Winter 2022

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In an effort to provide even more news and calendar events, UCEAPulse will go through changes in the coming year.
Plans include quarterly newsletters, quick-read stories, and staff spotlights. Have something to submit to the next issue? Share your news here.
group of students taking selfie picture in front of the Atomium sculpture in Bruges

UCEAP SPOTLIGHT

2022’s Study Abroad in Six Words
Our students saw study abroad in 2022 as an epic adventure, and UCEAP was inspired to capture that passion in the End-of-the-Year message.
The UCEAP Marketing, Communications, and Engagement team did just that.
The project is a twist on the Story in Six Words concept, which originated with Ernest Hemingway, and was most recently popularized by late-night host Jimmy Fallon.
Students were asked to provide the six words they would use to describe their study abroad experiences. Over 350 students responded, with one student contributor being selected to receive a $100 gift card.
The six words were pulled from the top-ranked answers, and—no surprise to the MCE team—the words perfectly reflected the Student Journey while abroad:
  • Exhilarating
  • Eye-opening
  • Challenging
  • Life-changing
  • Inspiring
  • Empowering
These words were combined with many student-contributed images to create a 30-second video inspired by a popular TikTok video trend.
The video has been distributed to many groups through TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and email messaging:
  • Over 12,000 students who have started an application
  • Students who just started exploring
  • UCEAP staff
  • Campus staff
  • Study Center staff
  • UCEAP alumni
  • and more
Already, the video has hit some milestones on social media. The video is:
  • The second most popular video in 2022 on UCEAP Instagram with over 4,300 views
  • In the top 15 videos viewed on UCEAP YouTube over the last 12 years with over 2,100 views (almost as many views as the 2021 Study Abroad Fair playlist)
  • The top-liked video on the UCEAP TikTok account with almost 400 views
For more information, contact the Marketing, Communications, and Engagement team.

UCEAP NEWS

UCEAP Viewbook: New Features and Updates
The UCEAP Viewbook provides an interactive way for students to learn about study abroad and UCEAP.
This year’s Viewbook includes these updated and new features for student recruitment:
  • Learning Experiences section about program academics
  • Career-related program options and guidance
  • Updated LGBTQIA+-tolerant countries
  • All new student photography
  • More student testimonials and stories
Tip: When meeting with students, the QR code on the printed early interest cards (shipped to campus study abroad offices in early fall) will open the viewbook on a mobile device.
For more information, contact the Marketing, Communications, and Engagement team.

AWARDS NEWS

UCEAP Presents 2 Students with Research Awards
UCEAP has selected two students to receive Undergraduate Research Awards for research while studying abroad.
The awardees have been nominated by UCEAP to compete in the Forum on Education Abroad's Undergraduate Research Awards and will receive $1,000. The awardees are:
  • Matilda Krulder (UC Santa Cruz, Art major): Her research in Paris focused on creating a photographic series of the banlieues, “troubled” suburban communities in France.
  • Ronnie Page-Harley (UC Santa Barbara, Biological Sciences major): Her research at the Monteverde Institute in Costa Rica focused on seedlings and tree zonation in an old-growth forest and restoration site.
Contact Research Awards for more.

STUDY CENTER news

Study Center Staff and Students Take Over UCEAP Instagram
Study center staff and students abroad are taking control of UCEAP’s Instagram account during the monthly Explore the World series when countries with UCEAP programs are highlighted across social media for a week.
The takeover is the newest feature of the Explore the World series, which includes country introductions, graphics, and videos that have fun facts, trivia, statistics, program opportunities, and more.
During the one-day takeover, staff members or students post original content, engage with followers, and offer an on-the-ground perspective from within the country.
More than a commitment of just a few hours, the takeover users plan what topics will be covered, prepare content in advance, and monitor the platform for comments and questions.
Both the Seoul Yonsei Study Center in Korea and Berlin Study Center in Germany have done takeovers in the last few months.
Seoul Yonsei Study Center Program Manager Joey Choi and student assistants Cassie Kay and Miley Jang jumped on UCEAP Instagram to talk about Korea.
“We think it would be fun to watch students take over as they are the ones actually living and studying abroad,” Joey said. “We asked for videos from students to share them on stories, but if students can do the takeover, it would show very dynamic experiences from day to night, which attracts viewers and better engagement!”
UCEAP Instagram
Student Alise Cung was nominated to work her magic from Berlin during her takeover of UCEAP Instagram. Faculty Director for Northern Europe Glenn Levine-West said, “As you saw, Alise did a phenomenal job with it! And students responded/interacted with great questions. Alise accomplished as much, if not more, with her postings as we do with our info-sessions.”
The Explore the World series will continue into 2023, starting with Mexico and Australia.

RESEARCH NEWS

UC Study Abroad Participation Rates
The Institute of International Education (IIE) Open Doors data show that in study abroad participation rates the University of California has consistently outperformed the nation.
In the 10 years pre-pandemic, UC’s average participation rate ranged between 18% and 21%, which is well above the national average. The latest available data for 2019-20 marked the pandemic’s disruption to study abroad, when both UC and national averages fell to 8%.
The new interactive dashboard provides data for individual UC campuses, the UC system, and the nation. Last month, IIE released the newest Open Doors report with fall 2020 through summer 2021 data.
Based on IIE’s Open Doors definition, the study abroad participation rate estimates the proportion of undergraduate student cohorts that studied abroad at least once during their undergraduate careers. A detailed description of the methodology and sources can be found on the dashboard. The dashboard is available in select secured Microsoft Teams channels. Contact UCEAP Research for more information.

UCEAP NEWS

National Taiwan University Delegation Visits
Representatives from National Taiwan University (NTU) journeyed to the UCEAP Systemwide Office in August.
Professor Jiun-Haw Lee, associate vice president, and Wendy Chen, manager of global engagement, met with staff and held an information session on study abroad at NTU.
Presented by Wendy Chen, the session included an overview of NTU, university rankings, internationalization accomplishments, academics, student services, and details about Taipei, Taiwan.
This was the first hybrid presentation held with international visitors at UCEAP. Over 35 attendees from five campuses as well as UCEAP staff attended the presentation. The presentation slides are available to be viewed.
UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Henry Yang also took time to come to the UCEAP Systemwide Office to meet with the NTU delegation.
UCEAP has three programs in Taipei:
National Taiwan University
Research in Taipei
Chinese in Taipei

SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS

UCEAP Expands to Discord and TikTok Social Media Platforms
The Marketing, Communication, and Engagement team launched the official UCEAP Study Abroad Discord server and the official UCEAP TikTok account this year. UC students are already connecting and contributing to these social media platforms.
Discord is a free voice, video, and text app used daily by people to talk in communities and groups about shared interests. The server is organized by study abroad topics, countries, and programs within channels. UCEAP will use it to let students know about:
  • UCEAP updates and events
  • Links and information about scholarships and finances
  • Study abroad advice and resources
  • UCEAP brand updates
To see the Discord conversations, sign up with your email, join the server, and add roles to access channels. Explore UCEAP’s Official Discord.
TikTok is a social media platform for creating, sharing, and discovering short videos. As part of the social media strategy, UCEAP will promote events, highlight student study abroad experiences, and gather student-generated content. If you’d like to collaborate or share videos, please reach out to Claire Hoch-Frohman or Elisabeth Rockamore. Explore UCEAP’s TikTok account.

the californian abroad

Study Abroad Travel Insurance Explained: What, Why, and How it Works
Travel insurance is a valuable safety net when students face unexpected events.
Travel insurance is also complicated and often misunderstood.
In Study Abroad Travel Insurance Explained: What, Why, and How it Works, UCEAP experts provide students and their support networks what they need to know about this resource.
Share the post in your student communications to help students understand the value and how to use their study abroad travel insurance.

ALUMNI NEWS

UCEAP Celebrates 50 Years of Study Abroad with Ireland Alumni
At home and abroad, UCEAP put the spotlight on its partnership with Irish universities that began in 1970.
In June, 60 UCEAP Ireland alumni gathered with Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael Brown to celebrate the milestone at an Irish pub in Santa Monica, Calif.
During the fall, three days of events in Dublin, Ireland, were held. Celebrants joined a gala dinner, a trip to the Glendalough Glacial Valley, and a campus tour, lecture, and reception at Trinity College Dublin.
Take a look at a photo gallery from the gala. Contact the Alumni and Development team to find out more.

RECIPROCITY news

Showcasing 10 Years of Reciprocal Exchange at UC Merced
During the 10 years UC Merced has been open to reciprocal exchange students, its campus community has welcomed 75 students from 20 countries. Students have studied in topics ranging from engineering to economics to humanities.
Students have cited access to undergraduate research and proximity to some of California’s most spectacular recreational areas and parks as highlights of their study abroad.
“(The international experiences at UC Merced) were a springboard for achieving major goals in my life, like studying for a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering at the University of Cambridge in the UK and being able to work as a senior product manager for a multinational powerhouse company like Amazon in cities like London and Munich,” said Jade Robinson, a University of Cape Town student who studied at UC Merced in fall 2012.
“Both of these achievements, along with others, wouldn’t have been possible without demonstrating significant international experience and the ability to interact cross-culturally with others.”
Another eight exchange students studied at UC Merced during the fall 2022 term. The largest cohort came from Singapore, but others were here from Denmark, Japan, and Thailand.
Caption: The first exchange student cohort at UC Merced consisted of five students arriving from Chile, China, and South Africa, in the fall of 2012.
For more information, contact Craig Harmelin.

STUDENT VOICES

Peace Corps Prep
I was recently invited to serve in Costa Rica for the Peace Corps! I am scheduled to depart in March 2023, and I will be teaching vocational English to high schoolers. This has been a dream of mine for quite some time and I’m thrilled that it’s going to happen in six months!
Alyssa Scarsciotti•UC Santa Cruz•Peace Corps Prep Program Graduate
Peace Corps Prep Webinar

STAFF AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Ashley Arvanites
UCEAP Program Specialist Ashley Arvanites has received the NAFSA Region XII Rising Star Award. The Rising Star Young Leader Award is given annually in recognition of a professional who has impacted the field of international education during the first five years of the recipient's area of work. NAFSA spotlights the rising star as having the ability to make further contributions to international education as a leader.
Noah Kuchins
UCEAP Associate Program Director Noah Kuchins has been named a fellow for the 2022-23 United States-Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) University Connections Initiative. He is one of 25 higher education leaders to be chosen for this initiative. In partnership with the Association of International Education Administrators, this fellowship will bring together leaders from colleges and universities across the country and ASEAN for virtual and in-person training. Noah will attend the U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit and the AIEA conference in Washington, DC, in February.
Stacy Peralta-Ortiz
UCEAP Program Advisor Stacy Peralta-Ortiz was selected as a George Washington University UNESCO Fellow. During the three-month hybrid fellowship, she supported the Education Monitoring and Evaluation Unit at UNESCO’s Regional Bureau of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (OREAL) in Santiago, Chile. Stacy also traveled to Chile, where she assisted in researching different educational initiatives throughout Latin America.

STAFF UPDATES

Irene Ramos Abellan
Irene Ramos Abellan has taken on the role of intern at the Barcelona Study Center at the University of Barcelona.

She is a fourth-year student in the Studies of Literature at the University of Barcelona. During the 2019-20 academic year, she served as resident advisor in the Colegio Mayor Sant Jordi residence for UCEAP students.
Rebeca Brambila
UCEAP alumna Rebeca Brambila has joined the UC San Diego Study Abroad Office as a global educator. Rebeca is an International Business major at UC San Diego. She recently returned from Italy, where she spent the 2021-22 academic year on the University of Bologna program after being awarded a Borton Scholarship and a UC San Diego Study Abroad Scholarship.
Anabel Garza
Anabel Garza is the newest Finance team member.

Anabel joins us after seven years of financial aid service at UC Merced, including being the UCEAP financial aid specialist. Her country assignments will be UK-England, Ireland, and UK-Scotland.
Nicole Herrera
Nicole Herrera has joined the Alumni and Development team as an intern. She is a Global Studies major in her junior year at UC Santa Barbara.
Bryn Lemon
Bryn Lemon has moved into the role of assistant director of alumni engagement and scholarships. Bryn joined the UCEAP Alumni team in 2019 as the scholarship and alumni coordinator. She became team lead for the scholarship program after seven months on the job. Bryn spearheads the UCEAP Presents and UCEAP Trivia engagement events. Previously, she served as an intern in the Edinburgh Study Center.
Irene Morales
Reciprocity Program Advisor Irene Morales has moved on from UCEAP to attend the UC Los Angeles School of Education and Information Studies Teacher Education Program (TEP).
She'll pursue her master’s degree in Education along with a California Teaching Credential in Social Science, a specialization in Ethnic Studies, and a Spanish Bilingual Authorization.
Jennifer Pae
Jennifer Pae has joined UCEAP as a social media student worker. She is a sophomore at UC Santa Barbara majoring in Pre-Data Science and Statistics. As a Marketing, Communications, and Engagement team member, Jennifer will assist Social Media Coordinator Claire Hoch-Frohman with outreach campaigns and content creation for UCEAP’s social media platforms.
Destiny Rivas
Destiny Rivas will serve in the role of international health and safety predeparture coordinator. She’ll be working primarily with the health clearance process and compliance.
Destiny most recently worked for LA’s Best, Los Angeles Unified Schools and directed their after-school program. She has three years of experience in student support, communication with support networks, and data privacy. She graduated from CSU Los Angeles with a degree in public health.
Chrissy Schmid
Chrissy Schmid has joined the UC Irvine Study Abroad Center as outbound study abroad advisor. She'll advise for programs in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and the Middle East as well as virtual programs. Most recently, Chrissy served as a student affairs manager at the UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies. Prior to that, she was a manager of international student advising at the UC Irvine Division of Continuing Education. She has a bachelor’s degree in International Security and Conflict Resolution and anticipates completing her master’s degree in Organizational Leadership in 2022.
Luke Seacombe
Luke Seacombe will serve as the Australia and New Zealand resident director. He did a six-year stint with the Global Student Mobility team at Deakin University, where he worked with short-term, work-integrated learning, and semester-long exchange programs. Most recently, he held the role of head of engagement at Australian EdTech leader EduGrowth, which facilitates trials of new technology in the education sector.
Jenna Tantillo
Jenna Tantillo has joined the UC Santa Cruz Global Learning team as a coordinator and advisor, focusing on faculty-led Global Seminars. Most recently, Jenna was a strategic programs manager with ISA Worldstrides in Austin, Texas. She studied abroad in Spain and Chile and went on a Semester at Sea voyage. Jenna has a master’s degree in International Education Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
Maria Villazán
Maria Villazán is serving as an intern at the Madrid Study Center. She is a last-year student of Comparative Literature at Complutense University of Madrid. She has studied and lived abroad in the United States, Ireland, and UK-England, where she studied at the Manchester Metropolitan University.
Alice (Ruiqi) Zhang
Alice (Ruiqi) Zhang has joined the UCEAP Information Technology team as a student intern. She is working towards a degree in Economics with a minor in Music at UC Santa Barbara. She’ll be assisting with technology support and student questions.
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