The World Is Yours: 4 Ways That Studying Abroad Can Help Blacks & Latinos Professionally
Anthony Jewett knows the value of studying abroad. While growing up, he participated in numerous academic foreign exchange programs, and now he’s founded the Bardoli Global Foundation to help a new generation of black, Latino and Native American students see the world and all it has to offer. With many African American students uncertain of their future in this unsteady job market, an exchange program may be the perfect alternative to immediately entering the workforce — or if you’re heading to college, it can be a great way to gain some professional skills that will be an asset as you strive to set yourself apart from other applicants.
1.Expanded Horizons
“Our kids have a different worldview, they have a different understanding of what is possible and what is necessary for their lives. They have increased self-confidence.”
2.Professional Relationship Skills
“They learn more about how to work with different people—people who have different backgrounds than their own.”
3.More Prepared For A Cooperative Environment
“[They] learn how to be successful … in groups. We practice a lot of professional preparedness because our kids do internships the summer after their summer abroad.”
4.Leadership and Community
“Our students return from their time abroad and they do community service projects. … We’re creating the young people who will lead communities of color in the 21st century.”
“When I started, this was all theory,” explains Jewett. “I knew what international education exchange had done for me at 15 years old, growing up in a housing project and then spending a summer in Africa. So I thought that it would do the same thing for other kids. Now I know that it works!” –todd williams
