17, and currently serves as Treasurer for NAFSA Region 1. 

Erik Bakke, now the director of an intensive english program, has always nurtured his passion for the creation and study of art. In the early 1990's he spent time living in both Osaka, Japan and Poznan, Poland where his primary source of income came from teaching. But his world consisted of artists in addition to academics. From reflections on the national economic trends in both countries to recounting the artist scenes, Erik's stories of his experiences remind us that one of the reasons we love to travel to different places, is because these places often offer up unique surprises - no matter our expectations. 

Svenja Schlattau, a native of Hamburg, Germany, knew she wanted to travel to the United States since she could remember. After that dream was made possible through a high school exchange program, her positive experience with her host family in Wisconsin and the many friends she made inspired her to continue traveling and connecting with people - and connecting people.

This episode delves into the advantages of spending a year in another country as a kid, and Svenja’s perspective on hosting hundreds - literally - of couch surfers from around the world over the years.

Marton Vølstad is half US American, half Norwegian, and has lived in three different continents and five different countries. He has experienced education in the United States (Annapolis, Maryland), Norway, France, and Denmark. It was a combination of these circumstances and the lucky opportunity to spend a year on exchange in Paris that led him to understand his life's work (at least so far) would be tackling the daunting issues of climate change. 

In this episode we learn about Marton's meandering through an IB school to multiple universities before landing in consulting on climate issues, and ask him the most important question for someone who loves food as much as he does... "What is the most interesting thing you've eaten?"

Jasmine Watson grew up knowing her father went to different countries as a part of his military service - but she didn’t completely understand what that meant until she was able to spend some time in another country herself. Her first program abroad led her to somewhere even her father hadn’t been to yet - the Kingdom of Swaziland - and from there, she never looked back. Now, Jasmine is the Assistant Director of Global Education at Claremont McKenna College where she advises students on their study abroad goals. In this episode, Jasmine drops quotes for travelers seeking cultural knowledge and awareness like there is no tomorrow, and reminds us that wherever you may be in the world, and whoever you might be speaking with, everyone has a birthday.

Meet co-hosts Erin Morris and Kelly Davis! Learn about their work, missions, why they created this podcast, and what you can expect from Generation Travel Radio in the future. 

Welcome to Generation Travel Radio, where we share the inspiring stories of explorers from a diverse range of generations and backgrounds whose lives have been enriched academically, professionally, and personally through the impactful lessons of international experiences.

Some of the biggest challenges we are seeing today are exacerbated by generational divides and cultural differences. How can we tackle these problems?

This podcast will help our community recognize how study abroad, working and living abroad, and independent travel has changed over time but has never failed to help us better understand and positively impact ourselves and the world we live in.

Join your hosts - Erin and Kelly - every Monday as we discuss these topics with our weekly guests, who range from current college students, international education professionals, to listeners just like you and me (Kelly) and me! (Erin)

We are Generation Travel Radio. Thanks for listening! Keep thinking globally.