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Columns::January 28, 2002
State budget proposal includes pay raises, other UGA priorities
Former White House chief of staff to speak at annual conference
Computational Center director wins chemistry award
UGA celebrates the life, legacy of Martin Luther King
Beyond description
Signed, sealed, and delivered
A dollar could have bought a lot more
Vet medicine professor puts the bite on infectious animal diseases
Newsmakers
Administrative Changes
Home Suite Home
Campus News
Student ‘ambassadors’ visit area high schools
By Nadine Randall
diniran@aol.com
UGA’s Center for International Trade and Security is sending its interns to area high schools to give presentations on global
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| Monica Lenard |
issues as part of its new Student Ambassadors Program.
The center carries out research, teaching and outreach on trade, technology and security issues. It helps government officials, students, academics, business leaders and the general public address international security challenges through policy-relevant research and outreach activities.
For several years, CITS has accepted outstanding undergraduates to participate in its internship program. The Student Ambassadors Program, which began this academic year, expands the existing internships to fulfill UGA’s outreach mission. Through the program, CITS interns have developed 30- to 45-minute educational presentations on different aspects of international trade and security issues to present to high school history and civics classes.
“We are hoping that the program will help fill in some gaps in high school social studies curricula and mainstream media accounts of current events,” says Terrell Austin, CITS program coordinator. “Giving students a better understanding of international issues--what is happening now and why--and letting them ask questions, we hope, will jump start their interest in the wider world.”
The program aims to increase high school students’ interest in global issues by providing them with in-depth background that they would not normally receive by reading a newspaper or taking a general history course. It also may encourage them to attend college by revealing the many opportunities available to college students. CITS interns also benefit, by developing teaching and presentation skills and learning the importance of public service.
Monica Lenard, a senior student ambassador studying political science and global studies, focused her presentation on the issue of genocide, with particular attention to Rwanda.
“As a young person, I think that this opportunity to speak to high school students is important if we are to establish global understanding here in the United States,” says Lenard.
International students also have benefited from the program. Youliana Ivanova, a senior ambassador from Bulgaria, gave presentations on the history of the atomic bomb and the economics behind the Cold War. She has improved her public speaking and presentation skills and plans to continue her education in international security in Washington, D.C.
The student ambassadors have given several presentations at Cedar Shoals High School, and are expanding the program to Clarke Central this winter. The presentations have initiated lively discussions and generated positive responses from teachers and students.
“The students were very responsive and expressed a lot of concern about the issues, particularly with regards to the environment and the democratic process,” says Brian Holland, a junior from Snellville who spoke to a Cedar Shoals economics class about the benefits and costs of globalization.
“This program is an excellent example of UGA outreach activities engaging different groups in the community and serving as a catalyst to open new avenues of education and communication,” says Art Dunning, UGA’s vice president for public service and outreach. “We’re very pleased with the success of the Student Ambassadors program and the plans for its expansion, and we will continue to support initiatives such as this one.”
CITS hopes eventually to expand the Student Ambassadors Program to reach high school students across the state. The staff has also begun creating a library of presentations for future interns to review.
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