JACKSON, TENN. – The Global Learning Program at Jackson State Community College (JSCC) has announced its 2024 student recipients of the International Ambassador Scholarship. This summer, students will be participating in study abroad programs via the Tennessee Consortium for International Studies (TnCIS). Twenty-three students have been selected, from a variety of programs and majors, to represent JSCC across 13 countries including places like Japan, Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Scotland, Ecuador, and beyond.
The following students have been selected as Jackson State International Ambassador Scholars for 2024:
Laura Aguilar
Jeremy Allen
Caleb Bauer
Brenna Baughmen
Faith Black
Jalen Brooks
Gabriel Carranza
Cassie Comer
Madeline Granados
Megan Jackson
Gracie James
Amanda Lester
Kayla Mast
Roxanne McClain
Karina Neal
Bonnie Powell-Riddick
Alyssia Salinas
Marnina Smeltser
Phoebe Whitaker
Hannah Wilbanks
Ty Winkler
Amelia Woodard
Ashley Wortham
Every year, students have the opportunity to study abroad in the programs offered through the TnCIS. Students from JSCC and other colleges throughout Tennessee will take general education courses while visiting other countries over 3-4 weeks during the summer. TnCIS hosts more than 40 classes in 20 areas of study across four continents.
To make this opportunity more accessible and affordable for students, JSCC offers the Jackson State International Ambassador Scholarship, which awarded over $90,000 to this year’s cohort who were accepted to a TnCIS program and showed potential to be an excellent representative of JSCC, the West Tennessee community, and our nation while in their chosen host countries.
Each student’s scholarship requires them to return to JSCC as “International Ambassadors” who will help promote the study abroad program to their peers, and they will share their personal travel journals, photos, and videos with the college. To qualify for the scholarship and for the program, which is hosted through Jackson State’s partnership with the TnCIS, students had to complete at least 12 college-level hours, meet minimum GPA guidelines, and interview successfully with the JSCC International Education Committee.
Five students, additionally, earned a Global Learners Scholarship to help supplement their spending costs while they are abroad. These students are examples of exemplary accomplishments, and their dedication to the program is evidenced by their long application, scholarship, and orientation process.
The faculty teaching abroad this summer are Dr. Anna Esquivel, Dr. Liz Mayo, Dr. Patty Easley, and Prof. Marisol Hernandez-Soto. They will teach in various programs that travel to Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. Like the students, these faculty must undergo an extensive vetting process, and several are veteran study abroad educators, having previously taken groups overseas.
“These programs are transformative for our students. Many of them have never been on a plane before or even out of West Tennessee,” said Dr. Liz Mayo, the Coordinator for Global Learning at JSCC. “Our programs give students an affordable way to see the world in a safe and educational environment supported by faculty and other students from across the state of Tennessee.”
This incredible opportunity is unique for a community college, providing an accessible study abroad experience from which a diverse body of students can benefit. Full-time and part-time JSCC students over the age of 18 are eligible to apply for study abroad, and JSCC invites community members to come learn more about our global learning options.
To learn more about Jackson State’s Global Learning Program, visit //jscc.edu/studyabroad or email Dr. Liz Mayo at lmayo6@jscc.edu.