Global Learning Across Borders builds on SIT network
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
By: Alejandra Pallais

SIT alums work together to provide international experiences to students

SIT alum and Global LAB trip leader shares a moment with a new friend.

Standing inches from the glass that protects the bronze statue of the goddess Kali, Brad Choyt, Director of Education at the Rubin Museum in New York City and an SIT Study Abroad alum, points out the intricate details that give this statue it’s religious and cultural significance. Brad’s passion for Himalayan art and his years of working in education are evident in the way he talks about and explains the significance of the pieces.

Brad credits his passion for sharing art and culture with others to his experience with SIT Study Abroad in college. This passion, which has been fine tuned after years of working and studying in the East, is what led him to co-found his own international education non-profit. “SIT Study Abroad was a profound experience, and it changed my life,” Brad said. “I wanted to give others the same opportunity.” This led Brad, along with a co-founder, John Eastman, to start his own international exchange program.

Twenty years later, Brad is now the Founding Director and a board member of Global Learning Across Borders (Global LAB), a gap year and study abroad non-profit with extremely strong ties to the World Learning/SIT network. In fact, Global LAB may be a prime example of the power of this network. Not only does Brad call Global LAB a “grandchild of SIT”, but 7 out of 10 Global LAB staff members are SIT alums.

Global LAB has allowed Brad and the other SIT alums the opportunity to return to a region they love while, at the same time, giving young people an opportunity to experience a profound personal transformation through an international experience. SIT alums, from SIT Study Abroad and SIT graduate school, have come together through Global LAB to provide powerful and life-changing international opportunities to students, opportunities similar to the ones they experienced on World Learning’s SIT programs. Over 100 students a year, most of them considered gap-year students, experience the impact of Global LAB’s programs.

“SIT is the first place we look for new staff,” Michelle Bos-Lun, an SIT graduate school alum and

Another SIT alum and Global LAB leader takes a moment to express her feelings about her trip.

Global LAB’s Director of Programs, said. “The [SIT] network has been a critical piece of our programs. All our recent staff have come through the SIT list-serves. Every time we put out an announcement, we’ve hired someone.” Michelle believes SIT alums are drawn to Global LAB because of its experiential focus, and Global LAB is drawn to SIT alums because of their international experience and cultural understanding. “It’s a perfect match,” Michelle said. “The networks are extremely intertwined.”

Michelle came to Global LAB through a connection with SIT’s CONTACT program, where she was working as a program assistant after graduating from SIT graduate school. John Eastman, Global LAB’s co-founder, came to a CONTACT course and mentioned Global LAB’s programs. “I’d never heard someone talk about a program that was so directly aligned with my interests and experiences,” Michelle said. Since then, Michelle was drawn to Global LAB’s mission…and continues to merge that mission with the World Learning/SIT network.

Many of Global LAB’s staff are SIT graduate students completing their off-campus work phase. Global LAB provides SIT graduate students with real opportunities to implement their ideas and graduate school projects. One such case is that of Teneisha Ellis, Global LAB’s Diversity Coordinator. Teneisha and Michelle met at SIT while Michelle was recruiting on-campus. Teneisha was working on a graduate project, which focused on helping traditionally under-represented study abroad populations gain access to international and intercultural experiences. Global LAB quickly decided to bring Teneisha on-board to pilot her project with Milwaukee urban youth.

Global LAB's CESAR participant studies the global map as a part of a global lecture.

The 2006 Cultural Education and Study Abroad Readiness (CESAR) Programs is an extra-curricular program that provides inner city high school students with weekly activities revolving around international and intercultural understanding. The youth have participated in cultural festivals, peace rallies, international cooking courses, Spanish language classes, cultural diversity lectures and much more. The program culminates in a two-week study abroad program to Mexico at the end of the academic year.

Teneisha, and Global LAB, are committed to providing under-represented youth with the same life-changing opportunities that they experienced while living abroad. The CESAR program is an example of the impact that collaboration among SIT alums has on a broader audience. By sharing a common vision of the importance of international experiences, SIT alums have harnessed their individual potentials by working together through Global LAB and providing others with life-changing experiences.

An experience that changes one person’s life can exponentially change hundreds of other people’s lives. This is true of Brad Choyt, Michelle Bos-Lun, Teneisha Ellis and the other SIT alums that have found a way to share with others the same type of experience they had with SIT. “The bottom line has to be making the international experience the most powerful experience for the student,” Brad said. “It’s all about the life-changing impact of this experience.” By working together through Global LAB, SIT alums have found a way of making this their bottom line.

For more information, contact:

http://www.global-lab.org/
1.800.984.4522
info@global-lab.org

Global Learning Across Borders
4818 43rd Street, Ste. 4C
Woodside, NY 11377