The Smiley Award, which supports global educational opportunities for current School of Education (SOE) undergraduate and graduate students, has been presented to undergraduate student Dauria Harrison (Department of Specialized Education Services) and graduate student Kevin Hogan (Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education). These students will represent the SOE as Global Education Ambassadors through international or local engagement.
Harrison, a first-generation college student, will travel to Heredia, Costa Rica this summer where she will be enrolled in an immersion and service-learning program for four weeks. Harrison wants to be re-immersed into the Spanish language and says that she knows that “languages are the bridge to communication with all people.”
Her fluency in Spanish later helped to develop an interest in other languages, including American Sign Language (ASL). She hopes that her first study abroad experience will allow her to effectively communicate with Deaf Latino students and their families.
Upon her return, Harrison hopes to host an expo for students at her high school to inform students about the possibility of studying abroad in college and the benefits of that experience.
Hogan, a first-year master’s student, has jumped at the opportunity to plan an international experience for his Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education (SAAHE) cohort of 15 students. In October, the group of 15 students will travel to Toronto, Ontario, Canada to collaborate with students at the University of Toronto.
The collaboration will focus on exposing current UNCG SAAHE students to the internationality of student affairs. The two groups will be able to discuss personal views around student affairs through a shared experience.
Hogan is excited about the opportunity to develop his leadership skills, saying, “I am responsible for planning all aspects of this trip and for coordinating with an international institution.” He must organize flights, secure lodging, and arrange meals for the group, while also coordinating reflection activities.
Runners up were also announced for both the undergraduate and graduate awards. Undergraduate runners up were Natalia Fagundez (Department of Specialized Education Services) and Naiyana Thues (Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education). Graduate runners up were Audrey Berlowitz (Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education), Yu Pan (Department of Counseling and Educational Development), and Martha Reyes (Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education).
