MKA Young Alumni Share Global Experiences

Regular Global Round Tables that invite recent alumni to share their experiences and perspectives of living and studying abroad with current Upper School students are an increasingly popular component of MKA's Global Experience program.

Recently, five young alumni – three in person (Chelsea Strickland '10, Jessie Chase '11 and Olivia Vicioso '12) and two via Skype (Rachel Weller '09 and Jake Perl '10) – met with over 25 students to discuss not only what they had learnt in countries that span the world (including Russia, China, Chile, Spain, France, Guatemala and England), but also how those experiences have changed their own understanding of different cultures.

Conversation ranged from a discussion of stereotypes to first-hand experiences of gender inequality, and from differences in media reporting to aspects of cultures - both their own and others - that the alumni came to value. Hearing about the benefits, challenges and rewards of spending extended periods of time in Europe, Asia and Latin America, the lure of international travel became even more apparent to the audience, who, at the end of the session, had the opportunity to ask questions that were both practical ("What exactly is an International Studies degree?") and personal ("Was there anything about the country you lived in that you disliked?")

Click here to find out more about MKA's Global Experience program.