"Thoughts on Education Abroad" is a monthly column written by CAPA The Global Education Network's Deputy President and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Michael Woolf.

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In this month's column, Dr. Mike Woolf discusses the allyship and inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community in sports, as well as how the notion of masculinity is exemplified and communicated throughout time. He also draws upon artistic references from music to movies to illustrate how destructive sentiments are reflected and shares how we can welcome diversity, affirm the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community, and celebrate their contributions through education abroad.

CAPA Spring 2019 Diversity Advocates scholar Jeff Chan tells us about his experience as an LGBTQ+ student abroad. He tells us why he chose Sydney as his destination for a semester away from UMass Amherst and how he has been celebrating his identity!

Happy first day of Pride Month! For a second year in a row, we are proud to be marching in the 2019 Boston Pride Parade on Saturday, June 8, 2019.

Join us as we celebrate diversity and the LGBTQIA community in our global city of Boston. As part of our ongoing commitment to equity and inclusion, CAPA The Global Education Network is sponsoring a Pride Parade Float and invites YOU – our partners, alumni, friends, and staff – to march alongside as we celebrate Love Beyond Borders and highlight on Pride Around the World! 

FUN FACT: CAPA took home the “Best Float Award” at the 2018 Boston Pride Parade, and we are determined to repeat it! 

CAPA Spring 2019 Diversity Advocates scholar Kim Corona attends an immersive art exhibit reflecting multiculturalism from Asia Pacific to Brisbane and talks about some of the compelling artwork she came across. Check out the backstories of the renowned pieces and artists she's covered, including Aboriginal, Pakistani, and Thai artists.

CAPA Spring 2019 Diversity Advocates scholar Malia Waltman opens up about her American identity and Chinese heritage, as well as how she is reconciling these facets of herself in Shanghai. She also talks about her experiences with locals, including the advantages and disadvantages of blending in abroad.

In this week’s blog, Emma interviews her friend Erika, a sophomore from Arizona State University studying abroad with CAPA in Dublin this spring! In her interview she touches on the realities of being a first-generation college student and how her cultural identity has impacted college life both at her home institution and on her study abroad program.

CAPA Spring 2019 Diversity Advocates scholar Kim Corona writes about the sense of camaraderie she experienced after seeing singers Mitski and Clairo live in Sydney. As a music enthusiast, she tells us about the creative spirit in the city, what it's like to be surrounded by locals with similar interests, and the empowering experience within music. 

CAPA Spring 2019 Diversity Advocates scholar Jeff Chan shows us how Lunar New Year is celebrated in Sydney. He tells us about the similarities and differences between the celebrations in Sydney and Boston (where he grew up), as well as what he enjoyed the most during this cultural festival. 

Lunar New Year is a celebration of the beginning of a new year based on the lunar calendar. Determined by the cycles of the moon, this date changes from year to year. Typically held in January or February, cities all across the world hold festivals and celebrations to help ring in the new year. Unlike the United States, Sydney celebrates the holiday for a week!

CAPA’s commitment to diversity extends to personal, experiential, and academic engagements throughout all of our communities. We strive to create inclusive environments for our students that allow them to experience and learn from people with diverse backgrounds, worldviews, and cultural traditions. We view our commitment to diversity as a form of social justice by promoting international education as an opportunity that is available and achievable for everyone.

The HBCU Grant

As part of this commitment to diversity, we developed the HBCU grant program. This initiative provides students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) with an automatic grant to participate in a variety of CAPA programs. Students attending HBCU institutions automatically receive $1,000 toward a fall or spring semester programs with CAPA or $500 toward CAPA’s summer programs. Students receiving the HBCU grant are still eligible to apply for CAPA’s other scholarships such as the Diversity Advocates Grant or our Blogger/Vlogger Grants.

The following is an excerpt from a paper written by Lauren Ehrmann—currently a sophomore of Indiana University—that focuses on Black History Month as celebrated in Florence, Italy. The research paper was completed as a requirement of receiving a Diversity Advocates Program Grant and studies other organizations in Florence that explore and encourage the intersections of cultural heritage and immigration. Lauren's focus on these organizations is born of an effort to explore the porosity of multiple cultural heritages made possible in Florence, and the ways that CAPA students could become involved with either cultural heritage or immigration issues while there.