Study abroad shapes lives of meaning

Center for Global Education and Experience

Since 1982 and with locations in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Namibia, and Nicaragua, Augsburg has provided thousands of people cross-cultural educational opportunities that foster critical analysis of local and global conditions and challenge students鈥� perceptions about global justice and human rights.

Nationally recognized with various awards for its work in experiential and educational travel opportunities, the center most recently won a 2014 award for Best Practices in International Education Exchange from NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. NASPA seeks to recognize domestic and international colleagues and institutions for exceptional work related to international higher education.

Meet our experts

ERIC CANNY

Eric Canny is the dean of global education at Augsburg College. Prior to joining Augsburg, he was executive director of International Learning at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla. He has held international leadership positions at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. He received his bachelor鈥檚 in fine arts and master鈥檚 in education from New York University in New York City. He is completing his doctorate in global executive leadership with a focus on higher education at the University of Southern California, Rossier鈥檚 School of Education in Los Angeles.

BRUCE SHOEMAKER 鈥�81

Bruce Shoemaker, a metro-urban studies and sociology major, studied in Cuernavaca, Mexico, in 1980. This experience led to more than 30 years of international development work in Southeast Asia where he has focused on natural resource conflict issues by helping local communities resist the loss and exploitation of their land, rivers, and forests by outside investors and companies.

STEPHEN HINDLE 鈥�89

Stephen Hindle, a history major, studied in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and in Nicaragua and Honduras during 1988. Today, he is the director of Asia Pacific at Pearson Clinical and Talent Assessment where he oversees staff across five countries, developing models to explain talent management issues for clients and also developing and executing solutions to solve organizational problems.

聽Auggies discover their calling around the globe

IN A STUDY BY THE INSTITUTE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION OF STUDENTS, two-thirds of 17,000 alumni surveyed credit their education abroad with influencing their lives by opening up an interest in or passion for another culture. It鈥檚 that passion that leads students to lifelong careers in global work.

鈥淵ou should follow your passion,鈥� Eric Canny, Augsburg dean of global education, confirmed. 鈥淚 always say I 鈥榝ell into鈥� global [education]. But I think it鈥檚 critically important for students鈥� academic and personal growth to study abroad.鈥�

Bruce Shoemaker 鈥�81 believes that not only does studying abroad create an interest in global work, but it also helps graduates obtain that work. 鈥淗aving international experience lets employers know that you have challenged yourself; that you have stepped outside of your comfort zone鈥攄one something innovative, creative, and new,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is one of those things that allows you to broaden your perspectives and鈥攊n my case鈥攂ring about social change.鈥�

That experience helps students to get ahead in life, too. 鈥淣ever stop asking questions鈥ecognizing assumptions, evaluating arguments, and drawing the correct conclusions,鈥� Stephen Hindle 鈥�89 said. 鈥淚 learned this through my experiences studying abroad and that is why I have dedicated my life to teaching in one form or another.鈥�

So, we wanted to know, if studying abroad so dramatically shaped the lives of these Auggie alumni, what influence could it have on current and future college students鈥� career paths?

We asked our experts.

How studying abroad can….

聽Help support vocational discernment

鈥淪tudying abroad didn鈥檛 help me to discern my vocation, it literally became my vocation. I was just really into traveling,

and THE INTERNATIONAL WORK GRIPPED ME AND BECAME MY CAREER. My participation鈥ed to a lifelong interest in international development and justice issues.鈥� 鈥揝贬翱贰惭础碍贰搁

鈥淎s I studied and traveled through Mexico, Nicaragua, and Honduras, I realized that I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING THAT WOULD HELP OTHERS reach their goals and fulfill their potential.鈥� 鈥揌滨狈顿尝贰

鈥淭HERE OFTEN IS NO OTHER EXPERIENCE IN COLLEGE THAT WILL BE AS TRANSFORMATIONAL AS STUDY ABROAD. WE NEED TO REACH STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT JUST INTERESTED IN A VACATION ABROAD, BUT IN THE SOCIAL JUSTICE FOCUS, WHO MAY NOT REALIZE WHAT ALL THEIR OPPORTUNITIES ARE.鈥� 鈥揅础狈狈驰

Ignite an interest in global work

鈥淚T OPENED MY EYES TO THE WORLD outside of the United States. It made me realize that people around the world have similar desires and needs, and helped me understand that we can make a difference if we put our minds to it and work in a cooperative manner with the people living in the areas that need assistance.鈥� 鈥揌滨狈顿尝贰

鈥淚 would challenge anyone to find a career that isn鈥檛 somehow global today. It doesn鈥檛 matter what you do, there is probably somehow a global connection. Even if you don鈥檛 work in global鈥攕tudying abroad helps students to gain those sought-after 鈥榮oft skills鈥� that can apply to any major.鈥� 鈥揅础狈狈驰

鈥淪TUDYING IN CUERNAVACA, MEXICO, WAS EYE OPENING鈥擡SPECIALLY LEARNING ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES ON AN INTERNATIONAL SCALE. WE LIVED WITH VERY POOR FAMILIES IN LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS AND GOT A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY WERE FACING, INCLUDING THINGS LIKE INEQUALITY AND SOCIAL INJUSTICE.鈥� 鈥揝贬翱贰惭础碍贰搁

Translate across cultures

鈥淥NE IMPORTANT SKILL I GAINED WAS CRITICAL ANALYSIS. WHEN LIVING IN ANOTHER CULTURE, YOU NEED TO DO A LOT OF REAL THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU鈥橰E BEING TOLD VERSUS WHAT THE REALITY IS. ADDITIONALLY, IT HELPED ME TO DEVELOP A CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING, REFINE COMMUNICATION SKILLS, AND LEARN TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE AND PERSPECTIVES FROM OTHER CULTURES.鈥� 鈥揝贬翱贰惭础碍贰搁

鈥淏eing a middle-class boy from a small town in Minnesota, I really had no understanding of other cultures. And yet, after all my travels around the globe, it still strikes me as fascinating how children play the same games, parents fear and rejoice over their children in similar ways, and WE ALL STRIVE FOR THE SAME THINGS.鈥� 鈥揌滨狈顿尝贰

鈥淧EOPLE WHO STUDY ABROAD KNOW HOW TO READ PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY鈥橰E USED TO READING THE INTERPRETATION OF DIFFERENT CULTURES. IT鈥橲 ABOUT HAVING AN 鈥極PENNESS TO THE OTHER.鈥� YOU DON鈥橳 HAVE TO GO ABROAD TO BE EXPOSED TO DIVERSITY. LOOK AT AUGSBURG鈥橲 INTENTIONAL DIVERSITY鈥擨NTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ON THIS CAMPUS HELP GIVE THE CLASSROOM A TRULY GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE.鈥� 鈥揅础狈狈驰

Develop skills for the workforce

鈥淚 LEARNED RESPECT鈥攆or myself, but more importantly for others. I learned that life is not fair but that with hard work, a good idea, and luck you can sometimes turn things around. I learned that information is key鈥攍earn as much as you can about your surroundings.鈥� 鈥揌滨狈顿尝贰

鈥淪TUDYING ABROAD IS REALLY CHALLENGING.Individuals who study abroad usually have great interview skills; they know how to navigate complex situations; it can increase their sense of self worth and their survival skills.鈥� 鈥揅础狈狈驰

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