Why push outside the comfort zone? Jorge Ramirez takes us from his joyful childhood in Colombia, the simple pleasures of small town living and his fond memories around sports, to how and why he decided to turn his passion for sports into his vocation. A recent grad from Columbia University's Masters program in Sports Management, Jorge shared with me the important elements he wants to focus on within the sports industry - gender, fairness, social impact, growth -  and how he sees himself translating them to the sports space in Latin America.

From Norway to NYC to London to Stockholm, Maren Eline Markussen’s story is one that is - like her - in constant forward motion. From her safe and cold childhood in Norway, Maren told me all about her dreams of becoming an actress, and how even through visa struggles and work challenges, she has never lost sight of her goals and how important they are to her. This is a story that will make you laugh and inspire you to take a chance on yourself, just like Maren has time and time again. To fail and pick yourself up, re-invent yourself and re-define what success really means to you.

Álvaro García Maldonado grew up in Marbella, Spain, playing sports outside in the sunshine with his twin brother and younger brother, waking up every morning looking accross at the African continent. They grew up knowing, quite directly that there was a huge world out there, that there were hundreds of different ways of understanding life, exposed very early to multiculuralism. It's no surprise they all ended up abroad, and in Álvaro's case specifically: in Africa. Listen to find out what took him there and how it was a turning point for him and also how he ended up here, in NY, studying Sports Management at Columbia University?

How did a Bosnian learn to speak Spanish? In one of the most unbelievable stories of hardship and success, this week Enisa shared with me all about her journey immigrating to the US to work as an Au Pair Nanny for a wealthy family in the Hamptons, and why she stayed here. She recounts the memories she has of growing up in the Bosnian war and how it shaped her as a person and goes into the shock and joy it was to come to New York as a young Muslim in her early twenties. Her story is one of heartache, determination, courage and hope. 

Between his unusually supportive family and the unique grassroots sport he picked as an obsession, Nishaad's story is nothing short of impressive. Growing up in India, we get to hear about how untraditional his upbringing was within his culture, very un-academic and immersed at an early age in Table Tennis - or Ping-pong as some know it. Nishaad's obsession soon became a career in the sport and his talent at it took him far, even as much as to represent his country, all with a value system at home that encouraged a mantra of "do whatever you love, but do it 100%". Find out what happened to the table-tennis career, what advice Nishaad would give to young peers and what it was like for him to immigrate to NYC. 

What used to be NYIT International is now The Globe for Good Podcast: A journey to highlight the incredible and courageous stories of immigrants to the US from all walks of life and hailing from all corners of the planet. Join me, Emily Tafur - your host - as I dig curiously into the stories of athletes, students, parents, artists, laborers and more to find out what the "American Dream" really looks like in the 21st Century and to learn about international cultures from all over the globe! In this re-launch episode we learn how the transition came about, the main goals and backstory of the podcast and get a quick teaser into some of the exciting characters we'll get to meet in this first season. Welcome all!  

With some tropical fruit, relaxation and island vibes, Sasha Duff closes out the second season of NYIT International for us. A PR and Advertising student at NYIT’s Manhattan campus, Sasha shares her memories of warmer times, fine sandy beaches and climbing fruit trees. Learn about her home country Trinidad and Tobago with me, its geography, cuisine and culture. Not making any promises but you may be personally invited to island carnival by the end of it, just saying - stick around! 

The COVID 19 pandemic has affected all areas of life and society, of that there is no doubt. With NY Tech being shut down (including the dorms) I couldn’t help but wonder how international students are handling all of this? Where are they settled in for the quarantine? Are they able to return to their home country and if not, for whatever reason, how are they dealing with isolation, loneliness and uncertainty? In this special edition Episode, I share the experiences of 4 of my past podcast guests who all are enduring this crisis differently: Ofentse Kwenaite from South Africa, Puja Rani Das from India, Anne-Sophie Ducloux from France and Lucie Delrue from Italy/France.

“I can’t believe you have ______ *Insert standard, global phenomenon here* (High school musical, the Disney channel, Nickelodeon, malls) in your country!” As international students, we’ve all gotten some insane statement like this at some point. Leanisa Paulino from the Dominican Republic actually began her venture into the English language with the help of pop culture sensations like High School Musical and Justin Bieber. She immigrated to the US with her family when she was just a teen and it changed the course of her education and her life. Join us for a quarantined, transatlantic chat, where we cover what it’s like being a High School Student in NYC, accents, picking a college major and more!

Yup, just as you read it, "THE" Gambia, make sure not to call her country plain 'Gambia' or to call it 'small' or Adam Lee Bah - our resident Gambian student -  will be correcting you. In this episode of NYIT International, Lee tries to explain some of the deep-rooted West African practices she grew up with, while reminiscing on all the good, the bad and the ugly parts of her childhood there. She shares courageously on difficult topics like feminism and female genital mutilation, as well as sheds some knowledge, hope and light on what it means to be an ambitious African female leader and media-maker. 

**Warning, explicit content - may not be appropriate for younger audiences.