This Thanksgiving we're thankful for the time this year gave us to reflect on what's important, be grateful for travel and the many cultures that make up our world, and to find a renewed sense of wanderlust and passion for study abroad. We can’t wait to help you see the world, hopefully someday soon. In the meantime, check out some of these Thanksgiving-inspired pieces from across the web and give yourself a little global escape today.
This week we’ve been thinking about our connectedness a lot. In fact, it’s one of the biggest things study abroad teaches us: we have so many more commonalities than we do differences, and that our shared human experience on a global scale is real.
Congratulations to our 2020 IES Abroad Ambassadors of the Year: Emily Peterson (IES Abroad Vienna, Spring 2018 | University of North Texas) and Macy Putman (IES Abroad Sydney, Spring 2018 | Penn State University).
This week we're spotlighting the experience of finding your independence, which is pretty much a guarantee when you study abroad. And whether you go abroad in search of becoming more self-sufficient, or it's thrust upon you by chance after getting lost in your host city, finding your inner strength is a real confidence booster.
We know it's been a tough time lately, but remember, you can't have a rainbow without the rain shower! It's time to get out (as much as you can) and open up your eyes to the simpler things that can brighten your day. For us, a pop of COLOR is one of those simpler things. Tune in to our newsletter this week as we dive into the color edition.
This activism-centered edition of our Future-Focused Friday newsletter features students, staff, and alumni who have carried on the belief of our founders: that study abroad can be a catalyst for peace.
We are excited to announce good news about the IES Abroad Charles Merrill, Jr. Scholarship Fund! We have just surpassed the threshold amount of $50,000 in gifts and pledges, and will soon endow this special fund. Through the Fund, IES Abroad will begin to award study abroad scholarships to students from Morehouse College and Spelman College to study abroad on any of our programs around the world.
This month, while we continue to push for progress in the Black Lives Matter movement, we also proudly celebrate our LGBTQ+ students, staff, and friends. Just like we said in our Pride video, in case you don't hear it enough.
In June 2020, Michael McRobbie, the President of Indiana University, awarded IES Abroad a Bicentennial Medal for its leadership in the field of study abroad.
On June 4, 2020, the Forum on Education Abroad's Forum News focused on "Anti-Racism & Social Justice in Education Abroad", a series of thought pieces from their colleagues of color, in the study abroad field. In this edition, they featured an essay from IES Abroad Assistant Vice President of Diversity Recruiting & Advising, Gretchen Cook-Anderson titled "Channeling Study Abroad as an Instrument of Social Justice & Equity in a Post-Pandemic World"—read her powerful statement.
As we mourn the death of George Floyd and those before him, we must remember there is no progress in silence. There is no justice that comes from retreat and stillness.
The essence of what we do through study abroad is part of a long-term antidote to systemic racism—opening minds and questioning established beliefs.
Now is the time for us all to further educate ourselves, to challenge our assumptions, to call our leaders, to support our communities, to learn, listen, and act.
