Mentor Advice
Question
What advice can you give faculty and administrators for working with underrepresented students in study abroad?
9 Replies from Mentors
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Rae RaeSenior Year StudentLoyola Marymount UniversityTry to make that student feel welcome and accepted in the situation. You must strike a balance. You can’t go overboard and be “too nice,” because that person may feel singled out and you may be highlighting their differences, despite your efforts to help. But you should encourage that student to do well and achieve. Underrepresented groups often lack examples of successful participants and therefore might be more easily discouraged than others.
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PriscillaGraduate StudentUniversity of California at BerkeleyOne of my major concerns as a person of color was to travel somewhere, where I could be sure that there was not too much racial tension and if I was to run into any problems, there would be someone available for support. I have had a few encounters with racism and I believe it is important for students to be aware of any problems with discrimination so that they can prepare themselves and consider the best way of dealing with it. Of course you should be careful not to frighten students. After all, whether in the U.S. or abroad one may always run into racism, sexism and other kinds of discrimination. But a student should be knowledgeable of where they are going, including the political situation of the area, before they decide where they would like to study abroad.