Abroadia is committed to providing students with a better understanding of the world through study abroad and interactions with people located in Cuba and South America. In order to stay current with developing ideas and trends in critical education abroad we created a series of online seminars with leading international educators, thought leaders and global citizens to provide us with unique international perspectives. If you would like to take part in a global thoughts session, just let us know! If you are an international educator interested in sharing your knowledge and experience with us, we would welcome your participation.
Upcoming Speakers
Ariel Camejo has a Doctorate in Literary Sciences from the University of Havana, where he served as Professor of Literary Theory and Criticism at the Faculty of Arts and Letters. He served as vice dean (2007-2012) and dean (2012-2014) of that institution, in addition to directing the Department of Theoretical and Social Studies of Culture for two periods (2014-2016, 2020-2022). He has coordinated several research projects in Cuba and with universities in the United States, Europe and Latin America. He has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses on narratology, intellectual history of the Caribbean, and urban representations in Latin American literature and art.
Ariel Camejo
Cuba
He has co-edited the volumes Saint-John Perse: por los Caminos de la Tierra (Casa de las Américas, 2008) and Pa(i)sajesurbanas (Linkgua, 2015), in addition to coordinating the translation into Spanish of Elogio de la Creolidad (Casa de las Américas, 2014). In 2023 he published the anthology Unidentified Textual Objects: Emerging Narratives in Cuba's New Digital Environments. His articles appear in numerous Cuban and international publications. He has been a guest lecturer and participated in academic events at universities and institutions in Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Guatemala, the United States, Colombia, Spain, Germany, Norway, Austria, Italy and China. Dr. Camejo will speak with us on November 20th at 10am Eastern Time.
Past Speakers
Reyes Bellver
Sports lawyer and arbitrator in Spain
We’ve all seen the infamous kiss that Luis Rubiales gave Jenni Hermoso after Spain’s Women’s Soccer team won the World Cup in August. Now we will have an authoritative figure speak to us about machismo in soccer in Spain.
Reyes Bellver spoke with us on October 11th.
There is no recording of the session. Stay tuned for future presentations!
Máximo Nivel
Ken Jones and Valeria Trocel joined us to discuss internship, volunteer, TESL and summer camp opportunities for students in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Peru. If you were unable to attend you may access the video and audio recordings of our conversation. Máximo Nivel provides wonderful immersive experiences for your students!
We spoke with Ken and Valeria on September 20, 2023.
Cato Rolea
Nottingham Trent University and UniGlobal Careers
“Navigating International Education Using Technology”
This webinar is an essential guide for students, educators, and professionals who aspire to leverage their skills in the international education sphere. We will explore how to harness the power of technology to identify ideal job opportunities, master the application process, and cultivate a flourishing career in the global educational domain. Whether you are just embarking on your career or looking for ways to accelerate your professional journey, this session promises to equip you with the right tools and knowledge to successfully navigate the dynamic landscape of international education. He spoke with us on September 26th, 2023.
Matt Paneitz
Founder of Long Way Home
Originally from Texas, Matt went to Guatemala with the United States Peace Corps in 2002 and stationed in the town of San Juan, Comalapa. I returned to the United States and founded the NGO Long Way Home in the fall of 2004. When a local primary school approached him for help, he decided the solution was to build a school that addressed three key issues: employment, education and the environment. Since 2009 Long Way Home has transformed 20,000 tires into our Hero School Campus. Matt earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sustainability and a Master’s degree in Education at Goddard College.
This talk has been rescheduled for the spring.
Katia Sánchez Martínez
Katia founded La Penúltima Casa, a leading agency for digital communication in Cuba. She hosts the podcast El Pitch, about communication and business. She has collaborated with institutions, companies, media, cultural projects and enterprises. “El Pitch” was created to place Cuba on the world communications map in which it participates in national and international events about this topic. She also created an online festival to promote business projects in the country. She has been part of leadership, gender and communication initiatives. She earned her degree in Social Communication from La Universidad de La Habana. She joins us on November 16th at 10am Eastern time.
Jon Paul Sydnor, PhD.
Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Emmanuel College in Boston. Jon Paul is an academic theologian and Christian minister who thinks in partnership with other religions. Currently, he is writing a systematic theology based on agapic nondualism, the belief that God's sustaining love unites the diverse cosmos into one harmonious whole. His primary conversation partners are the Hindu theologian Ramanuja and Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna. When not teaching or writing, Jon Paul serves as theologian-in-residence at Grace Community Boston, an all-inclusive Christian gathering pastored by his wife, Rev. Abby Henrich.
Jon Paul spoke with us on November 15th, 2022.
Valeria Dorado
Photographer, Bolivia
Valeria Dorado (LaLibelle) is a Bolivian blogger and photographer; Through her stories and photographs, she seeks to inspire her community to undertake new adventures and discover Bolivia and its corners. Tourism administrator by profession, she made her specialty in sustainable tourism and a master's degree in development projects and environmental conservation.
She has travel articles published in Bolivian Express Magazine, LUMEN and Al Vuelo; She has collaborated in travel reports for Suzuki with Bolivian Express (Huayna Potosi). She collaborates with How to La Paz and is part of the Una Gran Nación team in the generation of visual content about travel in Bolivia.
As a photographer, she is self-taught and has developed a specialty in travel and landscape photography; Her work has been exhibited in several galleries in the city of La Paz.
UPDATE: This session has been rescheduled. We will post the new date and time soon. Follow her on Instagram: @LaLibelle.
Mark Knetsch
Manager of Life Changer Leadership Programs, Geoversity, Panama
Mark will direct the Abroadia-Geoversity Familarization program for faculty in 2023. He will join us to speak about the beautiful Mamoní Valley in Panamá and what Geoversity can offer faculty and students.
Mark spoke with us on October 20th, 2022.
Martin Tillman
President of Global Career Compass and Affiliate of the Gateway international Group
Martin Tillman is one of the most prominent thought leaders speaking of the trends that have impacted the profession. He has delivered workshops and presentations to students, staff and faculty at leading international education organizations and colleges and universities, including NAFSA: Association of International Educators, EAIE, Forum on Study Abroad, NACE, In addition to his four decades of engagement with NAFSA, he has presented at the IIE Generation Abroad Summits and the Career Integration conferences co-sponsored by the Learning Abroad Center at the University of Minnesota and CAPA. He spoke with us on September 27th, 2022. Click HERE for the recording.
Laura Neff
Founder & Executive Coach, New Atlas: Executive Coaching for World Changing Leaders
Laura Neff is an experienced Leadership and Executive Coach with a demonstrated history of client results. She is skilled in executive and leadership development, team development, organizational communications, and transformational coaching, and brings a diverse business background encompassing corporate, small business, and entrepreneurial experience.
Laura shared her global thoughts with us on July 20, 2022. Click HERE for a recording of the conversation.
Valeria L. Carbone, PhD
Valeria L. Carbone holds a Doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina; a Diploma in Education from FLACSO and a specialization in Afro-Latin American Studies from the Afro-Latin American Research Institute (ALARI) at Harvard University. She is Associate Professor at the Department of History and Professor of the graduate school at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, University of Buenos Aires. Her publications have appeared in journals of Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, France, Spain, and the United States. She is the author of Una historia del movimiento negro estadounidense en la era pos derechos civiles (1968-1988) (University of Valencia (PUV): Spain, 2020). She also co-edited Anatomía de un Imperio: Estados Unidos y América Latina with Dr. Mariana Mastrángelo (PUV: Spain, 2019) and Pensamiento Crítico desde América Latina with Dr. Fabio Nigra (PUV: Spain, 2015). In the field of international education, she has more than 15 years of experience in study abroad programs in Argentina.
Her presentation is titled:
“Latin America, Argentina and the Regionalization of the Summit of the Americas”
She joined us on June 8, 2022. Click on the link below to review the talk.
With the Summit of the Americas set to begin (June 6-10, 2022) in Los Angeles without the participation of Cuba, we thought the time was appropriate to invite someone who can speak about how the US can engage with Cuba. Antonio C. Martínez II is the Founder and Editor of USCubaPolitics.com, a blog that provides news, analysis and commentary about U.S.-Cuba relations and currently serves as US Senate Campaign Aide to Albert Fox Jr. (D-Florida). He spoke with us on June 6, 2022. Review the recording of the conversation HERE.
Global Cafe
What do you get when you invite a group of international educators to chat for one hour about their profession? An hour of scintillating conversation, ideas, observations and international camaraderie! On May 31, 2022 we convened a small group of international educators to discuss where the field is headed and what we like most about the field. Click below to listen to our discussion.
Beatriz Eugenia Ramos González
Professor/Researcher, Department of Psychology, Universidad Antonio Nariño (UAN), Colombia
Prior to working at UAN, Beatriz served as Psychologist at the National University of Colombia. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Psychoanalysis from Montpellier III University in France. She earned her PhD in Psychopathology and Psychoanalysis from Paris 7 University in France.
She will deliver a talk titled “Daily forms of violence against women in Colombia”. The talk will be conducted in Spanish, translated into English. She spoke with us on May 4, 2022. Click HERE to access the recording.
Cuba: An Update for Study Abroad
Abroadia’s Tom Millington and Martin Lopez of The Business in Cuba Group share their thoughts and observations from their February visit to the island nation.
How viable is it to send study abroad students to Cuba in the pandemic era? How much has the situation changed since the onset of the pandemic? We held the discussion on April 4, 2022. View the RECORDING here.
IE Fireside Chat
Abroadia will host Rhia Moreno (Augusta University) and Daniel Greenberg (Earth Deeds) for a conversation about two vital components of international education. Gateway International Group’s Dr. Anthony Ogden will moderate the discussion.
Title: “A Critical Discussion on Contemporary Education Abroad: Issues of Neocolonialism, Sustainability and Emerging Modalities and Pedagogies”
November 17th at 2pm Eastern Time.
Read Dr. Moreno’s article, “Disrupting Neoliberal and Neocolonial Ideologies in U.S. Study Abroad: From Discourse to Intervention”
Elisabet Raquel García
Global Education DEI Consultant Specialist, Access Equitable Education
Elisabet was a first-gen, low-income student turned 4x scholar abroad and Gilman Awardee. She was also a 2x Study Abroad Peer Advisor and Liaison at the Division of Global learning at her Alma Mater, UC Santa Cruz, where she began her journey helping historically underserved students access global learning opportunities. Since then, she has been invited by the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations to participate in a special Cultural Immersion and Volunteer Program for Scholars of Mexican Origin in 2019 and to work as a Bilingual On-Site mentor for the program in 2021. She and her work has been featured by UCEAP, UC Santa Cruz Global Learning, and Terra Dotta.
Her presentation: "Gendered Experiences of Study Abroad Students".
She spoke with us on November 16, 2021
Luis Oré
Mediator, Consensus Building and Stakeholder Engagement Practitioner,
Former Deputy Secretary of Conflict Management for the Office of the Prime Minister of Peru during the transition and emergency government of Peru under the Francisco Sagasti Administration in 2021.
He is a member of Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI). During the 2010-2011 year he served as chair of the Association for Conflict Resolution’s International Section.
His presentation is titled: “The Field of a Consensus Building Practitioner”
November 15, 2021 at 2pm Eastern time
Immigration and Refugees
Coinciding with United Nations Day (October 24), Abroadia has invited experts and advocates on immigration and refugees to discuss this most compelling human story. Our guest was Kate Ayers, Executive Director of ReEstablish Richmond. She spoke with us on October 22nd.
Pouneh Eftekhari
International Coordinator, Lund University, Sweden
With over 15 years of international education experience in the USA and Europe, Pouneh aims to bridge the gap between internationalization policy and practice through her work as a scholar-practitioner. Her talk will focus on:
Developing a sense of global citizenship as a child while examining the disconnect between her perception of being a global citizen and the reality of (not) belonging as a minority. She will offer some critiques about internationalization and global citizenship education.
Pouneh spoke with us on October 4th
Reiner Braun
Executive Director of the International Peace Bureau (IPB)
Reiner will speak to us about the work the IPB and what some of the most pressing challenges there are to achieving peace.
Reiner spoke with us on September 20th.
Karen McBride, PhD.
Karen is the President & Founder at Bound International, LLC, an organization that trains professors on how to use Collaborative Online International Learning tools to incorporate a global element in classrooms.
She delivered her talk titled “Faculty-Led Programs in a Post-Pandemic Era” on February 23, 2021.