THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2024 53 Rebecca McPherson is the education and youth program specialist at the Global Community Liaison Office. She has been a Foreign Service family member since 2014, posted both overseas and domestically. She is currently a Domestic Employee Teleworking Overseas (DETO) in Angola while all three of her children are attending universities in the U.S. EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT Here are tips on managing the college and overseas transitions. BY REBECCA MCPHERSON Beyond Borders Launching Third Culture Kids ISTOCK.COM/DESKCUBE In August 2023, my spouse and I departed for post, leaving our three daughters at di erent universities, all in di erent time zones. While we were familiar with managing the transition to a new assignment as a family, moving overseas without our college students added another layer of preparations. As the education and youth program specialist for the Global Community Liaison Office (GCLO), I had the opportunity to participate as a panel member in the “Lunch and Learn” events hosted by the Foreign Service Institute’s Overseas Briefing Center (FSI/TC/OBC), titled “Moving Overseas Without Your College-Aged Children.” These sessions inspired the focus of this article: legal considerations, effective communication strategies, and potential challenges for our Third Culture Kids (TCKs) as they embark on this new phase of their lives. Legally Speaking: The Top 10 Documents All College Students Need As we move around the world, Foreign Service families need to keep track of numerous legal and financial documents, and our college kids are no different. As we prepare our children to head off to university, we focus on finding bacteria-resistant shower shoes, signing up for care package deliveries, and checking off every item on the dorm essentials list, but we must also remember the important legal documents they should have in their possession. Best Colleges and the National Law Review list the following as the top 10; the first three can be prepared by an attorney or using an online service: 1. HIPAA Form: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 authorization form should name a parent as an authorized party to ask for and receive information about the student’s health situation. The absence of this form complicates your ability for access in an emergency and will leave you no option but to get a court appointment as guardian. 2. Health Care Power of Attorney: This designates a parent as a “medical agent” to view and make health care decisions. 3. General Durable Power of Attorney: This authorizes a parent to make financial decisions on the student’s behalf. 4. Bank Information—Debit/Credit Card, Checks: If your student is under
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