Challenge

In the fall of 2022, University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) students and Dr. Julian Zabalbeascoa, visiting communications professor and study abroad coordinator for the Honors College, were preparing for a winter break study abroad program in Cuba. However, at the end of October,  just a few weeks from their departure date, UML and API made the decision to pivot the program from Cuba to Chile. The decision was made as Cuba was still reeling from the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian, which hit the island in September 2022, and the aftermath had made resources and safety a legitimate concern. 

Solution

API, known for prioritizing student safety, determined the best course was to allow Cuba to recover without further stressing its infrastructure. With the departure date quickly approaching, API and UML worked together to quickly pivot the 10-day program from Havana, Cuba to a culturally immersive experience in Valparaíso, Chile. 

Outcomes & Benefits

• Working with API, Zabalbeascoa successfully led the popular Culture and Society program in Valparaíso, Chile in January 2023 with 21 students — a 31% increase over its previous run in Havana, Cuba three years before. 

• Zabalbeascoa and his students enjoyed the benefits of the API team’s agility, both stateside and on-site in Chile, as they worked in concert to make sure everything went smoothly in spite of the last minute changes. 
• API’s partnership-first approach to customized programming allowed the program to not only move forward, despite numerous obstacles, but be the perfect program neither the faculty nor the student expected. 
• UMass Lowell Honors College students were able to stay on track with their academic pursuits and gain valuable international experience as a result of the API/UML partnership.

Shifting Gears, FAST

In dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian hitting Havana, Cuba, UML and API were faced with a challenge just weeks before their departure date: pivot or cancel their customized Honors College study abroad program. They made a decision to pivot and in a matter of days the program was able to continue without disruption.

Zabalbeascoa had worked with API and led this program previously, in Cuba. He had never been to Chile, so he put his trust in API and their network of resources. To quickly acquaint themselves with Chile before the trip, students were assigned the task of giving virtual presentations about Chile, covering a wide range of topics such as the 1973 Chilean coup d’état and the street art scene in Valparaíso. Of the students’ adaptability, Zabalbeascoa said, “The students’ flexibility was an incredible thing to behold. I’ve noticed, especially since the pandemic, students who sign up for study abroad programs are determined to experience all that they can.”

While UML prepared to attend the program in a new location, API worked rapidly with their resources in Valparaíso to ensure meaningful experiences enhanced Zabalbeascoa’s curriculum.

A Pleasant Surprise

Once on the ground, Zabalbeascoa found himself impressed with the new location, sharing, “by the time our plane touched down in Santiago, you would have never guessed Chile wasn’t their first option.”

Students and faculty alike were not only pleasantly surprised by how much they loved Chile, they were also delighted by the enthusiasm of API’s Chilean staff. They loved the dynamic API’s resident director, Alejandra Rojas, added to the group and the work she did so quickly to provide a quality experience. 

“This ideal situation improved dramatically when we met our API representative Alejandra Rojas,” said Zabalbeascoa. “The students adored her, and I loved working with her. Her enthusiasm for introducing us to her country never flagged, not once. The students were already excited for each moment to come in Chile, but her energy brought the group dynamic to another level. In many ways, she made the experience for us. I very much look forward to working with her again.”

Not only did they not have to cancel the program, the new location was so successful that Zabalbeascoa plans to alternate locations between Cuba and Chile in future, noting “…there needs to be another one after this…because there’s a lot more I’d like to include.”

Honored to be the First

Students felt so proud to be part of this UML cohort, they adopted the motto “honored to be the first” to experience this new location for UML students in Zabalbeascoa’s class.

To learn more about this program and the student’s experiences, visit the UML website. Interested in building your own customized program with API? Learn more about the API Value and our six-step custom program process now.

Challenge

• At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Global Opportunities (OGO) at Ohio University (OHIO) was forced to cancel all programs abroad. Every student returned home. 
• The office could no longer support its campus-wide experiential education programs, an initiative called Experience Ohio, with study abroad programs. However, they still had funding earmarked to support international programming. Redirecting these funds to virtual experiences would support students while keeping global activities relevant at OHIO.
• A need at the honors college was soon uncovered: Students could not fulfill a directive to participate in a program that incorporated service-learning, was internationally-focused, and based in experiential learning. 

Solution

Working in concert with both OGO and the honors college, API set out to build a large-scale, customized, project-based internship program. It fulfilled the honors program directive, provided additional program support to the OGO team, and gave the honors faculty supplementary course content.

Outcome & Benefits

• Despite a campus full of grounded students, API and OHIO built a large-scale, customized project-based internship program. More than 100 students could virtually work on projects with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) across Latin America. 
• Since 2021 the program has more than tripled, with 300 students working on more than 20 different projects.
• Students who participated in the program have requested to continue working with the same organizations through independent virtual internships. 
• With API’s support, OHIO was able to successfully keep an international presence in students’ course work. This was during a time when international mobility was highly limited.

Experience Ohio

Ohio University (OHIO) is dedicated to providing its student body of more than 25 thousand students with a holistic student story that weaves experiential education into every degree plan. This starts during a student’s first year at OHIO. At this time, they match with a success advisor. Together, the student and the advisor explore the students’ goals and career aspirations to create a path to success that incorporates experiential learning. 

Keely Davin, Associate Director of OGO, shared they support Experience Ohio by providing global experiences that make students successful. “Experiential Learning programming at OHIO allows students to explore, experience, and reflect on what they’ve achieved. This stair-stepped approach allows students to gradually wade deeper into content that may initially be intimidating or seem unattainable, like international travel.” 

Earmarked Funds

In the spring of 2020, the OGO had funding earmarked specifically for international programming for students. With COVID-19 grounding all students, Davin and her colleagues searched for creative opportunities to use these funds. 

Soon, they found the OHIO honors program had a first-year course requirement which incorporated service-learning, was internationally-focused, and based in community engagement. Her team set out to support the directive and provide experiential learning opportunities to this unique course. 

The API and Ohio University Partnership

For almost 15 years, API and OHIO partnered to support almost 900 study abroad students, of which more than 700 participated in customized programs. With this strong partnership as a foundation, Davin knew she could turn to API for help to fulfill the honors program’s requirement. 

“Like everyone else, we lost staff during the pandemic and the honors program was big,” Davin shared. “API helped manage the capacity running the project-based internships program. They supported our faculty from initial content development stages all the way through project support and student coaching on intercultural competencies such as communication, teamwork and problem solving. This wraparound support really helped to achieve learning objectives of the course in a concrete way.”

The program was initially launched fall 2021. During this time, 112 students met virtually with three NGOs across Latin America to create solutions to real-world problems facing each organization. Students collaborated with their classmates and faculty regularly in and outside the classroom, meeting with the NGOs three times to ensure they were on the right track. At the end of the semester, students presented their projects to the organizations virtually. To guide the program, API provided honors program faculty with supplementary, proprietary course work developed by API’s programming team. 

“When our honors program first worked with API, they were impressed with all the intercultural content and local staff interactions that were already built into the program,” said Davin.

Fall 2021: By the Numbers

• 1 Honors Credit Hour
• 3 Virtual Meetings throughout the semester
• 3 NGOs across Latin America
• 100+ students served
• Projects ranged from social media support to building a plan to attract more English volunteer teachers

After its inaugural run, API customized course content to meet the faculty’s interests and goals, while also giving the opportunities for real world experience.

The Pandemic and Beyond

Since the fall of 2021, the program ran in both spring semesters of 2022 and 2023 and expanded further into the OHIO Honors Tutorial College student population. During that time, enrollment tripled, with more than 300 students working on more than 20 different projects each semester. Students not only gained practical and real-world work experience, but they had an accessible experiential learning program. All of which met the honors college directive, despite ongoing travel limitations. 

As an outcome, students have gone on to do independent virtual internships with organizations who participated in the program. 

While reflecting on the program’s success, Davin shared, 

“Our goal has always been to build a scaffolded approach to international travel for students, and the Honors College was a great place to pilot that approach. A lot of Ohio University students have never left the state before or even been on an airplane. Even though we were grounded, the project-based internship program provided the opportunity for global perspectives to many who have never had that experience. Alongside API, we worked with professors in the honors college to embed project-based internships into their class. So, students could work alongside their peers with these global organizations.” 

With pandemic restrictions easing and travel returning, the program evolved to support new needs. The hope is that a virtual component of the program will always remain. In addition, groups of students will be able to work in-person with more NGOs in other parts of the world. 

“Overall, I just think it’s been a very collaborative process and API is easy to work with …they start with all the things you could need and you can pare back due to budget or curriculum requirements, but it’s flexible to your needs,” said Davin

Bring Project-Based Internships to Your Students!

API creates project-based internship programs to be flexible and accessible. Project-based internships are available as a core offering to students, and can be a fully customized program option or an add-on to an existing customized program. 

Interested in building your own project-based internship program API? Learn more about the API Value and our six-step customized program process now. 

In early 2023, 10 students and two faculty from the University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout) traveled across Costa Rica. They had a transformative experience studying politics and modern business challenges through a Latin American lens. Leveraging a partnership with API and funding from an IDEAs grant from the U.S. Dept. of State’s Capacity Building Program, it was the first of its kind for the university. 

Exploring International Business in Latin America

API and UW-Stout’s Office of International Education (OIE) developed the program. The overarching goal was to improve access to global learning and experiences for students of different minority backgrounds. The flagship program, Exploring International Business in Latin America, was open to all business students. However, it was primarily focused on Latinx students and nearly half of participants had this background. Increasing access to global educational experiences for all is closely aligned with API’s mission. So, we gladly built a hands-on, high-impact experiential learning program leveraging our global network and skilled on-the-ground team. 

Led by a father-daughter team, Dr. Glenn Rodríguez, “Dr. G,” and UW-Stout Provost Glendalí Rodríguez, the students visited a diverse range of businesses. They centered around the capital city of San Jose and cultural and environmental sites. In addition to the focus on Latin American culture and heritage, another objective of the program was to teach students how businesses in Latin America vary due to the culture and politics of the country.

Making the Most of Experiential Learning in Costa Rica

“Our group was unique in a positive way,” Provost Rodríguez said. “We got our hands dirty, tried new foods, and interacted with the community. We’re very engaged because we are a polytechnic. We’re ready to make the most of every learning experience — and API recognizes that in our students.”

“The group gelled…,” Dr. G added. “I was absolutely thrilled when the first morning we’re all there…They were in the classroom and they’re sitting next to their roommate. By the next morning, I would have thought they picked each other. It was a perfect, perfect match…To bring 10 strangers together with instructors they’ve never met before and build community, it was beautiful.”

The UW-Stout group immersed themselves in the areas they visited while exploring cultural and historical sites, giving several students studying Spanish an opportunity to practice their language skills and further their polytechnic experience while abroad. Sarah Durst, a junior in hotel, restaurant and tourism management, shared, “This really put my direct interpretation skills to the test, something that written classroom tests couldn’t do.”

Through this experience, Provost Rodríguez and participants also developed deeper relationships with the local API staff. Over the course of the trip, API was able to secure many of the same staff, such as the same bus driver, with them throughout the week for continuity. “We got the bus driver to dance with us, he had never danced in his life. He did salsa with the students!” Provost Rodríguez noted. 

UW-Stout Partnership with API and IDEAS

Providing access to students from minority backgrounds, and those who traditionally do not participate in study abroad, is a long-term goal for this program. Building on the success of the customized API program, UW-Stout hopes to expand to Asia and Africa. Scott Pierson, Director of the Office of International Education at UW-Stout noted,“With only 11% of U.S. undergraduate students participating in study abroad, and disproportionately lower underrepresented participation, the United States has much work to do to provide access and equity…This program, through a partnership with API and IDEAS, has helped us to make an immediate impact in advancement of these efforts,” he added.

API’s team in both Costa Rica and stateside built enriching and meaningful experiences in all program aspects. Andrew Probelski, an adult learner participant, noted, “Study abroad will broaden your cultural aperture, shatter expectations and stereotypes, and give you life-changing new perspectives on how others live. Ideally, you will come away from your study abroad experience a better person — I did. I am beyond grateful to UW-Stout, API, and everyone that made this a reality for me.”

To learn more about this program and the student’s experiences, visit the UW Stout  website. Interested in building your own customized program with API? Learn more about the API Value and our six-step custom program process now.