On Wednesday, October 23, 2019, Skyline College Interim President, Dr. Jannett Jackson, welcomed Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, Consul General of France in San Francisco, and Caroline Jouanin and Monica Medina, representatives from the Rennes School of Business in France. The luncheon and reception, with over 80 attendees, was a celebration of international education and its role in empowering and transforming a global community of learners. The luncheon was also a part of Skyline College’s Meta Major Week Events under Business, Entrepreneurship & Management.
Dr. Jackson, shared some of the milestones that the Study Abroad Program has achieved in the last several years, including recognition by the U.S. Department of State as the number one top-producing community college in California of the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship; raising $20,000 in Study Abroad scholarships through the Community Travel Program; launching the Global Internships Program; opening the Skyline College Passport Office; and receiving a grant from the Embassy of France in Washington D.C. to implement Campus France, a new transfer abroad opportunity for SMCCCD students to transfer to the Rennes School of Business in France to complete their Bachelor’s degree.
The Consul General shared his own experience studying abroad and spoke about the importance of building intercultural competencies in today’s global economy and workforce. Ms. Jouanin spoke about the new Campus France Program* and opportunities for SMCCCD students to transfer abroad to the Rennes School of Business in France.
A highlight of the event was hearing from SMCCCD Study Abroad alumni about their experiences abroad. College of San Mateo alumna Elizabeth Ramirez joined on a video call from Southern California to share how her experience studying abroad in Florence in 2016 shaped her career path and led to her current position at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Skyline College alumni and current Rennes School of Business students Angelo Domagas and Laurel Lujan joined the reception on a video call from France and spoke about their adjustment process and classes in France. Current College of San Mateo students Aaron Wilson and Malik Griffin spoke about their experiences participating in Global Internships in Hong Kong over the summer and the process of applying for scholarships, and Skyline College students Ms. Fountaine and April Hubert shared their experiences studying abroad in Brazil and South Africa as STEM students.
These opportunities blend with Skyline College’s mission to empower and transform a global community of learners and its goal to make high-impact practices and transformative educational experiences like studying and interning abroad accessible for all students who wish to participate.
SMCCCD Study Abroad is the district-wide study abroad program housed in the Global Learning Programs and Services Division at Skyline College. For more information about studying or interning abroad, faculty teach abroad opportunities, community travel for lifelong learners, visiting international faculty presenters and student scholarship opportunities, please contact Zaid Ghori at ghoriz@smccd.edu or (650) 738-7088 or Stephanie Wells at wellss@smccd.edu. You can also learn more by visiting the SMCCD Study Abroad Facebook page or Instagram page @smcccd_study_abroad.
*The Campus France Program is a recipient of the 2019-2020 Skyline College President’s Innovation Fund.
Article by Stephanie Wells | Photo by Zaid Ghori
