What position do you hold at ELAP? What has been your career path so far?
I am the Program Manager for service-learning and internship opportunities in Chile and Spain. After studying abroad I found a sense of community at the Office of International Education at the University of Colorado Boulder, which helped me manage my reverse culture shock. I was a peer advisor in the study abroad office and after graduation, I continued to work as an assistant to a Program Manager before going to Colombia to teach English through WorldTeach.
After completing my first year, despite the challenges I realized how unbelievably rewarding teaching was and fell in love with Colombia. I decided to stay another year to teach English at a language institute. In January 2013, I moved straight from Manizales, Colombia to Austin, Texas to start my career at ISA as a Student Services Representative. I transitioned into the role of an ELAP Program Manager in September 2013, and I continue to learn and grow at ISA and ELAP.
Did YOU study abroad?! If so, where and what inspired you to go?
Of course I studied abroad! My mom studied abroad her senior year in Rome, Italy, and it was, and still is, a big part of her life. Based on her experiences and stories I was intrigued by the idea of studying abroad as a freshman. My goals for this experience were to find an opportunity to study geography in a new, fresh way outside of the confines of a traditional classroom and in a country and culture that was different than anything I knew. The opportunity to do field and independent research in natural and cultural ecology is what led me to my program in Can Tho, Viet Nam. Can Tho is a small (by Vietnamese standards) town of roughly 1.2 million people in the beautiful Mekong Delta, about a 5-hour bus ride South of Saigon.
Why is language learning and cultural immersion important to you?
Saying that Vietnamese was difficult for me to learn would be an understatement. I unfortunately don’t see a bright future for me and tonal languages. However, studying intensive Vietnamese in Viet Nam taught me so much more than how to count to ten. It taught me to be persistent, patient, to be able to laugh at my own mistakes, and to make a concerted effort to speak the national language of the country where I was a visitor. This type of mindset allowed me to successfully immerse myself in the city of Can Tho. I made Vietnamese friends, connected more with my homestay family, more often than not ordered banh mi sandwiches the way I intended to, joked with my favorite vegetable vendor at the nightly farmer’s market, was invited to sing karaoke with my students, and more readily received help from strangers when my bike chain fell off in the middle of a busy highway.
How have you changed/grown since working for ISA?
As an ELAP Program Manager, I am responsible for advising students, processing applications, creating relationships with advisors and faculty, communicating with our on-site staff in Chile and Spain to ensure that our ELAP participants are succeeding in their programs, and reviewing all ELAP portfolio materials.
Through these varied responsibilities, I have learned how to multi-task, utilize my attention to detail, develop my time management skills, apply my Spanish language skills with our on-site staff, navigate college campuses, and both collaborate on group projects and complete projects independently. Similarly to a study abroad or work abroad experience, I am challenged to always be prepared and adapt at a moment’s notice.
What does the future hold for ELAP - any exciting new programs to share?
ELAP had a busy 2013 and is poised to have an even stronger year in 2014. We have new programs in Mumbai and Malavli, India, Florence, Italy, Amman, Jordan and Valencia, Spain. In addition to these new locations ELAP recently partnered with Carroll College to offer academic credit for select service-learning programs. Through this partnership, Carroll College will offer a U.S. transcript and award 1-6 credits for participating in select ELAP service-learning placements.