Category Archives: News & Updates

Director’s Message – Fall 2023

All us in Study Abroad & Away (SAA) hope that the start of the fall 2023 semester is off to a great start. The SAA team has been keeping busy over the summer and into the fall, developing new programs and helping students find the right study abroad program to further their intellectual and personal growth. We encourage all of you, students, staff, and faculty, to attend our Study Abroad Fair on Thursday, September 28th to learn about these many opportunities. You can see more information about this event here.

We are happy to report that in summer 2023, we successfully launched 17 faculty-led programs in which faculty took over 210 students to 13 countries with faculty from 3 colleges. We would like to recognize the faculty champions who worked tirelessly to make these opportunities possible for our students: 

  • Lynne Andonian (Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health and Human Sciences)
  • Dan Brook (Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, College of Social Sciences)
  • Elizabeth Carroll (Department of Art and Art History, College of Humanities and the Arts)
  • Irene Carvajal (Department of Art and Art History, College of Humanities and the Arts)
  • Megan Chang (Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health and Human Sciences)
  • Seung Ho Chang (Department of Kinesiology, College of Health and Human Sciences)
  • Danijela Dudley (Department of Political Science, College of Social Sciences)
  • Alison George (Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health and Human Sciences)
  • Tabitha Hart (Department Communication Studies, College of Social Sciences)
  • Mary Juno (Department of Justice Studies, College of Social Sciences)
  • Kristine Kirkendall (Department of Kinesiology, College of Health and Human Sciences)
  • Christine Ma-Kellams (Department of Psychology, College of Social Sciences)
  • Kasuen Mauldin (Department of Nutrition, Food Science & Packaging, College of Health and Human Sciences)
  • Sung Jay Ou (Department of Anthropology, Department of Environmental Studies, College of Social Sciences)
  • Giselle Pignotti (Department of Nutrition, Food Science & Packaging, College of Health and Human Sciences)
  • Deepa Singamsetti (Department of Nutrition, Food Science & Packaging, College of Health and Human Sciences)
  • Gigi Smith (Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health and Human Sciences) 
  • Susan Trimingham (Department of Art and Art History, College of Humanities and the Arts)
  • Andrew Wood (Department Communication Studies, College of Social Sciences)

This fall 2023, we will have 83 students abroad in 17 countries. We are already seeing an increase in the number of applications for exchange for spring 2024. In the past academic year, we have had a few Gilman scholarship recipients. They are: 

  • Rahel Adebabay (Global Studies, College of Social Sciences)
  • Peter Domingo (Art/Studio Practice, College of Humanities and the Arts)
  • Viridiana Galvez Garcia (Business Administration, College of Business)
  • Sophia Garske (Communication Studies, College of Social Sciences)
  • Amanda Harmon (Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Lisette Vasquez Perez (Forensic Science, College of Social Sciences)

Congratulations, we are so proud of you!

The SAA team continues to find innovative ways to promote global learning opportunities for our students, faculty, and staff successfully. To that end, the team successfully launched the Global Ambassador Program in spring 2023. You can read more information and highlights below. The team also relaunched the in-person pre-departure orientation and developed a re-entry course for study abroad returnees, as we continue to find ways to promote the reflection that is critical to any global experience. In addition, we transitioned to  a new website platform for current students and partners.

We are eager to (continue to) work with each and every one of you to find ways to broaden your global learning, teaching and service. Our commitment remains to promote a global ethos on campus and to move forward comprehensive internationalization as a priority for SJSU. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of the SAA team members with any questions or ideas by contacting them directly or by emailing spartansabroad@sjsu.edu.

In the meantime, we wish you continued success and the best of luck as you navigate the opportunities this fall 2023 semester!

Summer 2024 Faculty-Led Programs (FLP)

Thinking about joining one of our summer Faculty-Led Programs? Now is the time to start planning. Applications are due January 31! Many programs are open to all majors and several fulfill graduation requirements (check the Academics tab of a program for details on the course, prerequisites and requirements it will fulfill).

Asia & Oceania

Americas

 

Europe

More Info:

Check out all summer 2024 faculty-led programs here.

Spring 2024 Deadlines Extended

We are extending the Spring 2024 & Calendar Year 2024-2025 study abroad application deadlines for the following SJSU Exchange, CSU IP, and ISEP opportunities in many parts of the world. Please click on the links below to review the program brochures and apply by the respective new deadlines.

SJSU Exchange

CSU IP

ISEP

International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) is still accepting applications until October 1st, 15th, and November 1st for many of their direct enrolled universities in Argentina, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Scotland, South Korea, U.A.E, and many more.

Need to talk?

Book an appointment with Julie Lucas or Vidalino Raatior to discuss your options.

Scholarship to Study in Florence, Italy

Study in Florence Scholarship

Study in Florence ScholarshipDid you know that the County of Santa Clara has a Sister County relationship with the Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy to promote “intercultural and educational exchange between these regions.”? And did you know that every year they offer scholarships to SJSU students who are applying to study abroad in Florence, Italy for a full year? Did you know that SJSU students can study abroad for a full year on the SJSU-approved CSUIP Florence Center in Italy? If you want more information about the Florence program, please book an appointment with Julie Lucas (julie.lucas@sjsu.edu) at the SJSU Study Abroad & Away office.

For more information and application on the  scholarship, please visit the Santa Clara County website here.

Gilman Award: Rahel Adebabay

Rahel Adebabay

Congratulations to Rahel Adebabay, a Junior majoring in Global Studies and minoring in African American Studies, Legal Studies, and Philosophy who was one of two SJSU recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in the spring 2023 semester. Rahel will be studying at University College Dublin in the spring. Rahel is a Peer Mentor at Peer Connections and a Research Assistant at the African American Studies department. In her personal statement (see below), Rahel, who is proudly of Ethiopian heritage, wrote that she is “eager to embark on a new academic journey and determined to excel while utilizing my leadership abilities to contribute to the campus culture.”

Rahel’s Statement of Purpose

Participating in a study abroad program would profoundly benefit my experience as a Global Studies major. My interest in foreign relations stems from the desire to serve underrepresented groups, travel, and engage with different cultures. I want to utilize my degree to work towards my vision of building a prosperous, united Africa with access to basic needs, economic sustainability, and solid educational infrastructure. As I pursue such domains, the University College Dublin would be the perfect environment to develop the skills necessary to thrive in International Affairs. Not only will I engage in a curriculum directly related to my field, but like-minded individuals will also surround me. San Jose State University is traditionally a STEM-based school, and the student population majoring in International Affairs is slim. Seeing as though the University College Dublin is highly selective and recognized for its programs, I expect my experience to challenge me, academically and personally, as I know this will ultimately make me a well-rounded student and person. Through this program, I hope to gain a new perspective in which to view the world.

Although I consider myself open-minded, I believe traveling to Dublin, Ireland, and experiencing a non-American curriculum will allow me to decenter from an American political perspective. This is especially important as a scholar in the field of International relations because this will challenge my political beliefs, worldviews, and personal values. International Affairs cannot be seen from only one perspective, and acquiring added perspective will make me more analytical and critical in nature. Such attributes will make me an attractive candidate for my future educational pursuits and professional life. Through this experience, I desire to garner skills to become an effective communicator as I am cognizant of the number of people I will meet from various backgrounds with possible language and cultural barriers. Through this experience, I want to learn how to navigate those barriers in communication. This is especially important to me as I hope to work in the peace and war conflict sector, and through this experience, I can drastically improve my communication abilities.

 I believe studying abroad is more than just about academics. It includes studying rich cultures and engaging in diverse communities. I plan to use this cultural understanding to best inform me beyond this academic semester and my day-to-day life. I believe that I am a creative, open-minded student with excellent collaboration skills and a deep-rooted commitment to improving my community. At the University College Dublin, I am eager to embark on a new academic journey and determined to excel while utilizing my leadership abilities to contribute to the campus culture. These qualities prove I would be a great candidate for the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship program.

Apply For the Gilman Scholarship Now

Holiday Message from the Director

Dear students and campus colleagues,

Congratulations on reaching the end of the fall 2022 semester at SJSU! As I reflect on 2022, I must acknowledge that 2022 was a pivotal year for the Study Abroad and Away (SAA) team, as the COVID-19 pandemic took more of a “back seat” and we were able to resume student mobility across borders, enabling students and faculty to experience international opportunities in person. However, the virtual study abroad experiences continued to be an option. More specifically, over the past two years, the Virtual International Partners (VIP) program allowed many SJSU students to continue their meaningful cultural exchange experiences virtually. Through this program in 2022, we connected 586 SJSU students with 570 international students attending our partner institutions. 

Spring 2022 marked the slow relaunch of study abroad opportunities. In the 2021-22 academic year, we sent 194 students abroad, which encompasses 43 students to 6 countries on exchange programs, and 151 students on 11 faculty-led programs (FLPs) in summer 2022, after two years of hiatus. In fall 2022, we sent 47 exchange students to 14 countries for the semester and 19 students for the academic year. In January 2023, we will be sending 97 students to 6 different countries on faculty-led programs. And in spring 2023, we will be sending 85 students to 18 countries, bringing our total number of exchange students for 2022-2023 to 151, a record number and an increase of 25% since before the pandemic.

As for the SAA team, the year 2022 offered all of us ample opportunity to continue to pivot, to rethink, and to finetune our efforts to support all of you. We have a new team member, Courtney Anne Jackson, who has joined the small but mighty SAA team as a Program Specialist. I am delighted to report that we have an amazing team of advisors who are very student-centered and all of whom have had a wide range of intercultural experiences and backgrounds, making them even more motivated and dedicated to work toward your success. You can read more about our entire team by going here.  

Both new and seasoned SAA team members have worked tirelessly and diligently to serve and support all of you. We continued to think innovatively to engage you and to ensure that we were providing opportunities to continue to promote global learning for all. Just to list a few accomplishments in 2022:

  • We continued to provide advising in a hybrid mode within an expanded time frame, giving you the choice to meet with us either in-person or via zoom throughout each weekday.  
  • We continued to streamline our processes and policies and further developed the information on our website, easing the access to step by step information on deadlines, procedures, etc.
  • We have continued to strengthen our partnerships with campus constituents and partners, essential for the success of our students and our goals for campus internationalization.
  • We have continued to offer our events in a hybrid mode with a transition to a lot more in-person events this year, as we strive to build a robust community to support all of you here at SJSU. Our International Education Week (IEW) events this year were well attended by all.
  • We are grateful for all of your generous support for our new Dr. Ruth Huard Study Abroad Scholarship which launched on SJSU’s Day of Giving. The funds will support our equity-focused scholarship and programming.  To date, we have  raised $1,900. Donations are still being accepted here so please consider a contribution. 
  • Finally, we are thrilled to be able to continue to offer the Louie Barozzi scholarship. Please look for announcements in February 2023 about the application period for the 2023-2024 academic year. In addition, we continue to promote and guide students in applying for the Fulbright, the Gilman and the Boren scholarships.

As a reminder, SAA will be closed for the holidays from December 26th, with the last advising appointments (both in person and virtual) taking place on Thursday, December 22nd. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, January 3rd. We look forward to our continued engagement with each and every one of you, in the new year and look forward to meeting with many of you in person.

On behalf of all of us in SAA, enjoy a restful and peaceful holiday season and break. I sincerely hope that the time will allow you to rest and recharge with renewed energy to conquer all your goals and ambitions in 2023. Congratulations again on finishing the fall semester and for all you have accomplished in 2022!

Wishing you joy, peace, and hope in 2023!

Warm regards,

Parinaz Zartoshty
Interim Director of SAA

Support our Fund

Ruth Huard

On Giving Tuesday, November 29, 2022, the Study Abroad & Away office at the College of Professional & Global Education (CPGE) will participate in the SJSU crowdfunding program to raise $10,000 for our new scholarship fund named after our beloved former Dean, Dr. Ruth Huard. Fiscally administered by the SJSU Tower Foundation, the fund will support equity-focused Study Abroad & Away scholarships and programming needs for our students.

Your tax deductible* donation will support these priorities:

  1. Equity & Inclusion Scholarships:We plan to offer scholarships to incentivize historically underrepresented minority students to participate in any of our 350+ study abroad program opportunities around the world. We especially want to help offset some of the expenses that are often required, but are either prohibited by their financial aid assistance or before aid is applied including required program or housing abroad deposits, student visa, international insurance coverage, and others.
  2. Global Ambassadors Leadership Development: As we recover from the pandemic which greatly impacted global education, we are preparing to launch a new Global Ambassador leadership development program for current and former study abroad students to engage in the internationalization goals of the university.
  3. DACA Students Abroad: We want to level the playing fields for DACA students who have an additional required $575 filing fees for the UCSC Form I-131: Application for Travel Documents, which enables them to participate in international education programs and be able to return to the US.

Donate Now