Congratulations to all of our student workers who will be graduating in May. This cohort of unsung heroes has been a tremendous help to the GTI programs and staff, and they will be greatly missed as they move on to the next chapter of their lives.
Sara Harb, M.Ed. Higher Education Administration
I served as a graduate assistant for the Winter 2024 GEARS program. My primary responsibility was helping with the online GEARS program, along with some programming for the campus program. It was my first experience working with international students, which was the most enjoyable part of my time at GTI! It was great meeting students from abroad and strengthening my cultural competence. Since it was my first time working with international students, I definitely felt shy when meeting the students and had to work on getting out of my shell. I had to learn to be a leader in some cases, which was beneficial for my professional development!
What did you learn about your own culture and/or your cultural competence?
I learned that if I want to work in the field of international higher education, I definitely need to work on immersing myself in international experiences and do more research on cultural values of other countries. As a result in starting out as a graduate assistant for GTI, I actually took the Developing Cultural Competency course with GTI this past semester as an additional enrichment opportunity.
What are your plans post-graduation?
I am still in the job-searching process right now, but I aspire to enter the field of international higher education and work in a study abroad office some day!
Victoria Nirean, MIS (Master of International Studies)
I was a DCC Facilitator and Programs Assistant with the GTI and enjoyed the connections I have made with other students from all over the world. I also enjoyed working with people with different cultural, educational, and work experience backgrounds. One of the challenges I have made progress on and still yet to overcome is confidence in facilitating. I have learned so much from the co-facilitators throughout the two years. I was able to apply those skills, it made me more comfortable and confident in facilitating.
What did you learn about your own culture and/or your cultural competence?
Something that I learned about my own cultural competence is that there was still a lot I needed to expand on. Culture is not limited to just my home country, tradition, familial values, etc. but it expands to the classroom, work, and other places and contexts.
What are your plans post-graduation?
I plan to work in an organization/institution where I can do something similar to what I do at GTI. It has been an amazing experience and I never imagined that the work I do would have such an impact on what I want to do in the future and the work environment I want to be in.
Dylan Thompson, MIS (Master of International Studies)
I worked as a DCC Facilitator and Programs Assistant with the GTI and enjoyed working with international students. There were education hurdles for me to overcome, but I believe I succeeded in becoming a good facilitator and leader.
What did you learn about your own culture and/or your cultural competence?
I have gained a much better awareness as to what American culture(s) is and have gained a lot of valuable knowledge on various cultures that I have had the pleasure to interact and learn from.
What are your plans post-graduation?
Find a job in the Raleigh-Durham area preferably in higher education or qualitative research.
- Categories:
