NEWS THIS MONTH
Enter to Win Big in the CIEE Alumni Storytelling Contest!
In celebration of CIEE’s 70th Anniversary, we invite alumni of all of CIEE’s family of programs to share their stories with us, and with the world. Until June 8, submit your story about your exchange experience with CIEE following the theme, “The Journey & The Coming Home.” There are three ways to submit your story to the Alumni Storytelling Contest: essay, photo, and video. A winner will be selected in each category to receive a $500 Visa gift card for future travel and exploration. Learn more and enter the contest.
Vote for CIEE Study Abroad Alum to Win Innovative Student Video Award
CIEE Study Abroad alumna Sarah Berry was nominated to receive the Innovative Student Video Award in the 2017 GoAbroad Innovation Awards, and has officially been announced as a finalist! Sarah created a video that shows us the experience of studying in Rabat, Morocco from the lively markets to the beautiful architecture and everything in between. An online vote will determine the winner of the award. Please take a moment to watch Sarah’s video and vote to support a fellow CIEE alum!
Newsmakers: CIEE Alumni in Magazines and More
Last month, CIEE Study Abroad alum Rachel Malone was featured in SPORTS 'N SPOKES, a magazine for wheelchair sports and recreation. The article highlights some of Rachel's travels to places like Haiti, Iceland, and Barcelona, and the creative thinking she's employed while traveling to more than 13 countries using a wheelchair. Her most recent trip was CIEE Study Abroad in Dublin, Ireland with a CIEE/MIUSA Access to the World Scholarship. Rachel is a strong advocate for disabilities rights with insatiable wanderlust and goals to compete in the Paralympics someday. Read her Spoke Spotlight.
CIEE Study Abroad alum Amanda Machado is interested in all things travel, social justice, and education. After studying abroad with CIEE in Cape Town, South Africa, Amanda wasn't done seeing the world. She's backpacked in South America, South Asia, Western Europe, and the U.S., and now works as a "digital nomad" offering clients writing, content strategy, and facilitation services. Amanda has written for publications like The Atlantic and Quartz. Most recently, her work appeared on Vox, where she talks about rethinking work/life balance. Read her article on Vox.
CIEE Work & Travel USA Alumni Meet with CIEE Study Abroad Students in Moscow
The CIEE Alumni Russia Chapter organized an event in partnership with the CIEE Study Center in Moscow, Russia to have an evening of American/Russian cultural exchange. CIEE Work & Travel USA alumni and current CIEE Study Abroad students met at Razvedka in Moscow for food, drinks, and a challenging pub quiz about American and Russian traditions. Read about it on the blog.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Chapter Meeting & Brunch in Washington, D.C.
Join the CIEE Alumni Washington, D.C. Chapter for a meeting and brunch at Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café on Saturday, May 13 at 1 p.m. Learn more and RSVP.
Stay up-to-date with alumni events by:
Read about the most recent CIEE Alumni Local Chapter events on the blog.
ALUM OF THE MONTH
The Alum of the Month for May is Kassi Oliver, who studied abroad with CIEE in Ghana in 2001 and currently serves as the national director of volunteer services for Hostelling International USA (HI USA). Working for HI USA, Kassi gets to ‘pay it forward’ to provide fun and welcoming environments that support international travelers’ cultural experiences, just like CIEE Study Abroad offered her in Ghana. We interviewed Kassi to learn more about her career and what she thinks about her CIEE Study Abroad experience now, sixteen years later. Read her story.
Do you have your own story to share? Email us: alumni@ciee.org.
ALUMNI VOICES
Excerpts from recently published alumni stories:
"Well, through the Summit, I recognized a lot of problems in my own society in Afghanistan. Afghanistan contains many ethnicities, and the biggest problem right now is those ethnicities are sometimes fighting with each other. I recognized the problem, and I was so inspired. I think that, like American people, we can also live in peace although we are coming from different ethnicities." -Surosh Esmatullah (CIEE Work & Travel USA, 2014, Civic Leadership Summit fellow)
"In the United States, to me, you can find a huge number of different cultures and people living in the same spot.This is what makes the U.S. so great... My employer was a small example representing the whole. Morey’s Piers was like a small international village. I met not only Americans, but people from all over the world. You don’t have to travel to these places, they are all in Wildwood!" -Ebrahim Sabry (CIEE Work & Travel USA, 2016)
@CIEEALUMNI
From left: The CIEE Alumni Washington, D.C. Chapter celebrates Japanese culture by tasting Japanese cuisine and taking a stroll along the Tidal Basin to view the cherry blossoms during peak bloom; alumni in Chicago discuss upcoming events for the CIEE Alumni Chicago Chapter while enjoying tapas together; the CIEE Alumni New York City Chapter hosts a happy hour networking event for alumni in the area.
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