The Foreign Service Journal, October 2011

With a history of working with inner-city, at-riskkids duringher summers, thePeace Corps seemedanatural fit. “I liked the idea of serving my country, while helping to improve the lives of others. I also liked meeting people who want to change the worldandarewillingtodosomethingabout it,” she concludes. In August, Kara enthusiastically began her Peace Corps training as a youth devel- opment volunteer in El Salvador. She is excited about her two years in the country and is looking forward to grad school and adegree in international relations, followed by, perhaps, a career in theForeignService. Changing Lives A Semester at Sea voyage has the power to change lives, both for the partic- ipants and for the places and people they meet. Whether SAS students participate in a project to support a local community in Kenya, spend a day cleaning the shoreline in India,meet a groupof students inRussia or stay with a family in Japan, their expe- riences nurture and facilitate global under- standing. Theprogram’smissionstatement promises, in part, to provide “academic excellence, which gives rise to transforma- tive awareness and profound learning experiences.” It also frequently leads to the refrain, “It changed my life forever!” AFSA News Editor Donna Ayerst took part in the fall 1966 semester of theUniversity of theSevenSeas program. She servedas pho- tographer on the fall 1969 semester ofWorld CampusAfloat andon subsequent inter-term and enrichment voyages. Andyes, it changed her life forever, as well. whichheexpects toapply tohis future stud- ies and career. Thompkins’ goal is toenter theForeign Service, possibly the ForeignCommercial Service, with an emphasis on business, innovation and entrepreneurship. Much of his work this summer was focused on researching the Indian economy as part of an initiative to pair American and Indian companies, with an eye toward collabo- ration and information sharing. “This is thebest internship in theworld. I don’t think there is any other internship that surrounds youwithasmany successful people as the StateDepartment. Everyone here comes from different backgrounds and professions, and it is truly an excep- tional environment to learn from,” Thompkins enthused. “Since I hadmany interests, the State Department was the perfect place because of the variety of talent. I highly recom- mend this internship to college students because interning here allows a person to learn about different paths to reach suc- cess. The internship also helps to train a person on how to becomemore of a pro- fessional.” Semester at Sea • Continued from page 65 Intern • Continued from page 63 A F S A N E W S Comparative Global Education and Semester at Sea: A New Model for Inspiring Future Diplomats T he recent partnership between the Institute for Shipboard Education’s Semester at Sea program and AFSA suggests a new direction for educating and inspiring students to consider a career in the Foreign Service. Semester at Sea offers students the opportunity to gain a global perspective, one that is cultivated through the course of an academic semester spent voyaging to international des- tinations. The program allows students to examine and compare the world’s peoples, pat- terns, cultures, economies and traditions. Courses and hands-on field excursions are taught with an orientation directly tied to the itinerary, giving students a broad cross-cultural edu- cational experience,whileofferingchallenges theymightnever encounter at a land-basedcam- pus or in an immersion program. Globalization has taken on increased significance as tech- nology, communications and transportationserveasthemech- anismforpotential social, polit- ical and economic collisions, as well as the opportunity for cooperation,betweenpeoplesof theworld. Gainingaglobal per- spective—that is, aworld view that acknowledges a degree of interconnectedness and inter- cultural awareness within and amongsocieties—isimperative. Programs such as Semester atSeaprovideanopportunityfor the typeof comparative analysis that contributes tosuchaperspective. Thus theyareunique- ly relevant to the education and training of potential future diplomats. Our hope is that the partnership between ISE/SAS andAFSA can highlight the relevance of all international edu- cation and study abroad programs, and increase the awareness of the importance of a mul- ticountry, comparative global education. — Les McCabe, president of the Institute for Shipboard Education and Semester at Sea 66 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / OC T OB E R 2 0 1 1 Semester at Sea students take part in a service visit to a local orphan- age in Chennai, India. ISE/SAS I highly recommend this intern- ship to college students, because it allows a person to learn about different paths to reach success.