STAMPED

Hello STAMPED listeners; I know it’s been a while, but as Black history month 2023 comes to a close, I’m so excited share what’s been going on in my world!

Hello and welcome back to another season of STAMPED!

By now schools are back in full swing and the start of this episode makes our third fall semester 😊 I guess you could say this is our junior year!

This year we hope to build out STAMPED in a way that provides more foundational information on study abroad while continuing to share impactful international education stories!

So for today we’re starting off with the basics.

1. What is study abroad?

2. What types of study abroad exist?

3. Where can you learn more?

Be sure to share this episode with someone you think needs to study abroad (or their parents lol)! 

Until next…YOU’VE BEEN STAMPED!

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Follow the FUN!

STAMPED is pleased to welcome Tyvi Small, Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Engagement at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. 

Our interview starts with Tyvi's early travel experiences as well as his introduction to the world of study abroad! He recounted that while in undergrad he was very engaged in various campus programs, but the one thing he didn't do was study abroad. Now, a higher education professional, Tyvi works diligently to provide international opportunities for all students. 

It is my pleasure to welcome Phelicia Price to STAMPED! I love when the experiences of friends and family align with the mission of STAMPED. Phelicia has been a dear friend of mine for roughly 20 years, so it was only natural that I wanted to share her story on STAMPED.

While obtaining a second bachelor’s degree, she did something rare…she read her email (lol). On that particularly day she found exiting news, an email about a study abroad program to Italy offered by the communication’s department at East Carolina University. She shared the opportunity with her parents and with their assistance she was off! Spending the summer in Italy really increased her love for travel and quickened the desire to travel internationally.

During our conversation about her study abroad experience, Phelicia talks candidly about taking in aspects of each location and really becoming a part of the way of life in each community. We also touch on intersections between race, gender and age and how that impacted her experience as well.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Devin Walker, Director of Global Leadership and Social Impact at the University of Texas at Austin. Devin is also the CEO and founder of The World Walker Foundation, a 501(c) (3), which provides educational and financial resources to help students of the African diaspora participate in service-learning trips to the African diaspora.

Early travel experiences facilitated by his parents spurred his interest in people and places. He says with each trip his confidence grew as a result of the exposure he gained a new outlook on the world. During this episode, Dr. Walker takes us on a journey not only through his multiple study abroad experiences, but through his self-reflective process as well. You’re in for a treat!

We also discuss Dr. Walker’s research on Black male division 1 student athletes. A personal experience led to his dissertation that examined the intersection of race, sports, and education among this unique group of students. He says their study abroad experiences offered an opportunity for students to examine their identities from a lens that is separate from their athletic affiliations in their home country.

Lastly, he shares some tips for creating inclusive study abroad programs!

• Relationships are important!
• Telling students why they need to study abroad and then get to the how!
• When creating programs, think outside of the box when promoting study abroad especially as it relates to students with limited or no experience with travel.
• Be flexible and open to responding to students’ needs.

Stay in touch with Dr. Walker:

This was an exciting first for STAMPED; this episode was done live! 

Moving abroad comes with a lot of adjustments. From learning a new language to making new friends the early days can be a bit traumatic. In Part II of Facing Fears Kenny describes his early experiences living in China and the adjustments he had to make to successfully navigate his new home.

Towards the end of the convo, we dive into his entrepreneurial journey. It’s one thing to start your own business in the States, but could you imagine starting one in a foreign country? Well Kenny used his skills in education, policy, and HR to open a consulting and management company where he helps people prepare for work related relocation as well as local students who seek to relocate abroad for educational purposes. His business recently celebrated its 1 year anniversary!

I met Henrietta (Henrie) while teaching in China nearly five years ago and I'm so delighted we've remained in contact. She has a lovely spirit and it definetly shines through on this episode. 

Henrie's  experiences working in a bank highlighted the language barriers that existed between employees and foreign visitors. Recognizing this gap in service led her to research teaching English abroad. Initial findings related to being Black in China deterred her, but years later she revisited the idea and followed through...a decision that would lead her to teaching English in Shenzhen, China. 

During the interview we discuss the application and training process related to teaching English as a Second Language as well as her transition to life in China. Yes we cover the well documented experiences of having your photo taken or being stared at, but we also discuss the interesting facets of identity abroad. 

Our first guest of 2021, Courtney Tucker, brings us a unique twist on travel and sports and how these efforts combined led to a budding new business!

Courtney began playing fastpitch around age 10. Family vacations soon merged into travel associated with softball tournaments! Participating in travel softball teams led to opportunities to play the sport she loved while seeing other parts of the U.S.

In this episode we talk about balancing athletics and academics and the importance of building a relationship with faculty to ensure smooth transitions during the seasons. We also discuss her international travel opportunities to play sports. Courtney traveled abroad for softball…twice! Her first trip took her to Germany, Amsterdam, and Holland and in 2008, she traveled to France, Amsterdam, and Holland. Playing against teams from Puerto Rico and Switzerland was cool, but seeing the Louvre ranked as a top tourist experience for her!

She got her start in collegiate coaching through s a graduate assistantship. Her experiences coaching opened her eyes to gaps that existed in the game of softball. This led to the creation of her new business Green Leopard Sports (GLS), a softball development company. GLS currently provides one-on-one lessons for softball players at all levels. Recognizing mental toughness as a need, her company differentiates itself by focusing on the mental aspects of the game in addition to fundamental skills needed to be an all-around player.

In an effort to diversity in softball, Courtney is building a nonprofit, Diamond Life, which seeks to help underrepresented female youth in the sport of softball.

Growing up in a military family, traveling was something Alieshia was accustomed to doing, so when the opportunities presented itself in the form of a high school trip to Paris, she jumped at the opportunity. Once in college, she knew she wanted to travel to a Spanish speaking country, but hadn't thought about doing so to earn academic credit. Fortunately, a representative came to one of her classes to talk about a study abroad program to Panama. This presentation coupled with insights she gained from previous participants was enough to seal the deal! During the summer after her junior year, she was able to study abroad again in Trinidad and Tobago. As luck would have it this experience would lead to a chance to go from participant to study abroad assistant at which point she was able to assist with the recruitment, planning, and in country experiences for undergraduate students! Find out more about her exciting experiences in today's episode! 

For more of Alieshia's Adventures, be sure to follow her using the info below!

Instagram: @AlieshiasAdventures

Have you ever looked at a business name and wondered "how'd they come up with that or what does that mean"? 

I think this all the time, so today I'm letting you in on the back story of Travel Gene LLC. Learn what inspired the company and the meaning behind the name. 

In this episode, you'll learn about our new project!

I’m so excited to announce that Travel Gene LLC is launching the first ever course on Black travel. Think of it as the really cool elective class you needed, but wasn’t offered in school (If it was let me know; I want to check it out)! Because we're piloting the program, we're offering it at a discounted rate. We're looking for between 5-10 participants for round 1. 

This course is for you if you work in international education, the tourism industry (DMOs, Tourism boards, etc) or you're simply interested in this topic! To learn more schedule an inquiry by emailing Ms. Charis Tucker at CharisT18@gmail.com. 

Sometimes I’m still amazed at the connections you can make via social media, which is exactly how I became acquainted with our new guest, Tyler Janeé. Her early travel experiences started with family RV trips. A trip to Jamaica sparked her interest in international travel and for years she's been making it happen by any means necessary!

In high school, a study abroad advisor visited her class to talk about collegiate study abroad opportunities (how cool)! From that point on, she knew study abroad was something she wanted to do. Once enrolled at Clark Atlanta University, she made her way to the study abroad office. After weighing her options, she decided on a program in Costa Rica! The program representative for International Studies Abroad assisted her with the enrollment, choosing a home stay family, and so much more.

The first episode from our “Chat from the field” series was phenomenal! In this episode we discuss Noelle’s early travel experiences to visit family in Jamaica and of course we debrief her experience studying abroad on a faculty led program to South Africa. 

We also dig into our early experiences in international education. Be sure to listen for the incredible moment we shared recognizing we experienced similar situations as new international educators. (The power of storytelling!)

Lastly we discuss what life has been like as an international educator in the midst of COVID-19 and the role of virtual/remote learning opportunities. 

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Episode Resources

Faculty-led Program - a study abroad program in which at least one faculty member from the home institution accompanies students abroad (Forum on Education Abroad, n.d.).  

I had the pleasure of interviewing a dear friend, Mr. Kenneth A. Taylor, Jr. As evidence in our 3 hour conversation, he and I had a LOT of catching up to do. 

It was such a pleasure to interview recent Virginia Tech graduate, Casey Molina. 

At Tech, Casey majored in Journalism and International Relations. When she began college she thought "studying abroad was out of reach", but with persistence and assistance from her Global Education Office, she was able to make it happen...more than once! 

Now Casey can add Fulbright recipient to her list of accomplishments. She is currently serving as a teaching assistant in the Canary Islands and is working on a documentary about environmental mindfulness. 

This incredibly self-reflective episode is one you don't want to miss! 

Episode Mentions:

Qadira is our first guest of 2020 and trust us, you don't want to miss any of this! She openly shares how her family, friends and local businesses came together to make her dreams of studying abroad come true. You'll hear how these early international experiences shaped the trajectory of her life, so much so that studying abroad was a huge reason for choosing her university! Learn how she navigated everyone else's concerns about locations around the world and pushed forward to immerse herself in German culture. 

Resources mentioned in this episode. 

Note: These links are not affiliates. 

In this episode, I sit down with JaNell, who studied abroad during her school's May Term. 

Note: At her school-Mary Baldwin University, May Term is a three week session after the end of the spring semester when students have the opportunity to focus on a concentrated course that generally meets every day. During this time faculty can lead a course abroad.

JaNell said she’d seen the flyers around campus and knew about the places offered for study abroad but never considered it an opportunity for herself until her school’s financial aid office suggested study abroad as an option for usage of remaining funds. When she followed up with the faculty leader of the program, she found out that she could actually complete the requirements needed to obtain the Spanish minor and with that she was sold on the experience!

During our discussion JaNell shares information on practically balancing safety concerns while abroad, staying connected, and how patience served her well during her time abroad. 

You've Been STAMPED!

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Be sure to follow the fun on social media:

IG: @TravelGeneLLC

Facebook @STAMPEDbyTravelGene

In this episode, we welcomed STAMPED guest, Shayla Spruill who had her mind set on studying abroad in Japan since the 6th grade. She was so sure about this decision that she wrote out her goal and stuck it to her refrigerator for the entire family to see! Her junior year of college, that refrigerator goal became a reality when she applied and was accepted to become an exchange student at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. 

She made it a point to apply for funding to support her study abroad experience. Between her mom’s list of scholarship options (thanks mom) and her tenacity to push through every application (including the essays) she earned 3 major awards to support her time abroad.