CAPA WORLD

CAPA Fall 2018 Diversity Advocates scholar Lauren Ehrmann reflects on her time teaching English at Anelli Mancanti in Florence and how her experience teaching locals with diverse backgrounds completely changed her preconceived ideas about Florence.

I arrived at the specified time to a historic building with bright orange hallways decorated with optimistic murals about community and diversity, ready for my first day of volunteering. Linguistic confusion ensued when I asked the young adults at the front desk where to find Jacopo, the person I was supposed to meet: they cheerfully tried out their English on me, while I further confused things by attempting to use my rudimentary Italian. Just as I was about to despair, I was saved: Jacopo came down the stairs, shook my hand, and greeted me (much to my relief) in excellent English.

CAPA Fall 2018 Diversity Advocates scholar and art history major Lauren Ehrmann experiences the Islam e Firenze exhibit at the Uffizi Gallery and shares her Revisionist History-style take on the forgotten story of Florence’s exchange with the Islamic world.

Like any good art history major, the Uffizi was first on my list of things to see in Florence. I hurried to the galleries my second day in the city. When I arrived to the grey arched courtyard that contains the entrance to the museum, I noticed a large banner proclaiming the special exhibit currently running: Islam e Firenze.

My specialization within art history is Islamic art, so naturally I was overjoyed to see an exhibition about my area of interest. I rushed through the whole museum to get to the special exhibit space at the very end which housed the show.

At CAPA, we seek to foster increased student diversity and to provide all participants with the opportunity to explore, challenge and redefine their identities in distinct ways. Launched in Spring 2017, the Diversity Advocates Program (DAP) is an extension of this philosophy and provides resources for advocates to pursue diversity initiatives of their own within their global cities.

In this week's post, Maya sheds light on the reality of being a minority in Barcelona and shares her views on living in a country with a completely different language. She also opens up about her identity as a black woman and contrasts her living experience in Boston to her semester abroad; and expresses her commitment to improving her Spanish conversational skills.

Studying abroad has really given me a chance to reflect on who I am as a person, and what I identify myself as. I am an American black woman from the inner city of Boston, my only fluent language is English, and I am currently working on my Spanish. These traits made me incredibly different from the population of Barcelona. When signing up for study abroad, I expected a lot more diversity than what is really here. I thought it would be a bit like England, where there is a mix of many different looking people. I was very, very wrong. Majority of Barcelona is white, there are little to no black people which made me a big minority, which I am not used to.

Mariah is an official CAPA blogger, sharing her story on CAPA World. A Journalism major at SUNY Purchase College, she is studying abroad in London.

In today's post, Mariah reveals her observations about London and its diversity, the areas that celebrated it and what reminded her of home, as well as the cultural differences she noticed.

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I decided to study abroad because of the amazing opportunities I knew would come from it. I knew I would be putting myself in a foreign environment that I wasn’t used to. Surprisingly enough, the environment didn’t differ too much from back home. I was surrounded by a diverse environment where some areas were vibrant. In terms of adapting, their work environment was a bit "politer" than what I assume the Americans environment is.

My colleagues were not shy of being passionate during their conversations or discussing politics. It was also a usual thing to ask everyone if they wanted “anything to drink” throughout the day. It was a form of politeness I wasn’t used to.

At CAPA, we seek to foster increased student diversity and to provide all participants with the opportunity to explore, challenge and redefine their identities in distinct ways. Launched in Spring 2017, The Diversity Advocates Program (DAP) is an extension of this philosophy and provides resources for advocates to pursue diversity initiatives of their own within their global cities.

Now, it’s time to announce our Fall 2018 Scholars!

Three students, three different skin colors, three different accents and three different backgrounds all studying media literacy abroad while enriching themselves in a new culture.

One from Washington D.C., attending Portland State University, one from Egypt who is also attending Portland State University, and one from Washington who is affiliated with Portland State through an adjunct professor of Washington State University. Each one of us is in London, a new destination for all of us, to study the same subject and experience the same culture. Since we come from varying backgrounds, we have varying perspectives and consequently have each had different learning experiences. Here are 5 things that we have learned about the UK from a student perspective.

From left to right, Rachel Jones, Yohana Lewis, and Anna Nelson

Happy Pride Week! This year, we are proud to be marching in the 2018 Boston Pride Parade on Saturday, June 9, 2018.

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 DisGO Beyond to the beat!

How Do I Register?

It is completely FREE for you to attend this! We only ask that you register here, that way we can keep track and notify you of any updates.

We're honored that our Diversity Advocates Program was selected as a finalist for the 2018 GoAbroad Innovation Awards in the Innovation in Diversity category! The GoAbroad Innovation Awards recognizes strategic efforts to expand international educational opportunities to traditionally underrepresented groups for the Innovation in Diversity category.

Launched this spring, CAPA's Diversity Committee created this initiative to exemplify our commitment to diversity in ways that are academic, experiential, and personal for our students to transport their activism and passions abroad. So, what exactly is the Diversity Advocates Program and who are our Spring 2018 participants?

An Interview with CAPA Institutional Relations Manager for Equity and Inclusion Initiatives: Darin Smith-Gaddis

Meet Darin Smith-Gaddis, CAPA's first Institutional Relations Manager for Equity and Inclusion Initiatives. Since his start with CAPA in 2014, Darin has focused on building relationships with institutional partners. Drawing from his experience in developing key programs for education and diversity and inclusion efforts, he is committed to helping others understand and expand access for underrepresented students to study abroad. Below, he shares what led to his current role at CAPA, why study abroad is important, and how educators and institutions can be more inclusive.