Mentor Advice
Question
Why is it important to study abroad?
25 Replies from Mentors
-
Bill ClintonFormer U.S. PresidentUnited StatesTo continue to compete successfully in the global economy and to maintain our role as a world leader, the United States needs to ensure that its citizens develop a broad understanding of the world, proficiency in other languages, and knowledge of other cultures. America's leadership also depends on building ties with those who will guide the political, cultural, and economic development of their countries in the future. A coherent and coordinated international education strategy will help us meet the twin challenges of preparing our citizens for a global environment while continuing to attract and educate future leaders from abroad.
-
Russ FeingoldFormer U.S. Senator, WisconsinUnited StatesInternational education is necessary for our children to remain competitive in the increasingly global economy…Because the United States is increasingly connected to foreign economies, international education and exchanges are critical for the United States workforce to remain competitive – especially to fulfill the increased need for foreign language proficiency...
International education advances the United States’ global economic interests and has been shown to give students an advantage over their peers in the United States who have not been exposed to international experiences... -
Karen Parfitt HughesFormer Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public AffairsU.S. Department of StateBefore 9/11—people abroad perceived the U.S. as being uninterested in the rest of the world. Our military, cultural and economic power "buy resentment around the world." It will take all of us to address that. Any American who travels abroad is an ambassador for our country, and I hope you’ll demonstrate the respect America has for different countries and cultures. I’d like more U.S. students to study abroad and more Americans to learn a foreign language.
-
Thomas Peter LantosFormer Ranking MemberHouse International Relations CommitteeI have always believed that studying abroad provides an irreplaceable experience that college students carry with them the rest of their lives…International study transforms our young people and makes them citizens of the world.
-
Barack Hussein Obama44th and current President of the United StatesUnited StatesSo as President, I'd like to find new ways to connect young Americans to young people all around the world, by supporting opportunities to learn new languages, and serve and study, welcoming students from other countries to our shores. That's always been a critical part of how America engages the world.
-
Condoleezza RiceFormer Secretary of StateUnited StatesIt is really important that people around the world get to know Americans and that Americans get to know people from around the world. There are so many misconceptions about what Americans are like… really take advantage of the opportunity to get to know other cultures, to get to know other languages, to travel to other places…And, as importantly, meeting Americans when they travel abroad widens other people's horizons about us.
-
Arnold Alois SchwarzeneggerFormer GovernorState of CaliforniaWith our world becoming increasingly interconnected, our students need to become aware of global issues and international affairs. The free exchange of ideas and knowledge is vital to advancing mutual understanding, and I commend you for promoting in our young people tolerance of diverse cultures.
-
Margaret SpellingsFormer Secretary of EducationUnited StatesIt is… very important to teach students about the world beyond their own countries…We must understand what motivates those whose cultures and traditions are not our own. To achieve these goals, we must teach our children international education skills, which include the learning of other languages, cultures, and traditions.
-
Gaddi Holguin VasquezFormer Ambassador/ RepresentativeUnited Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, ItalyGaddi Vasquez described an experience he had in Morocco when a man told him he didn’t look like an American because of “…the color of your skin. You don't look like an American.” Vasquez said that encounter “gave me the opportunity to talk about how my grandparents had come to the United States from Mexico, and how we had become part of the great fabric that makes our nation strong.” Studying abroad is an amazing opportunity to showcase the great diversity that makes up the United States.