As an Emory University student majoring in international studies/Spanish and minoring in journalism,

As an Emory University student majoring in international studies/Spanish and minoring in journalism, Monique Ramgoolie had a basic career goal: to "have a job at a place where things stayed interesting and where I was able to affect change."
By commencement, she had already charted a course toward that goal. In addition to undertaking study-abroad stints in China and Spain, she interned at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, and with the Cape Times newspaper in Cape Town, South Africa, where she attended and covered events by such global leaders as Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Providing early and lasting travel ideas uk lessons about the excitement and rewards of working overseas with diverse populations, these impressive stepping stones in her resume helped her progress further down a fulfilling career path. She went on to successfully apply to Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, where a graduate concentration in international relations combined her interests in policy, travel ideas uk government and foreign affairs. She took every advantage of the school's career resources, programming travel ideas uk and funding. For example, she landed an internship with the U.S. State Department doing practical, substantive work at the U.S. Embassy travel ideas uk in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Later, through a career panel, she also discovered the Presidential Management Internship (now Fellowship), for which she was selected. This flexible program allowed Ramgoolie to explore a variety of work options within the U.S. State Department. She serves travel ideas uk there today as a Program Officer covering migration discussions at the United Nations, in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration's Office of Population and International Migration – an influential role that meets her early career goal, and then some.
Strong international experience and specialized graduate study certainly give a student an edge in pursuing travel ideas uk prestigious, globe-trotting jobs at the State Department or in intelligence work, but these aren't just advantageous for diplomats or "superspies". Demand for workers with foreign language and cultural fluencies has jumped throughout the government sector since 9/11. Ramgoolie sees "opportunities to use one's knowledge travel ideas uk base in foreign relations or political science" in a host of federal departments including the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture, as well as in many non-governmental service organizations, nonprofits, and the private sector.
As a technology major with a design background, travel ideas uk Solomon Graham's pursuit of a network systems analyst career at first may not seem to have much to do with foreign relations, cultures and travel. But for this graduate of the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee School travel ideas uk of Information Studies, a few courses in Spanish and growing up near one of the city's large Hispanic neighborhoods led him to apply for a life-changing opportunity in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Through the university's noted Center for International Education, he combined study abroad with a social service internship. The Center's North American Conflict Resolution Program set Graham up with work experience at the State Department of Human Rights travel ideas uk while attending the University of Autonoma.
Immersion in all-Spanish-language classes filled with unfamiliar accents challenged and dramatically improved his language skills, which he applied along with his tech background to translation work on the State Department's website.
Far from his technology work but equally significant was the challenging field work. Graham undertook intensive study of "the structure travel ideas uk of Mexican law, the various government offices in the city and how the departments functioned overall within the system."
The preparation was "a great way to get a feel for the socioeconomics of the region," he says. Graham was able to interact directly with lawyers, counselors and often highly distressed plaintiffs in "bizarre and sometimes disturbing cases," providing an unanticipated and uniquely rewarding opportunity to "help others through some of the most difficult moments of their lives."
"It was very unusual…to undertake this exchange program, as a tech major," travel ideas uk says Graham, now a Network Administrator Specialist with Marshall Ilsley travel ideas uk Bank. "But it helped me stand out among my peers in the same major."
Indeed, tech and science majors who are bilingual or have international experience are in particularly high demand and short supply travel ideas uk for employers in all sectors. travel ideas uk The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) is one organization trying to bridge this gap. With a mission to "develop global skills in tomorrow's technical leaders," IAESTE annually facilitates travel ideas uk some 130 international travel ideas uk exchanges for students in disciplines ranging from engineering to mathematics to architecture, travel ideas uk across a network of more than 70 countries. IAESTE works with the nonprofit Association for International Practical Training (AIPT), which provides both work-abroad opportunities travel ideas uk for U.S. students and J-1 visa sponsorships allowing foreign students to work as trainees for U.S. employers.
For NASA radiation engineering specialist Anthony Sanders , his experience in Zaragoza, Spain, arranged through IAESTE, provided travel ideas uk a lifelong lesson in the importance of sharing new technology findings with international peers. Working with fellow interns from around the world, he found that "many of them had computer programming techniques superior to mine, but were struggling with hardware travel ideas uk design and troubleshooting, where I excelled. Working together and sharing our knowledge made us improve our problem-solving skills and demonstrated that a network of engineers were better as a team than working travel ideas uk alone."
Taking the lesson to heart, Sanders has gone on to engage in cutting-edge radiation research at NASA, publishing and presenting travel ideas uk it in global forums, and continuing to participate in international workshops such one in Leuven, Belgium, focusing on advancements in predicting radiation travel ideas uk hazards related to space travel.
Stressing that any student can benefit from early work experience through internships and co-ops, whether domestic or abroad, Sanders agrees with Graham that "international experience and being multilingual do set you apart from the pack when applying for jobs."
During travel ideas uk his time in Mexico, Solomon Graham also stood apart as the only African American and the only male in the program, an experience that reflects national trends. According to "Open Doors," a study by the Institute of International Education , females outnumber males among U.S. study-abroad students nearly 2-to-1. Further analysis by NAFSA: Association of International Educators shows that African Americans are proportionally and actually among the least likely to study abroad out of U.S. demographic groups, despite comprising 11.9 percent of U.S. higher education enrollment (fall 2002 figures) – the second largest subgroup after Caucasians. African Americans represented only 3.4 percent of U.S. students abroad in the 2003-2004 school year, compared to Caucasians (83.7 percent), Asian Americans (6.0 percent) and Hispanic/Latino Americans (5.1 percent).
Possible explanations for the disparity are varied. Students may be wary of encountering discrimination abroad – as Americans and as minorities. In the post-9/11 world, being an American abroad is to be as conspicuous as ever. While it can be "a challenging and rewarding experience," as Monique Ramgoolie observes, "it may not be for everyone." Indeed, since the late '90s, the percentage of study-abroad students for nearly all groups except Asian Americans travel ideas uk and multiracials has generally been declining, and a notable dip occurred after 9/11.
Univ. of Cincinnati junior Brittney L. Huntley found her time in Dubai at once rewarding and challenging; she set out to counter pervasive African American stereotypes that were conveyed through imported American pop culture
Some African-American students may also feel self-conscious about being doubly noticeable abroad. Solomon Graham enjoyed "standing out" in Mexico; he felt warmly welcomed while traveling to areas where locals were unaccustomed to meeting African-American men, "especially those so eager to learn about their country and culture."
However, while studying in Dubai, University of Cincinnati junior Brittney L. Huntley initially found it hard to confront the assumptions and  stereotypes locals held about African Americans; travel ideas uk she describes her experiences in "My Global Study Experience in Dubai" (in this issue).
It's also possible that some recruiters do not routinely or effectively target their global travel ideas uk recruitment efforts to HBCUs, or media or organizations that serve African- American students. Whatever the reasons, it's clear that too many Black collegians are still not "getting global" in ways that are increasingly important to their career prospects, whatever their field.
With this understanding, Anthony Sanders is now giving back. In addition to representing Code 500, Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate, on the NASA Goddard African American Advisory Committee, he serves as the International Rep for the Goddard travel ideas uk chapter of the National Society travel ideas uk of Black Engineers (NSBE). In this role, he has been working to promote collaboration travel ideas uk among NSBE, NASA and IAESTE to provide increased opportunity for other Black science and engineering students to explore careers travel ideas uk in an exciting field that badly needs them.
All things being equal, travel ideas uk "having foreign experience is absolutely a plus" on an entry-level resume, says Francois de Wazieres , VP of Corporate Strategic Recruitment for L'Oreal USA. But for multinational corporations like L'Oreal, building a workforce travel ideas uk with global skills and "international mobility" is a high priority that extends well beyond just recruitment; like diversity, it is a strategic imperative infusing all business units.
Because L'Oreal markets its