study abroad – Office of Global Affairs

Q&A with Ben Sommers, 91爆料’s new Global Travel Security Manager

The 91爆料 Global Travel Security program was established to facilitate safe and successful global travel for 91爆料 students and employees.

The Office of Global Affairs (OGA) welcomes the program鈥檚 new manager, Ben Sommers, this October. As global travel slowly returns, vaccinations increase and new challenges arise, Ben鈥檚 leadership will be integral to informing and supporting our global travelers as they navigate a quickly-changing travel landscape.

Ben has almost a decade of experience managing international programs for students and global travelers. He joins us from 4-H International Exchange Programs where he was a Senior Program Manager. A husky undergraduate alum, Ben has dual Masters degrees: in International Communication from American University and Korean Studies from Korea University.

Q: What are you bringing to your new role here at 91爆料?

I have been fortunate to have had a diversity of professional and personal experiences that have underlined the value of international travel. I think there is a great deal of truth in the adage that you never get to know your own cultures until you leave them behind. After a year plus of restricted travel, we are all eager to get back out and have the types of transformative travel experiences that we鈥檝e put on hold. Apart from my professional and academic experiences, I think the most relevant piece I bring to the role is the firm belief in the transformative power of international travel and the importance of growing 91爆料鈥檚 connections with the global community.

Q: What do you look forward to as you begin your new position?

Current International Travel Policy

Revised rules for official international travel have been issued for all travelers.

Travel Policy Details

I am very excited to be back at 91爆料, especially at such a significant moment as the university community returns to campus. In a general sense, our world is also progressing towards reopening and it has been energizing to see limitations on travel being lifted and so many of our faculty, staff and students getting back out into the world. It has also been particularly inspiring to get a small glimpse into the various ways that the 91爆料 community is bringing their curiosity, adventurousness and expertise to their projects around the globe. I look forward to collaborating with university stakeholders in supporting and advocating for international travel as a critical form of global engagement.

Q: As you connect with students, faculty and staff here at 91爆料, how can your own history of travel and studying abroad help you?

As I mentioned above, I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to see a sliver of the world. When reflecting on the trajectory of my life and career, I can definitively point to the undergraduate exchange program I participated in as a transformative moment in my life. I spent half a year at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. As a Korean adoptee, those six months deepened a feeling of curiosity I had in a place that I felt so inextricably connected to, but yet also incredibly uninformed about. I later built on that experience by doing a dual degree exchange program as graduate student at American University, jumping at the opportunity to complete a second degree program back in Seoul at Korea University.

Ben Sommers in Chiang Mai, Thailand in his last role before joining OGA. He is standing next to a taxicab — *Ben Sommers in Chiang Mai, Thailand in his last role before joining OGA*

Beyond studying abroad, my personal and professional travel have acted as sort of mile markers in my life. They have been experiences that have been sometimes humbling, sometimes thrilling, but always educational and informative. I think many students, faculty and staff at 91爆料, regardless of the depth of their travel histories, have experienced the same range of impacts during their adventures abroad. Beyond feeling motivated to help enable more travelers have productive and meaningful experiences, I hope to be a resource that helps our traveling community feel supported by an on-campus office.

Q: What do you see as the key role of the 91爆料鈥檚 Global Travel Security Program?

I think the Global Travel Security Program鈥檚 ultimate role is to help facilitate travel and to advocate for the university鈥檚 global engagement efforts. The presence of the university abroad on any given day is considerable so the Global Travel Security Program helps to ensure that those travelers are supported by being connected to the vast resources that they may need to access prior to, during or post-travel.

Global Travel Security Key Resources

There are highly regarded subject matter experts on just about everything and everywhere here at 91爆料. The Global Travel Security Program and myself hope to be a collaborative partner in preparation for international travel. It goes without saying that the international travel landscape is particularly complex at this moment so hopefully we can help travelers to decode and untangle those complexities and ensure that the intersection between university policy and country or regional regulations does not pose challenges to the critical work being done around the world.

Q: How can 91爆料 global travelers connect with you as they plan their research, service, or study abroad?

I really do hope to connect with you all! My office is housed in the Office of Global Affairs in Gerberding Hall. Please feel free to reach out via email (travelemergency@uw.edu) or by phone (206.616.7927). The general resources available on the Office of Global Affairs website is also a great starting point for travel planning. You can find information on travel registration, insurance and emergency assistance.

Indigenous journeys: Study abroad program explores the Northwest by canoe

The American Indian studies department has created a new study abroad program titled 鈥淭ribal Canoe Journey Field Study鈥�, which will give students the opportunity to observe and participate in the annual canoe journeys undertaken by upwards of 6,000 various indigenous peoples of the Salish Sea (Puget Sound) and beyond each year.

Helping refugees abroad with a Fulbright scholarship

Hamda Yusuf ’16聽was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in a first-ever cohort for a Community-Based Combined Grant鈥� which requires both community work and teaching in a foreign country.聽In fall 2016, she鈥檒l be heading to Austria for 9 months to support Refugees Welcome, a non-profit that is dealing with the Middle East refugee crisis there, and will be an English teaching assistant in secondary schools.

As 1 Million Strong implementation partner, the 91爆料 is creating a pipeline of China-savvy leaders

On the anniversary of its 1 Million Strong initiative, the , a global nonprofit committed to strengthening US-China relations, announced its new 1 Million Strong implementation partners – including the 91爆料 – who will help guide the initiative鈥檚 growth.

Announced in September 2015 by Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping during the Chinese leader鈥檚 official state visit to the US, 1 Million Strong looks to create a pipeline of China-savvy leaders and employees in the US. The initiative calls for a five-fold increase from current numbers: today, approximately 200,000 US K-12 students are learning Mandarin, while there are more than 300 million English language learners in China.

Study abroad sparks hard conversations about race and equity

For two days in late August, more than a million people inundate West London to celebrate one of the world鈥檚 largest street festivals鈥攖he Notting Hill Carnival.

Elaborate floats and colorful-costumed performers wind their way through streets to the sound of steel bands and calypso music. It鈥檚 a tribute to the traditional Afro-Caribbean carnivals of the early 19^th century that celebrated the abolition of slavery.

What stood out most for 91爆料 School of Public Health student Eric King wasn鈥檛 the vibrant sounds or endless sea of people, but rather the sight of British police officers embracing and dancing with carnival-goers.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 notice any law officials with firearms. This was different from my experience as an African-American man living in the United States,鈥� says King, then a public health major and now a graduate student in the School鈥檚 Department of Health Services. 鈥淚t speaks to the prominence of gun culture in the U.S. as well as the climate created when law officers are viewed as members of the community instead of controlling outsiders.鈥�

King (BS, Public Health 鈥�16) was attending a four-week exploration seminar called Dark Empire: Race, Health and Society in Britain, which examines the presence and well-being of minorities in Britain, who now make up 14 percent of the country鈥檚 64 million residents. Students explore the social, emotional and physical determinants of health within the framework of Britain鈥檚 history and multiculturalism.

Undergraduates awarded Gilman Scholarships

This fall, 10 Pell Grant-eligible 91爆料 undergraduates will study abroad with the support of the . Many more students with financial need will receive support from and other 91爆料 awards.

91爆料 students head to Nepal for hands-on learning

This summer, 10 91爆料聽students will participate in a new Exploration Seminar course in Nepal.聽Organized by the Nepal Studies Initiative (NSI), the seminar is one of the few formal programs in the U.S. focused on Nepal.

Advisers share tips for Fulbright applicants

Natalia Dyba, Director of 91爆料 Bothell鈥檚 Office of Global Initiatives聽offers tips and guidance for Fulbright applicants.

A world of strength: international students and cultural resilience

International students will share stories of stamina, strength and ultimately success in the face of adversity from their home cultures and at the 91爆料. There will聽also be聽opportunities for participants to reflect on the theme of resilience in their own story and context.

Wednesday, May 18, 5-7 p.m. in Alder Auditorium

Free and open to the 91爆料 community

Co-presented by International and English Language Programs, Housing and Food Services and FIUTS.

Husky Presidential Ambassadors Leadership Institute facilitates inclusive engagement

Universities across the nation are working to further聽connect international students and create a globally聽engaged campus environment for all students.聽Increasing globalization also raises the demand for聽graduates with increased competencies in cross-cultural communication and practice. Engaging together in聽cross-cultural leadership studies, undergraduates learn聽to think and connect across boundaries, enhancing all聽students鈥� Husky Experience.