Mayra S. Artiles

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Before I pursued my Ph.D., I worked at Ford Motor Company for multiple years. In this employment, I quickly learned that the difference between a good working team and a great working team often lay in the mutual intercultural understanding that exists in a group. Through the Rising Sophomore Abroad Program, I have been able to help students develop this capacity to understand other cultures and be able to collaborate in groups of diverse people. For the last three years, I’ve taught and traveled with students to multiple countries around the world with the goal of developing such intercultural competencies. Seeing the effect that leaving the classroom has had on these students has ultimately motivated me to pursue international opportunities and collaborations in my own research.