Hello! My name is Malaika and I am the Associate Director, Professional Practice, NAFSA: Association of International Education. Prior to this, I was the Coordinator in the Programs Abroad Office at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and before coming to UTK, I received my B.A. in Sociology from the University of Southern California.
While at ‘SC, I studied abroad for a semester in Australia. This sojourn ultimately sparked my interest in international education. When I returned to the States, I decided to pursue a M.A. in College Student Personnel at the University of Maryland.
While at Maryland, I participated in a J-term program in Salvador, Brazil. This experience firmed up my decision to enter the field of study abroad. In order to gain more experience, I interned for a summer in the George Washington University study abroad office and I did another internship in the NAFSA: Association of International Educators national office in D.C.
After graduate school, I moved to Caracas, Venezuela to work as an ESL Instructor. My main reasons for going to Caracas were a) to learn Spanish; b) gain teaching experience abroad and c) have another international adventure!
In my previous position, I advised students going to Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and Africa. In addition, I work hard to encourage historically under-represented students to go abroad. Study abroad is and should be accessible to everyone!
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