Google+ Hangout on International Education and the Value of Exchange Programs
GOOGLE+ HANGOUT ON INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS WITH ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE EVAN RYAN
November 14, 2013
MS. CARRINGTON: Good morning and good evening. I’m Margot Carrington, Director of the U.S. Department of State Foreign Press Centers. Welcome to the first Google Hangout held in connection with International Education Week, an annual worldwide celebration of the value of international exchange.
Joining this Hangout today are six students who can speak directly to the importance of overseas study, three foreign students who are studying in the U.S., and actually four American students who are taking part in study abroad programs in some of these home countries of these foreign students. So we actually have seven students altogether. So all seven of them will have the opportunity to engage with the person here at the State Department who is responsible for increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries through educational as well as other exchanges, such as youth, cultural, and sports exchanges, Assistant Secretary Evan Ryan. Ms. Ryan took up her position in September of this year, so we’re really pleased that she could be with us today.
Before I ask her to say a few words, I’d like to ask the students to briefly introduce themselves, and I’m very happy to say that we’ll start with an American student who happens to be from my very own university, University of Florida. So with this happy coincidence, if I could ask you to start, Francesca.
MS. SNYDER: Hello. My name is Francesca Snyder. I’m from Miami, Florida. I go to the University of Florida. And I was fortunate enough to be given the Gilman Scholarship to come study at PUC-Rio in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
MS. CARRINGTON: Great. Okay. And staying with Brazil, Nikolas.
MR. LUBEL: Hi. Good morning, everyone. My name is Nikolas Lubel. I am from Curitiba Brazil, and I am currently doing a masters in computer science and journalism at Columbia University in New York.
MS. CARRINGTON: Great. Fantastic. Okay, we’ll turn to France now. Megan?
MS. MORIARTY: I am Megan. I currently attend City College of San Francisco, and I’m from San Diego originally. I’m in Paris, France, and also am a Gilman scholar.
MS. CARRINGTON: Great. Thank you. Miriam?
Okay, we might have an audio problem with Miriam. Are you there or not? Okay, we will come back to her. So let’s go to a Japanese student who is – actually, I’m sorry, a U.S. student studying in Japan. Tanya, could you introduce yourself?
MS. AVILOVA: Hi, everyone. My name is Tanya. Originally I’m from Montpelier, Vermont. I graduated from Harvard this May, and now I’m at the University of Tsukuba in Tsukuba in Japan, studying Human Care Sciences.
MS. CARRINGTON: Great. Okay. How about Masashi?
MR. MOTOHASHI: Hello. My name is Masashi, and I’m from Japan. I study at Macalester College, a liberal arts college in Minnesota. Thank you.
MS. CARRINGTON: Great. Thank you. Okay, and then we have an American student studying in India. Travis, are you there?
MR. GLYNN: Sure. Good morning. My name is Travis Glynn, and I’m originally from New London, Wisconsin, but I just graduated from the University of Southern California, where I was alumnus of the critical language scholarship program in India, and I’m currently in India once again on a Fulbright scholarship.
MS. CARRINGTON: Fantastic. Okay. Well, now let me turn to the person here at the State Department, Assistant Secretary Ryan, who I understand also took part in a study abroad program as a student. So I know you all will be very interested to hear about that, so I’ll ask her to say a few words.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Thank you, Margot. Thank you so much. And thank you, all of you joining us today. I’m especially excited to be joined by students all over the world, U.S. students studying abroad and also international students who are studying here. And we have Fulbright scholars and Gilman scholars and students internationally who work with our Education USA centers to find out the best way to study here in the United States. So I’m really excited to be with you all during International Education Week, which is an exciting week for us at the State Department and in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Secretary Kerry has seen firsthand the countless times that education and international education has played a transformative role in the way we all can work together and learn from each other. And so we’re – we all believe here, Secretary Kerry and the rest of us, that international education builds a more secure, prosperous world for all of us.
And this year, we’re very excited to say we’ve seen growth in numbers. This year, we have 820,000 international students studying in the United States, some of them right here with us. And that is a 7.2 percent increase. And we have 300,000 American students studying abroad, which is a 3.4 increase. So we’re very excited about those numbers increasing. It really does benefit us all, long-term investments in our relationships with one another.
And as Margot said, I feel like I have a firsthand experience with that. I studied abroad in my junior year in London for one semester, my spring semester, and it opened my eyes to the broader world out there. I had been a very content college student on my campus at Boston College, and moving to London was – just changed my world and my universe and helped me understand different cultures, different ways of people, governing systems, and different approaches in terms of the way people viewed one another in one another’s countries. And I hope the same is – can be said for all of you who are joining us. Perhaps you international students who are studying here might have a different view of the U.S. from the view that you came with and your initial perception. And I also hope that our American students studying abroad have had a really interesting experience in learning about other countries and understanding the diversity and different cultures.
So with that, I really am excited to hear from all of you.
Ms. CARRINGTON: (Inaudible.)
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Exactly. Do any of you have advice on what was really helpful, any advice for other students who are thinking about studying abroad? What was helpful to you? What were some issues that you think other people should be aware of when they’re looking at studying abroad?
MS. CARRINGTON: Miriam, since you weren’t able to introduce yourself, maybe we can see if you’re on now and start with you?
Okay, no? All right. Who would like to take that question, then? Any of the students?
MR. GLYNN: Sure, I can start.
MR. GLYNN: Okay. So I actually had the opportunity while I was in college to first study abroad in Germany. And while I was in Germany, it really opened my mind to what European culture was like. I think there’s this idea that we are very much like Europe, even though the culture is completely different. And it was actually while I was in Europe that I became interested in India, and out of the blue applied for the critical language scholarship, and came and studied in Luknow. And for those of you who are interested in studying abroad, I really think that you should choose the place that will put you out of your comfort zone and that will challenge you to grow in whatever field you’re in.
I think there’s this perception that you only want to study abroad if you’re economics or if you’re business or if you’re international relations, but I think some of the most interesting conversations that I’ve had being abroad have been with engineering majors or with people that want to go into the medical field. And it’s really allowed me to learn about Indian culture, and even more about my culture back in the United States.
MS. CARRINGTON: Well, thank you. I mean, it is interesting to hear that you became interested in India while studying in Germany. That’s kind of unexpected and very interesting.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Yeah, I agree. And I think that’s an excellent point, because once you are able to see a different culture, and once perhaps you realized that it was challenging to leave your comfort zone but you were able to do it, then it opened your horizons, broadened your horizons further and you felt like you could move beyond that, which is really wonderful news for us to hear. And we hope there are a lot of people out there that can also share that experience, because I think that’s what this is all about, is shrinking our world. You now have a great sense of both Germany and India, and it will only enhance your skills in the global marketplace when you’re looking for a job. And I think that’s important, and I’d love to hear from all of you if you agree with that.
MS. CARRINGTON: Okay. Would anybody else like to comment on that?
MR. LUBEL: Yeah.
MS. CARRINGTON: Any advice, or how (inaudible)? Please go ahead.
MS. MORIARTY: Well, I think that – I mean, I go to a community college. It’s not what you typically expect for doing a semester abroad. And at least in California, the way it works is the school you’re at works with other schools throughout the state. That way, your credits will all transfer easily (inaudible). So when I started looking into it, I didn’t really know there was going to be as many options as there were out there for me or for other students. So I think it’s also really good to realize that you might not be getting the typical four-year college (inaudible), but there’s still these opportunities to go out there and see and learn more about the world and about yourself as you’re doing it.
MS. CARRINGTON: Okay.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: I think that’s a great point. (Inaudible.) Oh, sorry. (Laughter.)
MS. CARRINGTON: Go ahead.
MR. LUBEL: I was just going to say that there are so many great, incredible opportunities to study abroad that are not your typical semester abroad. So my first experience studying abroad was actually through the Youth Ambassadors program that is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State in Brazil. So my first opportunity to come abroad was in 2007 when I took part in this exchange program for high school students which brings Brazilian high school students to come stay in the U.S. for a few weeks. And then after, through that program, I got in contact with the Education USA office, and through the Opportunity Grants program I ended up applying for and getting into Stanford. So I did my undergrad at Stanford, and when I was at Stanford I actually did two of my quarters abroad. I did one quarter in Florence, Italy, and another quarter in Germany, in Berlin.
So, like, the travel bug really bites you. Once you get started, like, there is no stop. And so that was my point, just that there are so many opportunities out there. When I was at Stanford, I really wanted to repeat that experience. I – so I took the opportunity to do two – and I did it twice, not just once, but I had also done a program in high school. So I feel like there’s tons of opportunities for people who are out there. Just make an effort.
MS. CARRINGTON: Has anybody else been bitten by that same bug?
MR. MOTOHASHI: Can I talk a bit? I – like, actually, my first study abroad experience was in Canada. I went to a college – I went to a high school called United World College. It’s an international school. It’s an international boarding school where students get scholarships from all over the world and stay at the same school for two years. And its mission is to make education a force to unite peoples, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. And I think the most critical thing that helped me was enthusiasm, to get out of comfort zone, as some of them mentioned.
Of course, like, I was from Japan, and there were, like, 980 people from 19 different countries, so I personally didn’t know what was going on. However, my enthusiasm after you get to know others and, like, different cultures, different backgrounds, and just trying to make – trying to engage in meaningful conversations, and try to do, like, cultural activities actually really helped me a lot. So I think the most important thing is enthusiasm, no matter wherever you go. And even though if you can’t speak language, if you have enthusiasm, people will acknowledge you.
MS. CARRINGTON: Can’t argue with that.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: No. I think that’s great. That’s great. That’s what we love to hear in International Education Week. It sounds like all of you really were able to find the best programs for your interests, the best programs for your education. Everyone, it sounds like, has figured out ways for their credits to transfer, which we know is an important thing, too, and that’s something that universities have worked very carefully on.
And I love, as Masashi said, the enthusiasm that clearly you all have for this. It’s evident and it really does, I think, become contagious. And I’m hoping everybody watching also is really interested in exploring these opportunities as well.
MS. CARRINGTON: Francesca, I saw that you’re interning at the Education USA office where you are now.
MS. SNYDER: I am.
MS. CARRINGTON: Could you talk a little bit about (inaudible) of transferring credits and sort of some of the advice you can get through Education USA?
MS. SNYDER: Okay. The – for Education USA, for example, I work in – I’m interning doing a special project, but – so I only work with some OGs (opportunity grants). Congratulation, Nikolas. So I don’t work exactly with that part of it. I work on a special project.
But I also want to talk a little bit about my experience abroad and interning, for example. When I came here, I was only going to study abroad for four months, and then I got the great opportunity to come here and study (inaudible) for another six months. In going to a country like Brazil, for example, I had no clue. I had no clue how to speak Portuguese at all. And it’s been a great experience. It completely changes a person here. I’ve completely gone out of my comfort zone. Now I can speak Portuguese fluently. I challenged myself completely to take all my classes in Portuguese last semester. So I think growing as a person, it’s an amazing opportunity.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: I think that’s fantastic. I think you will find that when you are finished with your studies and you move on, you’ll find that the opportunities for all of you that have had these global experience will just – the experiences that you’ve had will give you myriad opportunities across the world, and I think you’ll be open to those opportunities as well. You might be looking beyond the usual borders that your other classmates at home might be. So it’s exciting to hear how much you all are learning and gaining.
MS. CARRINGTON: (Inaudible.) So given the, I guess, very interesting topic that we’re discussing today, we actually received questions from some journalists, foreign journalists who are based here in the U.S. who are also interested in your experiences and in hearing from Assistant Secretary Ryan. So I’d like to turn to some of those questions.
And the first question is from Janine Harper, who’s a news producer for Japanese TV station Fuji TV in New York. And she asks: “How has this experience changed your opinion of the country where you are studying?” Would any of you like to respond to that?
MR. GLYNN: Well, I think that I’m – again, I’m in India. And currently, I’m on the ETA grant, so I’m teaching English to about 500 students at a school in New Delhi. And before coming to India, before having these experiences with these students, I think that you kind of just assume that students are alike. You assume that students have a lot of the same traits, have a lot of the same goals. But what you don’t really appreciate is how much your culture in infused in those goals that these children have and these perceptions that the children have of foreigners or of other people.
And so teaching these students, and every day – for example, today was Children’s Day, actually, at my school, and so they asked me to sing a song in front of the school. And normally in the U.S., having a person sing a song would be something you have to prepare for and you have to engage with it. But these Indian students, I tell you, they can just get up on stage like nobody’s business and sing songs like they had been practicing for weeks. And so to expect that from me was just quite a change. But again, immersing yourself in the culture and experiencing that, I did it, and they loved it. And you were able to make that connection. You were able to appreciate that love of music, that love of cultural exchange, on a much more intimate level than you can in a classroom in the United States.
MS. CARRINGTON: That’s fantastic. Anybody else have any sort of preconceived notions about the countries they were in that were changed as a result of studying there?
MS. AVILOVA: Yeah. I think that (inaudible).
MS. CARRINGTON: Okay, Tanya, go ahead.
MS. AVILOVA: Okay, sorry. I want to piggyback on what Travis was saying about, like, having preconceived notions about countries. And I think coming to Japan, you sort of – or again, I’m studying in Japan – you have – I had all of these ideas, I guess, about also American culture and sort of the things that you take for granted. And when I came to Japan, I was surprised to hear about what Japanese people thought about American culture, and – like holidays, for example. Halloween just passed very recently, and it was very interesting to see how Japanese people celebrate it, and sort of the parts of the holiday that they have taken and sort of adapted it to their culture, and it was completely different from what I had expected, being from – what I had experienced Halloween to be in the States.
So it was interesting to see how people in Japan also – from different parts of American culture and sort of made it their own. And for me also, it was fun sort of introducing them to what the holiday was like in the States, and that kind of cultural exchange is also really fascinating, and what I’ve been enjoying so far from my experience.
MS. CARRINGTON: That does sound like fun. (Laughter.)
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: It does. It sounds like a lot of fun.
MS. CARRINGTON: Well, maybe now turning to sort of the professional side of things, we have a question from Karim Lebhour who’s a correspondent for Radio France International, also in New York, and she was interested in knowing whether you had gone to study overseas primarily to learn a language, or if you had another goal in mind.
And we have a related question from Sandra Coutino of Globo TV from Brazil, who wants to know, what impact do you think your overseas experience will have on your professional life? And would you like to comment on that based on your experience?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Sure, yes. I can – the first part – I studied in London, as I said. So I did not go to study a language, I can say. (Laughter.)
But for the second part, it did greatly impact my professional life. I went on to actually work for First Lady Hillary Clinton at the White House, and a big part of my job was traveling around the world to help plan her trips. And it was the thing that I most wanted to do in her office, and I was able to do it, and I really don’t think I would have been as interested in that had I not had that international experience, because I think otherwise, it might have been intimidating for me in a professional setting. So I was really happy that I had the – my study abroad experience to lay that foundation, and that really did lay the groundwork for everything that I’ve done thereafter. I then went to get a master’s degree in international public policy, and now and I’m at the State Department. So I do think that it did have a long-term impact for me.
MS. CARRINGTON: It does pay off.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Yeah. (Laughter.)
MS. CARRINGTON: All right. Would any of the students like to comment?
MR. LUBEL: Yeah. I was going to say that I think just the opportunities that you get exposed to when you actually come study abroad make all the difference. When you stay in your country, like, you just don’t get exposed to as many opportunities. You meet so many high-level professionals – really, world-class professionals that are studying at the best universities. You get exposed to the best technology, and really have a chance to interact in person with the best people in your field, so that really makes a difference.
I think that also the kinds of jobs that you get interested in may also change because you do develop an appreciation for interacting with different cultures and different people, and you just many times end up getting interested in those sorts of positions. And especially in Brazil, we are in dire need of that sort of skill. This is something that has been growing over the past few years with this Science Without Borders program, but with – which the U.S. is a great partner to. But when I actually first came to America in 2008 to do my undergrad at Stanford, it was not very common at all to have students come study abroad for undergrad, so much so that I am the only Brazilian in my graduating class, which is so funny, given that we are such a big country.
So we just need to develop that sort of exposure, like – not just Brazil, but like – we live in a world that is increasingly connected, and we just need to have professionals who have that sort of skill. So I think getting that in school really helps.
MS. CARRINGTON: Okay. Any other student like to comment?
MS. MORIARTY: I came here with (inaudible) – I came here to learn another language, and I didn’t speak any French when I came here. And so it was intimidating to walk in the first day of class at Sorbonne and the teachers don’t speak any English to you. And so you kind of – it forces you to figure it out really quickly, and if you don’t figure it out, then you’re going to have a problem. So it’s interesting, like, because of that to me. And although I still am not speaking that much French, my comprehension level and the reading and writing that I am taking from this semester is so far beyond what I would have been able to do had I studied it just at home, I think, in a classroom, because I’m in a situation where I have to learn it to survive.
MS. CARRINGTON: Great, thank you. Masashi, you had a comment?
MR. MOTOHASHI: So I think – well, I haven’t had, like, really professional experience yet, but I think studying abroad and the – I mean, studying in the U.S. made me more interested in international affairs, and I think that would have a very great, significant impact on my life. Well, Macalester College has – the student body is, like, 20 percent are international students, and while interacting with them, I learned that – actually, we all come from different backgrounds and different cultures, but we’re actually, like, all human beings. And whenever – so – and I see hope and cooperation and harmony in the world when I talk to my friends from all over the world.
So – and I think the, like, problems, international issues we have, like, currently in the world became closer to me. For example, when we had the Syrian crisis, I was able to actually listen to students from Syria. So I think – and also, just the fact that I’m receiving great education in the U.S. makes me feel responsible to – actually to return what I’ve learned to the society.
MS. CARRINGTON: Well, thank you. It’s so nice to hear about enthusiasm, passion --
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Yes.
MS. CARRINGTON: -- which you all display.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: That is – yes. There’s clearly – you all are very similar in your drive and enthusiasm, and that’s really exciting for us to see.
MS. CARRINGTON: Would anybody else like to comment on that? (No response.)
Okay. We had a number of questions, actually, from journalists interested in differences that you’ve experienced between the U.S. educational system in the case of American students going overseas and then being in an overseas university, and the opposite as well – foreign students now in a U.S. setting, and what sort of differences have you found. And the two journalists who asked this were Sandra Coutino of Globo TV and Leda Balbino of IG News Brazil. So I’d like to send that first question to Nikolas.
MR. LUBEL: Well, there are many clear differences in terms of infrastructure, so that one – that is one big difference that is very striking at first, and also in terms of just organization, like in terms of how the university runs. So I actually did one year of college in Brazil before coming here to do my undergrad. And professors would be late in Brazil, which never happens here, and like, computer labs would not be working. And of course, like all computer labs are always working here, so you have that sort of great infrastructure. So that is one big difference.
I also want to say that I think that education in Brazil, especially at the university level, is very encyclopedical in a way, like – the idea is that you’re supposed to learn everything that is out there, and if you want to major in something, your primary goal is to just learn all the scholarship about that subject area, whereas in the U.S., the goal is more to sort of get an exposure to the main ideas and then develop those of your own. So there is a much bigger incentive to creating original ideas and developing original thoughts. Even in the assignments that you get in class, you see that the assignments here are crafted in a way that really make you create something new. They would never ask you to just summarize the content of a book, but you have – you actually compare different thoughts on the same topic by different authors, and that’s something that really doesn’t happen as much in Brazil. So I think there is this big difference in terms of what the – terms of what the role of the university in society is understood to be. So I think that’s the big difference.
MS. CARRINGTON: Thank you. We actually had a question that focused really primarily on what were you getting here in the U.S. that you were not getting in Brazil. That question came from Isabel De Luca, also of Globo TV, so I think you answered that fantastically. And maybe we could see if Francesca has any comments, having the opposite experience studying in Brazil.
MS. SNYDER: Well, yes, and I completely agree with Nikolas with his comment about organization and in the school system here. One thing I do like more here is that they tend to do more – like, in the U.S. it’s more geared towards tests, and here it’s a lot more presentations and in-class assignments. So I really like that because I think people really get a hang of working together in a group and presentations and all these seminars that they have, and that’s what I’ve loved the most since I’ve been here. And since I’ve been here, I actually changed my major to international relations. Before it was more geared towards business, so when I started taking some of those classes, I realized the difference in the schooling system here, at least for that major, and I really liked it.
MS. CARRINGTON: Great. Would anybody else like to comment, or Assistant Secretary Ryan, do you have a comment based on your experience in the UK?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Well, actually, I studied with an American university in – Syracuse University in London, and so I was actually in American classrooms on a daily basis. I will say, listening to everybody here today, I – and at the time, I feel like I might have missed out a little bit on the international university experience.
MS. CARRINGTON: So some of your classmates were probably from the UK.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: That’s true. That’s true. There were, yes. But it would have been interesting also to have the experience of an actual international university.
MS. CARRINGTON: Okay, because actually, that was a question we had from a Japanese journalist who wanted to know what the students had learned from their counterparts at the foreign universities, and what are you taking away in terms of a real learning experience from somebody with an experience and having been brought up in a very different way from your own. Does anybody have a comment on that? No?
MS. AVIOLA: Well, I can talk a little bit about that. So the schooling system in Japan is certainly a little different than the education system in the U.S. And the way that it’s sort of best described is that it’s a lot harder to get into universities in Japan than it is in the States, but it’s a lot easier to graduate. And a lot of us (inaudible) entrance exams for universities in Japan, but once you actually are accepted to university, (inaudible) I think you have – once you actually get into university in Japan, it’s a lot easier to kind of graduate, and a lot of people – (laughter) – kind of get by going to lectures only once in a while.
But what I have noticed that was really striking to me is that the amount of effort that students in Japan also put into extracurricular activities, which was very similar to what I have learned from American universities. And I did marching band when I was in the States, and I actually was in the marching band here, and although there are certainly differences between the two groups in the way that they run things, (inaudible) has been incredible. And sort of between that parallel between the two different groups, kind of opened my eyes to the realization that (inaudible) differences in educational systems and there are cultural differences, in the end there are those things that allow us – bring us together and allow us to bridge those cultural gaps that we may have.
MS. CARRINGTON: Actually, that question I should have mentioned came from Hinoke Nishimura from Nikkei. So actually, I wonder, if Masashi, if you wouldn’t mind the question about what have you learned from the students --
MR. MOTOHASHI: Okay.
MS. CARRINGTON: -- your case here in the U.S. What are you taking away from the experience? Could you (inaudible)?
MR. MOTOHASHI: Okay, sure. So I think what Tanya said previously was pretty true, and I agree (inaudible). And what I found – the major difference found – I found was kind of liberal arts education in the U.S. versus kind of like, kind of majoring in kind of pursuing one specific major in Japan. I think liberal arts education is now expanding in Japan, but I think liberal arts education actually helped me to expand my perspectives. For example, I took urban studies class this semester and then while I was walking the streets, like, I see – I can observe, like, different, like, housing styles. And for example, when I learned Buddhism, when I read books, I can see, like, Buddhism kind of like concepts in the book. And so, like, I think, those like – it’s – it may be trivial, but the thing is, like, I was able to expand my horizons that I wouldn’t have been able to do it in Japan.
MR. LUBEL: What Masashi said ties really nicely with my point before about the education system in Brazil being encyclopedic, so that it really – what I really meant by that is that we have no such thing as a liberal arts education. You just study your own major and there’s this expectation that all students have to take all very same classes, so there is very little flexibility. I also – I was a mathematic and computational sciences major, but I got the chance to study art history when I was studying in Italy. So – and that’s the sort of thing that would just not be possible in a Brazilian university. So I just wanted to complement that.
MR. MOTOHASHI: Yeah, thank you, Nikolas.
MS. CARRINGTON: Well, actually, we had a final question, which was from Janine Harper again of Fuji TV in New York, sort of asking, based on your experience, whether you would recommend overseas study to others. I think in many ways you’ve all answered that extremely well today, but does anybody have any final comments before I ask Assistant Secretary Ryan to make some closing remarks?
(No response.)
MS. CARRINGTON: It sounds like it’s something you would recommend, though. Is (inaudible)?
MR. LUBEL: Yes, I would just say that – I would just say that if you go abroad, try not to hang out with your fellow countrymen because that’s really tempting, especially at first when you don’t speak the language. So you really have to make an effort to branch out and try to meet the locals and interact with them. It’s just really convenient to, like, stay within your friend group, especially when you go abroad in a group. You just know the people who are there, they share your culture, it’s easier to just be commenting on the other culture with people who already understand yours, other than trying to immerse yourself into the new culture. So I think that’s one big advice: Try to get out of that bubble.
MS. CARRINGTON: I think we’re both struck by how much all of you are getting out of your comfort zone.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Yes, yes.
MS. CARRINGTON: It’s very impressive. You should be extremely proud of that.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Yes.
MR. GLYNN: And what I would say going --
MS. CARRINGTON: Go (inaudible) please.
MR. GLYNN: Yeah. What I would say going off of that is I think it’s really important, even if you don’t study abroad, that you set goals. But especially if you study – or if you decide to study abroad, to set goals before you go, because as he said, it’s very easy to get into your comfort zone and kind of just stay there. But if your goal is to speak the language, then commit to that, like get a language partner, make sure that you’re doing your homework, make sure that you’re using every opportunity to speak in the language that you can.
One of the big challenges for me when I first studied abroad in Germany was ordering in German. And you knew that your German was getting good when they would respond to you in German, so it was kind of a milestone for you. And now being in India, the big challenge for me is to expose myself to the different cultures of India, because again, for anybody that has studied India, you know that there are so many different cultures, and it can be very overwhelming, very overwhelming, and it’s very different than American culture. But at the same time, once you kind of pierce that bubble and you work your way into it, every day it gets easier and every day it gets more fun. And then at the end of the trip you’re kind of amazed at all that you’ve learned and it just – it makes you want to come back. And so I think that I would definitely encourage anybody to study abroad, but I would definitely encourage you to set goals so that you get the most out of your experience.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: That’s great. That’s great. Yes.
MS. CARRINGTON: Why don’t you go ahead give us (inaudible).
MS. SNYDER: As – oh.
MS. CARRINGTON: Go ahead.
MS. SNYDER: And another thing I wanted to comment about is, for example, the Gilman Scholarship. A lot of people that go abroad or think about going abroad think that they can’t afford it or that it’s going to be too expensive. And I think that they really need to look into all opportunities that there are to study abroad, just like a lot of people here with – that have joined us studying abroad. I think that they really, really need to look into that and make that – know that it is a possibility to study abroad.
MS. CARRINGTON: Thank you. Okay, I think I will ask Assistant Secretary Ryan to make some final comments.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Thank you, Francesca. I think you raise an excellent point. The Gilman Scholarship is a really great – I hope everyone can look into that. And there are many, many opportunities. I think this whole session has shown us that there are many opportunities and avenues to studying abroad. And what’s so inspiring and evident to me is you all are just the embodiment of mutual understanding. Not only have you all gone to study abroad and immersed yourselves in different cultures, but the other thing that I think is so exciting is you all are wonderful ambassadors for your own countries in the countries that you’re studying in, because for many people you all will be the only experience they may have with the U.S. or Japan or Brazil. So it’s a really interesting way to look at it is you’re not only gaining so much yourselves, but you also are giving as well as you expose people to your own countries and cultures. And I think that’s really what mutual understanding is about. It’s very exciting for me to see.
MS. CARRINGTON: No, you’re right. Masashi, you talked about world peace, and I think we both feel that if you are our new ambassadors we’ll be in very good shape.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Yes, yes.
MS. CARRINGTON: So I want to thank you for participating today. I want to thank our journalists who sent some excellent questions, and of course, thank Assistant Secretary Ryan for taking time from her busy schedule.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Thank you, Margot.
MS. CARRINGTON: And we hope this will be an ongoing discussion and conversation, and again, appreciate your participation.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Thank you.
