GlobaLinks Announces Kimberly Iona Of Hawaii As 2009 Future International Educator/Alumna Of The Year

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I am humbled by the experience but excited for what new doors may open because of it, and I look forward to being a part of such a dedicated workforce.

Denver, Colo. (PRWEB) June 4, 2009

Kimberly Iona, a Chapman University graduate from Oahu, Hawaii, is the 2009 Future International Educator/Alumna of the Year, an award presented annually to one outstanding participant of the AustraLearn / AsiaLearn / EuroLearn educational programs of GlobaLinks.

Iona, 22, who studied in 2008 for one semester at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, received her award last week during the NAFSA 2009 Annual Conference & Expo in Los Angeles. Selected for the award by the GlobaLinks Council, Iona received financial support including lodging and registration for the 61st annual conference, which is the world's largest gathering of professionals in international education and exchange.

"It was an honor to be the recipient of this year's award and to participate in the NAFSA 2009 conference," Iona said. "I am humbled by the experience but excited for what new doors may open because of it, and I look forward to being a part of such a dedicated workforce."

The goal of the Future International Educator/Alumna of the Year Award is to encourage and support the next generation of professionals working in the field, which encompasses college and university professionals developing and evaluating programs, employees and overseas staff of program providers, government employees, researchers and related service providers, among others.

"Kim truly exemplifies what this award is all about," said Cynthia Banks, executive director and founder of the Westminster, Colo.-based GlobaLinks, with sends more than 3,000 students abroad annually via its AustraLearn / AsiaLearn / EuroLearn educational programs. "She went to New Zealand expecting to learn about the world and meet new people. But soon, she found her eyes opened to new career possibilities as well."

While in New Zealand, Iona studied political science, the Maori language and the Islamic religion. She also met other students who challenged her beliefs and helped her find a deeper appreciation for her own multi-ethnicity. Ultimately, she returned home to set out on a new career path helping to encourage university students to study abroad.

"The whole process was amazing," Iona said of her study abroad experience. "It was a lot of hard work for myself, as well as the provider and the study abroad coordinator. But I saw it as such a great process to help kids find comfort in another country."

"I want to give back what I got," she added.

Future International Educator Award applicants must first complete GlobaLinks' enCompass program, a series of activities for all program alumni to reflect and share their study abroad experiences with others, and then write an essay about their education abroad experience and why they want to work in international education.

During the NAFSA conference, Iona was recognized at the annual GlobaLinks Partner Appreciation Luncheon shadowed experienced GlobaLinks staff, networked with international education professionals, assisted at the GlobaLinks exhibition booth and took on a special project in the area of diversity and education abroad.
"We know studying abroad helps produce more globally engaged citizens because we see the results every day," Banks said. "But some students, like Kim, return home with not just greater awareness but true passion for helping others find their own enlightenment through time spent internationally with other societies and cultures."

When Iona returned home from New Zealand, she was able to get a job in Chapman University's Center for Global Education. Originally intending to return to Hawaii to become a teacher, she now is pursuing a master's degree in international studies.

"I am certain she will make an excellent international educator because she has articulated wanting to be able to understand people from various cultures in order to assist them," said Katie Roller, assistant director for the Center for Global Education at Chapman University. "Having that perspective at such a young stage in her undergraduate career really made me take notice of her."

Iona is the third recipient of the Future International Educator/Alumni of the Year Award. Last year's winner was Michelle "Shelly" Jackson, a graduate of Furman University. The 2007 winner was Kelsey McNichols, a graduate of the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

About AustraLearn / AsiaLearn / EuroLearn (Educational Programs of GlobaLinks):

AustraLearn / AsiaLearn / EuroLearn (Educational Programs of GlobaLinks) provides year-long, semester and other specialized study abroad programs to destinations across the globe. Based outside Denver in Westminster, Colo., AustraLearn / AsiaLearn / EuroLearn has sent more than 20,000 students from the United States and Canada to study abroad since its founding in 1990.

As the leading provider of study abroad programs to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, AustraLearn sends 3,000 students overseas annually to 35 universities. In 2007, AustraLearn launched sister organizations AsiaLearn, a provider of programs in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand, and EuroLearn, with programs in Europe and the United Kingdom.

For more information, visit http://www.AustraLearn.org, http://www.AsiaLearn.org or http://www.EuroLearn.org.

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