Student Diplomat Video Contest
During the 2009 fall semester, NAFSA and the Abroad View Foundation watched as students from across the country showed us how their study abroad experiences helped to advance global understanding. Participants were asked to consider how their study abroad experience has:
shaped them as a global citizen; served as a bridge to cross-cultural understanding; Promoted peace; or positively impacted the local community in which they studied.
Meet the 2009 Student Diplomat – Nicole Barrasse
Nicole Barrasse, a recent graduate of Keystone College in La Plume in Pennsylvania, shares her experience living in the small village of Ladakh, India. Staying with a host family and spending her days farming and learning the local language and culture, Nicole viewed her classroom as the land and the community in which she lived. In the time she spent in Ladakh, not only did she learn about sustainable farming and the ancient traditions of the Ladakhi people, she also learned what it meant to be a citizen of the world. "Ladakh has not only taught me life lessons, but also what it truly means to be connected to the world around you," said Nicole Barrasse.
Reflecting on why she decided to enter the contest, Nicole said, "making the video for the contest heightened my awareness of the affect this journey had on me. I think it's very important to see the world, speak new languages, and try to connect with the amazing ways the world and its people can change us."
Nicole is now home in Pennsylvania and plans to initiate a program in her local community to help youth learn about different cultures and expand their horizons, just as hers was through her journey in India.
About the 2009 Student Diplomat Video Contest
NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Abroad View Foundation asked current and recent study abroad students to share - in a one to three minute video – their story about how their study abroad experience helped to advance global understanding. After reviewing dozens of entries and narrowing those down to five finalists, NAFSA and Abroad View asked the public to vote. More than 1,300 votes were tallied and combined with votes from an expert panel of judges made up of international education professionals to name the winner of the 2009 Student Diplomat Video Contest.
The 2009 Student Diplomat was selected from among the finalists by combining the votes received from our expert panel of judges and the number of votes tallied from the public for each finalist's video. Each voting component was worth the equivalent of 50% of the final vote. In addition to receiving the "Student Diplomat" title, the winner also received a cash prize of $300.
Eligibility
The Student Diplomat Video Contest was open to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents of the United States who have had an undergraduate study abroad experience, whether they are currently enrolled through an accredited college or university or have studied abroad since spring 2005.
Deadline for submissions was December 15, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. EST.