Be A Global Citizen!

I had a blast learning more about my fellow colleague at Dwight Global, Renata Nikolayev. She has traveled the world, learned numerous languages, and expanded her sense of global citizenship through varied professional tracks and experiences. Currently, she works as the Associate Director of Curriculum & Instruction/ Head of World Languages at Dwight Global. Enjoy our wonderful conversation about how a mindset of global citizenship can lead individuals to cultivate a deeper sense of empathy, promote language learning as a valued tool within our globalized society, and instill a curious mind to go beyond one's local environment. 

I had the great pleasure of talking with Rebecca Tarlau about her thoughts on global citizenship. She is the associate professor of adult education and labor and employment relations at Penn State University. With a deep sense of social justice, extensive research in social movements, and an upbringing in activism, she talks about how her work is tied to and interwoven into liberatory practices and pedagogies. She brings into the conversation some insights from Brazilian social movements that serve to illustrate how education and critical awareness play a role in cultivating one's own perception as a global citizen. Enjoy!   

I spoke with another incredible staff member from Minerva University. Fatou Badiane-Toure is the Director of Outreach at Minerva, and she is from Senegal. Her curiosity and ambition has taken her around the world to places such as the United States and China. In her pioneering work at Minerva, she took the lead in conceptualizing and later implementing how student's experience in another country would be one of genuine engagement, rather than tourism. She has worked hard to build a global network to attract students from all walks of life, in different places around the world. Check out what Fatou has to say about global citizenship! Enjoy!

This is the seventh installment of the interview series called 'Foster the GCs.' I spoke with Subina Thapaliya who is a recent graduate of SUA from the class of 2022. Subina is from Nepal, and has bold aspirations to further her interests in global development and sustainability in graduate school. At the moment, she is working in two different departments on campus. She shares her insights on what the mission statement represents to her and how this informs what she plans to do post-SUA to live a contributive life as a global citizen. Enjoy! 

I'm happy to share this wonderful conversation I had with Ken Kimura about global citizenship! Ken is a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He shares about his upbringing in Alaska and the ways in which different opportunities and state policies led to his growth. His research at Harvard focuses on the history of higher education, and Ken comes from a finance and management background. Enjoy! 

This is the sixth installment of my new interview series called 'Foster the GCs.' Today, I'm joined by Hiro Sakai who is the Executive Assistant to the President at Soka University of America. For almost three decades, Hiro has been supporting the development of the University in different capacities as a language teacher, admin staff, and executive assistant to the President. I appreciate and respect his long-time commitment to the ideals of SUA. Hiro shares some thoughts about what makes SUA unique and special, based on its values and principles. Please enjoy listening to his insights about SUA's mission statement!

This is the fifth installment of my new interview series called 'Foster the GCs.' Today, I'm joined by Jessie Ramirez who is a graduate student in Soka University of America's MA program, Educational Leadership and Societal Change. Jessie shares a great deal about his identity and mission to overcome climate injustices and act as a planetary steward for future generations. Jessie also shares an upcoming initiative on campus to create transformative community spaces for dialogue. Please enjoy listening to his insights!

I'm very happy to speak with Laura Balbuena for today's episode of GC talks. Laura is the executive director of the Fulbright commission in Peru. I first met Laura, or Lali, in 2014 when I did my study abroad program in the Peruvian capital of Lima. At that time, Lali was the director of the study abroad program through Butler University. I learned so much from this experience and, in large part, that is thanks to Laura's dedicated efforts to support and inspire our cohort to experience Peruvian culture from different perspectives and sensitivities. Her academic and cultural journey is fascinating, and one that definitely embodies what it means to be a global citizen. Enjoy our conversation!  

This is the fourth installment of my new interview series called 'Foster the GCs.' Today, I'm joined by Margaret Kasahara who is the Associate Director of International Student Services at Soka University of America. As a pioneer staff, Margaret has seen the development of the university from its early construction years in 2000. Together with her experience living and studying abroad in different countries, she has been able to draw from these experiences in ways that deepen her connection to the international students who attend SUA. Please enjoy listening to her insights about SUA's mission statement! 

How do immigrants find jobs in Lima? What impediments does inequality create for marginalized peoples in urban spaces? And how can global citizenship provide a lens for understanding these populations? These are a few broad questions that were discussed in my amazing conversation about global citizenship with Meylin Gonzalez Huaman. Meylin is a PhD student in sociology at Harvard University. She is interested in areas such as immigration, gender, and inequality. Check out our conversation and enjoy!