Through interactive sessions, conversations and networking opportunities, participants gained knowledge and connections that can support their continued involvement in international education and global leadership.

The conference brought together students from the following institutions:

• Appalachian State University
• Central Piedmont Community College
• Davidson College
• East Carolina University
• 麻豆视频
• High Point University
• Meredith College
• Methodist University
• North Carolina State University
• Queens University
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• University of North Carolina at Pembroke
• Wayne Community College
• Wesleyan College

Students participated in “Story Circle” activities, a 鈥淭wo to Tell鈥� presentation, and a photo contest, showcasing images that reflected their global experiences. 鈥淭wo to Tell鈥� is a speech competition in which students deliver a two-minute presentation. The focus of the presentation is the impact of their international experience, including but not limited to study abroad, immigration or international studies.

The conference highlighted the value of collaboration across North Carolina鈥檚 higher education institutions and demonstrated the impact students can have when they come together around shared interests in global learning, cultural exchange and international engagement.

The conference was organized through a collaborative effort involving NCAIE鈥檚 Student Leadership Team, which included students from several North Carolina colleges and universities. 麻豆视频 students Emily Tomczak G鈥�28 and Ariely Vidal 鈥�28 served on the student leadership team. Karen Binger Marshall of Appalachian State University and Rose Malone of East Carolina University served as conference co-planners. 麻豆视频 staff, Carmen Boggs, director of semester and exchange programs, and Denise Teeters, director of international student services assisted in the logistics of hosting the conference on campus.

More information about the NCAIE Global Leadership and International Engagement Student Conference is available on the .

Hosted by the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center and campus partners, the week invites students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members to examine and connect through cross-cultural and interdisciplinary experiences.

IEW highlights the strengths of international education and exchange. 麻豆视频鈥檚 celebration aligns with the university鈥檚 relationship-rich, engaged learning, helping us develop a deeper understanding of our interconnected world.

Week-at-a-glance

The full schedule is available on the International Education Week website. This year鈥檚 schedule features a mix of cultural, academic, and community-building events.

Highlights include:

• Global Flow Yoga at Sunset (Nov. 8)
• Research in Global Contexts: Student and Faculty Symposium (Nov. 9)
• French Poetry Slam (Nov. 9)
• Traditional West African Dance and Drums (Nov. 10)
• Global Film Series (Nov. 10)
• Minute to Win It! Meet and Greet (Nov. 11)
• International Cheese Festival (Nov. 11)
• International Coffee Hour and International Books and Authors (Nov. 12)
• Amici dell鈥橧talia (Nov. 12)

Why it matters

IEW provides a focused moment to elevate global learning that happens across 麻豆视频 every day, in classrooms, residence halls, student organizations, and the Alamance County community.

IEW鈥檚 core idea is that international education thrives on meaningful relationships, shared experiences, and collective purposes.

鈥淎t its core, this year鈥檚 theme and events highlight how global learning is strengthened when students, faculty, staff, and partners come together across cultures, disciplines, and perspectives,” said聽Jessica Gisclair, associate dean of global education.

麻豆视频 continues to lead nationally in study abroad and Study USA participation as part of the 麻豆视频 Experiences.

Most IEW events are open to the entire 麻豆视频 community. Some programs require an RSVP or have limited capacity. Visit the IEW website for times, locations, and updates. For questions, contact the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center at 336-278-6700 or visit Sato Commons 360 during business hours.

SEE is one of the major associations for the experiential education field, and the annual conference brings scholars, practitioners and educators together from across the world.

This year’s conference theme was “Experience Matters: 55 Years of Impact, Innovation, and Community” and focused on how all forms of experiential education聽continue to drive meaningful, inclusive and innovative learning experiences.

Love and Sanders presented a session titled “What Next? Effective Reflection in Global Education” that encouraged attendees to utilize multi-modal reflective activities to help students more effectively process their study abroad experiences. This session was motivated by Love and Sanders experiences on an 麻豆视频 Winter Term program as well as a Semester at Sea journey. They were the only two undergraduate students to present at this national conference.

Attending and presenting at this conference allowed them to network with professionals from across the country while learning more about their field.

For award-winning journalist , that disconnect raises a troubling question: Why has a humanitarian catastrophe of such magnitude received so little attention?

During an Oct. 20 lecture at 麻豆视频, Neiman shared firsthand accounts from her recent reporting trip to Sudan鈥檚 Nuba Mountains, where she documented the experiences of civilians, fighters and medical workers caught in the conflict.

鈥淓ven before my departure, I was overwhelmed, frankly, by the scale of loss in Sudan,鈥� Neiman said. 鈥淵et, this crisis received limited space and attention in our newspapers and television programs.鈥�

Her lecture, 鈥淢edia Matters: Covering Sudan鈥檚 Civil War,鈥� was co-presented by the Pulitzer Center and the School of Communications. To see event photos, .

Neiman explained that securing support for the reporting trip required months of persistence. Alongside photographer Guy Peterson, she spent five months pitching stories to news editors, encountering repeated rejections. Some considered the region too obscure, while others were reluctant to send journalists into dangerous territory.

鈥淚t had been aggravating to spend so much time feeling as if I was literally begging people to just care about Sudan,鈥� Neiman said.

Once in Sudan, she encountered more stories than she could possibly tell.

Among those she interviewed was a displaced mother whose husband and teenage son were killed in a drone strike. Despite struggling to feed her surviving children, the woman had taken in two additional children orphaned by the fighting.

For Neiman, the encounter illustrated both the devastation of war and the extraordinary compassion that persists amid suffering.

Throughout her lecture, Neiman challenged students to consider journalism鈥檚 responsibility to people whose experiences and struggles often go unseen 鈥撀爓hether in distant conflict zones or their own communities.

鈥淲hat does it mean to truly bear witness? Why should we open ourselves up to the suffering of others with compassion and empathy?鈥� she asked.

Near the conclusion of her lecture, Neiman recalled asking interview subjects what they wanted for their futures or what message they hoped to share with the world.

鈥淎lmost always, people told me simply that they wanted peace,鈥� she said.

Lorraine Ahearn, assistant professor of journalism and 麻豆视频鈥檚 liaison to the Pulitzer Center鈥檚 Campus Consortium, welcomed attendees before the lecture. Ethan Wu 鈥�27, a 2026 Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellow who investigated water pollution near Beijing, introduced Neiman.

麻豆视频鈥檚 partnership with the Pulitzer Center

麻豆视频 is a longtime member of the Pulitzer Center鈥檚 , a network of colleges and universities supporting journalism on critical global issues. Through the partnership, student journalists receive mentorship and guidance throughout the reporting and publication process.

With Rotary鈥檚 support, Ecker is currently earning her Master of Science in Food Security from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland so she can fulfill her mission of strengthening local and global food systems through sustainable, ecological practices.

Ecker is the eighth 麻豆视频 student in six consecutive years to receive District 7690鈥檚 Rotary Club鈥檚 Global Grant; the only recipients since 2021 have been 麻豆视频 students and alumni. She follows Faith Leslie 鈥�21, Allison Potter 鈥�22, Kiara Hunter 鈥�23, Megan Curling 鈥�23, Ava de Bruin 鈥�23, Nazaneen Shokri 鈥�24, and Holly Miranda 鈥�20. All recipients since 2022 have had at least one major in public health, a testament to the Department of Public Health鈥檚 ability to successfully prepare leaders who address the most pressing public health concerns of the 21st century.

This opportunity is not limited to public health majors, though, and all interested 麻豆视频 students and alumni should contact the National and International Fellowships Office for more information about the application process. Applications will be due in mid-December, and the office will start supporting applicants in early November.

An undergraduate experience ‘rooted in collaboration’

Ecker arrived at 麻豆视频 as a Teaching Fellow prepared to major in elementary education, but everything changed for her after taking one course: Introduction to Public Health. She started to observe the intersections between education and public health and realized that a career in the field would allow her to meaningfully combine her interests. Soon after, she declared a double major in public health and international & global studies with a minor in French and joined the Global Partnership Scholars Program (formerly the Periclean Scholars Program) to put her newfound passion into practice.

As a Global Partnership Scholar, an experience she calls 鈥渁n honor and one of the most meaningful parts of [her] 麻豆视频 experience,鈥� Ecker spent three years learning about building ethical partnerships locally and abroad. She traveled to Jamkhed, India twice to work on the Comprehensive Rural Health Project, and served as a peer mentor to a younger cohort of scholars traveling to Sri Lanka. These experiences, paired with Ecker鈥檚 semester abroad in Denmark, helped shape her into an ethical, global citizen.

In addition to her international experiences, Ecker also knew she wanted to complete undergraduate research to make a long-term impact locally. Under the mentorship of Scott Morrison, professor of education, Ecker worked extensively with the , a grassroots organization in a historically Black Burlington neighborhood. Founded in 2017 by Lydia Jones and Joyce Moore, MCG鈥檚 mission is 鈥渢o educate, empower and encourage individuals through acts of service and giving.鈥�

Ecker鈥檚 project included two years of Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR), an approach that makes community members equal partners in the research process. She spent months attending community meetings, volunteering at the garden, and surveying residents to understand their needs. Ecker then worked in partnership with Morrison and Ashlie Thomas鈥攁 gardener, author, and nutrition scientist鈥攖o create 鈥淩ooted Together,鈥� a free eight-week program for children in Morrowtown that combined gardening, literacy, math and nutrition lessons. She also worked to co-create service-learning opportunities so more 麻豆视频 students can get involved with the garden in the future.

鈥淏ringing more professors and students to the table to support Morrowtown and its garden reflects the importance of putting the 鈥榗o鈥� in collaboration,鈥� she said.

In addition to these impressive achievements, Ecker also served as the co-president for the French Honors Society and an 麻豆视频 1010 Peer Educator. She credits her successes to her wide range of 麻豆视频 mentors.

鈥淚 am fortunate to have mentors across public health, education, engineering, environmental science, French, and the International & Global Studies Program,” she said. “My primary mentor, Dr. Morrison in the School of Education, profoundly influenced my 麻豆视频 experience. My interest in food systems began with our research project, and his mentorship is part of the reason I am pursuing a master’s in food security. Equally as important, Molly Green, Amanda Tapler, Scott Wolter, Jacob Rutz, Sophie Adamson, Olivia Choplin, Mussa Idris, Waseem Kasim and Andrea Sinn also shaped my undergraduate experience through a deeply interdisciplinary lens. They continuously supported and challenged me to reach my full potential, and I would not be where I am today without their mentorship.鈥�

An alignment of values

With these rich experiences under her belt, it only made sense that Ecker would continue to pursue advanced education in the field of public health, which is how she discovered the Master of Science in Food Security at The University of Edinburg, a program that combines foundational training alongside valuable international fieldwork placements. Ecker knew this was the next best step for her but needed support to make it a reality.

By working with the National and International Fellowships Office, Ecker learned about the Rotary Global Grant and the natural ways it aligned with the work she鈥檇 already done.

鈥淚 was motivated to apply because Rotary’s values and goals align closely with my own values and academic aims,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚 found a scholarship and a community that truly values serving others, which is what I have tried to do through my work with the Morrowtown community and my on-campus leadership. I chose Rotary because it supports selfless future leaders and global citizens who will make an impact.鈥�

This alignment was also clear to the Piedmont District 7690 Rotary Club, and after a rigorous application and interview process, Ecker heard the news she鈥檇 been hoping for: she was the next recipient of the $30,000 grant. Now, Ecker is in the second month of her graduate studies at Edinburgh.

鈥淚 am thoroughly enjoying my modules. I am taking two core modules, Frameworks to Food Systems and Sustainability in Food Production, along with an elective called Sustainable Entrepreneurship. It has been amazing to finally study the theories, history, and vulnerability assessments of food security in depth, while also learning about the entrepreneurial and business side of the food system,鈥� she said.

Looking ahead, she is eager to complete her dissertation project and an international field trip with her master鈥檚 cohort in April. While her dissertation ideas are still in development, Ecker hopes to focus on topics like sustainable business models in food systems or entrepreneurship and resilience in food-insecure communities. The international field trip will take place in Morocco, where she will learn about a new food system and visit international and local food security organizations.

Outside of the classroom, Ecker has loved exploring Edinburgh with her flatmates and members of the Rotary Club of Braids. One of the hallmarks of the Rotary Global Grant is the connections that are forged with local chapters so recipients feel welcomed and supported during their transition abroad.

鈥淢y Rotarian international hosts, Duncan, Paul, and Anne, have been a supportive community,” she said. “Duncan even picked my parents and I up from the airport when we arrived! My family was also invited to attend a Rotary luncheon to meet the Braids chapter. I could not think of a more wholesome welcome to a new country!鈥�

While Ecker is still deciding what comes after the Master of Science program, she might go straight to work within international food security, or perhaps continue on to earn her PhD鈥攈er commitment to improving the lives of others is steadfast and clear. She is already well on her way to becoming precisely the kind of 鈥渟elfless leader and global citizen鈥� that Rotary International seeks to amplify.

Ritchie gave a spotlight session, 鈥淧eople, Not Systems: AI, Belonging and Readiness,鈥� and joined the closing leadership panel on what must change next in higher education. Much of the session was built around his teaching at 麻豆视频.

During his Fulbright year, Ritchie taught The AI Revolution at 麻豆视频, a course he co-created at Warwick. 麻豆视频 students and Warwick students took on the same assignment in two very different classrooms, imagining possible futures shaped by AI and writing policy briefs to people with the power to act on them. One 麻豆视频 first-year student argued the course should be compulsory for every 麻豆视频 student. Comparing the two classrooms shaped the talk’s central argument: students are not the readiness problem; institutions are.

The work of Zach Conklin 鈥�28 and other students from the course is featured throughout. In class, Conklin wrote on the whiteboard that 鈥渢he hardest problems aren鈥檛 technical. They鈥檙e human.鈥� Ritchie used the line to close his talk. Conklin has since become one of the 麻豆视频 student editors of a joint 麻豆视频鈥揥arwick special issue of “Reinvention: an International Journal of Undergraduate Research,” on AI and the final-year research experience.

The talk also drew on 鈥淵our Place in the World: Exploring Identity, Sustainability, and AI,鈥� the course Ritchie taught at the 麻豆视频 Academy summer program. Scholars co-wrote their own honor code before using AI, then recreated hand-drawn designs with AI tools and reflected on what the technology made, what they made, and how they handled bias along the way.

鈥淢oney buys adoption. People make readiness,鈥� Ritchie said. 鈥淭he students at 麻豆视频 showed me that, in the classroom and at the Academy.鈥�

The award follows the AI in Learning Excellence Award Ritchie received from Echo360 this summer.

Journalist , whose award-winning reporting has documented human rights violations and the experiences of civilians caught in conflicts across East and Central Africa, will visit the School of Communications on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to discuss her coverage of Sudan’s ongoing civil war.

The public lecture, titled 鈥淢edia Matters: Covering Sudan鈥檚 Civil War,鈥� will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Jane and Brian Williams Studio, located at 129 N. Williamson Ave. The and the School of Communications are co-presenting the free event.

Neiman’s visit comes as Sudan faces a devastating humanitarian crisis that has displaced more than 8 million people since civil war erupted in 2023. Despite the scale of the suffering, the conflict has received relatively little international attention compared with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Lorraine Ahearn, assistant professor of journalism and 麻豆视频’s liaison to the Pulitzer Center鈥檚 Campus Consortium, said Neiman’s dispatches from countries including Uganda, Rwanda and Mozambique underscore the importance of eyewitness journalism in regions that foreign news desks often overlook.

鈥淎t great risk, Sophie Neiman has been the eyes and ears in conflict zones that many mainstream media organizations ignore,鈥� Ahearn said. 鈥淭hat neglect has consequences: indifference on the part of the outside world, and lack of humanitarian support.鈥�

Current challenges extend beyond Sudan. Decades of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including the ongoing M23 rebellion, have resulted in an estimated 6 million deaths. Together, these conflicts illustrate the enormous human toll of warfare in Africa and the need for sustained international reporting.

Yet Neiman鈥檚 work, published in outlets including , , , , and , focuses on more than violence and displacement. She documents the courage and agency of people navigating extraordinary circumstances.

Ahearn said that approach offers audiences a more personal understanding of conflicts that can otherwise seem far-off or overwhelming.

鈥淣eiman鈥檚 stories aren鈥檛 about numbers 鈥撀爉ind-numbing as those numbers are,鈥� Ahearn said. 鈥淭hrough her words and camera lens, we meet teenagers with no choice but to take up arms, witness a labor and delivery ward operating in a combat zone, and see the legacy of conquest literally stitched into tapestries by an elderly artist. These stories capture the human face of war.鈥�

麻豆视频 is a long-standing member of the Pulitzer Center鈥檚 , a network of colleges and universities that support the center鈥檚 mission to promote journalism on critical global issues. The organization pairs students with mentors and advises student journalists through the reporting and publication phases.

Event details

What:聽“Media Matters: Covering Sudan鈥檚 Civil War,” featuring journalist Sophie Neiman
When: Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Jane and Brian Williams Studio, 129 N. Williamson Ave., 麻豆视频, NC
Presented by: Pulitzer Center and 麻豆视频鈥檚 School of Communications

The special issue, 鈥淎I and the Final-Year Research Experience: Transatlantic Perspectives,鈥� is a collaboration between 麻豆视频 and the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, where Reinvention is based. Zach Conklin 鈥�28, Alyssa Collins 鈥�27 and Chris Guider 鈥�28 serve on the student-led editorial board alongside student editors from Warwick.

The project grew out of Tom Ritchie鈥檚 year at 麻豆视频 as a 2025-26 US-UK Fulbright Commission Visiting Scholar. Ritchie, reader and director of student experience in the Department of Chemistry at Warwick, focused on AI and belonging in course curriculum design during his time at 麻豆视频, where he taught Conklin and Collins in his course ‘The AI Revolution’.

鈥淪o many of my conversations with 麻豆视频 students kept coming back to the same question: what does doing your own research look like now that generative AI is part of every stage of it?鈥� Ritchie said. 鈥淪tudents are working this out as they go, often ahead of the guidance written for them. Their experience deserves to be in the literature in their own words, and it means a great deal that 麻豆视频 students are the ones shaping that conversation.鈥�

The call for papers is open to current undergraduates and recent graduates from any discipline and any institution. Submissions may include research articles, critical reflections and book reviews on topics such as using AI to frame research questions or analyze data, how AI has changed conversations with faculty mentors, academic integrity and disclosure, access and equity, and the decision not to use AI. Reinvention is fully open access, and there is no fee to submit.

The issue will be published alongside a companion special issue of Perspectives on Undergraduate Research and Mentoring (PURM) exploring the same questions from the faculty and staff perspective. That issue is co-edited by Ritchie; Brandon Sheridan, associate professor of economics and Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning Pedagogy Fellow at 麻豆视频; and Yanyan Li, early-career fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study at Warwick.

鈥淧utting the two issues side by side gives us something unusual,鈥� Ritchie said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l hear from students and mentors on both sides of the Atlantic about the same moment in undergraduate research, and see where those experiences line up and where they don鈥檛.鈥�

Submissions are due Jan. 6, 2027, and the issue is scheduled for publication in summer 2027.

Full details are available on the .

Over the course of seven days, participants immersed themselves in the history, culture and character of the City of Lights. The itinerary combined iconic landmarks and meaningful learning opportunities with the camaraderie and spontaneity that make group travel so memorable.

For Christi Floyd 鈥�97, the relationships formed along the way were a highlight of the experience.

鈥淧aris was more amazing than I imagined, but what really made the trip was the people I got to experience it with,鈥� Floyd said. 鈥淭raveling with 麻豆视频 alumni was so much fun, especially since we were able to connect several times via Zoom prior to the trip. We instantly had that 麻豆视频 connection! We laughed, explored, ate and drank, sang the 麻豆视频 Fight Song in the airport, and made lots of memories. I came home with a love for Paris and a whole new group of 麻豆视频 friends!鈥�

A global classroom

Led by retired Professor L.D. Russell, the Paris excursion marked the second trip in a growing alumni travel program that extends 麻豆视频鈥檚 tradition of experiential learning beyond campus. The program creates opportunities for graduates from different generations and backgrounds to continue learning together while exploring destinations around the world.

鈥淭his experience demonstrated that the power of lifelong learning and connection can happen anywhere,鈥� said Kendra Haskins, senior director of Alumni Engagement. 鈥淥ur 麻豆视频 community is full of curiosity and an explorer spirit. What a perfect mix for travel!鈥�

A journey through Paris鈥檚 history and culture

With guidance from Russell and an experienced local tour leader, travelers experienced many of Paris鈥檚 most celebrated landmarks. Highlights included dinner at the Eiffel Tower, an exploration of the Louvre鈥檚 priceless treasures, and a visit to Versailles, where the group learned about its history, architecture and gardens.

The experience also allowed participants to balance structured learning with independent exploration. Unlike students studying abroad, travelers had the flexibility to design portions of their own itinerary and discover the city according to their individual interests.

鈥淚t was my first time in Paris, and I feel like this was the perfect way to experience it,鈥� said Rachel Renfrow 鈥�24. 鈥淚 had plenty of time to explore what was important to me while also participating in the group activities.鈥�

Renfrow also appreciated the opportunity to meet alumni and others from across the university community.

鈥淚t was special because I got to interact with people from so many different parts of 麻豆视频,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had insightful conversations with L.D. and enjoyed seeing 麻豆视频 through the eyes of an alum who now works there and someone who attended the law school. It was fun getting to know everyone and sharing our 麻豆视频 experiences.鈥�

A new chapter in alumni engagement

This Parisian adventure was the second in an announced series of educational travel experiences for alumni, family and friends. Upcoming journeys include:

Canadian Rockies & Glacier National Park
July 6-12, 2027

Women of 麻豆视频 WEekend in NYC
Sept. 16-20, 2027

Christmas on the Danube
Dec. 4-12, 2027

Be a traveler, not a tourist with 麻豆视频! Read more about upcoming travel with 麻豆视频 Alumni on their website: /u/alumni/travel

The prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes is increasing in Africa. Darfour-Oduro and her collaborators聽aimed to evaluate the impact of structured and supervised physical activity on HbA1c levels among adults with Type 2 diabetes and report on the pooled prevalence of聽physical activity聽in studies conducted in Africa.

The researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. They聽reviewed聽four online databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and CINAHL)聽between Oct. 12, 2024, and Dec. 23, 2024. They included observational studies as well as experimental studies conducted in Africa that reported physical activity聽among patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. For the meta-analysis, the authors included studies reporting the prevalence of聽physical activity聽and studies evaluating the impact of structured and supervised聽physical activity聽on HbA1c.

The authors found that the聽pooled prevalence of physical activity was聽56%. They also found that聽structured and supervised聽physical activity聽was associated with a 1.20 reduction in HbA1c levels.

The聽researchers聽identified barriers聽that聽affect聽participation聽in physical activity, and these ranged from patient knowledge and illness-related challenges to sociocultural and structural factors. The authors also found that support from peers and health care workers can聽encourage聽greater participation in physical activities.

For Darfour-Oduro, the key takeaway from this article is that physical activity can play an important role in improving the management of Type 2 diabetes in Africa.

“These findings show that diabetes programs should promote physical activity while addressing the social, cultural and environmental barriers that聽prevent聽people from being active,鈥� Darfour-Oduro said. 鈥淚nterventions should be affordable, accessible, culturally appropriate, and integrated into routine diabetes care and community settings.鈥�