On Tuesday, November 12, at the Embassy of France, International Student House of Washington, DC (ISH-DC) joined over 40 embassy representatives and 25 educational institutions for the first Global Education Conference (GEC) hosted by The Washington Diplomat, an independent monthly newspaper that has served the diplomatic community in Washington for more than 20 years.
ISH-DC values its strong relationships with embassies in Washington, which enables it to provide residents with the opportunity to engage with diplomats from their respective countries. Our goal aligns well with the GEC purpose of providing opportunities for embassies, educational institutions, and other organizations supporting international students to come together, network, and learn from an impressive lineup of speakers on the latest trends in studying abroad.
Remarks by Caroline Casagrande, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational Affairs, revealed that the number of international students in the U.S. are at all-time highs. Other speakers provided insights to visa issues, trends in education, immigrant success stories, leadership, women and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), global outreach, and the embassy perspective.
With ample time for networking, ISH-DC’s exhibitor booth attracted a significant number of intrigued participants. We had the pleasure of hosting Minister Counselor Xinyu Yang of Educational Affairs from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China at our table, along with other embassy officials, including representatives from the Embassy of Portugal and the Embassy of Rwanda – both whom have had embassy interns reside at ISH-DC.
The conference also attracted participants interested in continuing their educations in international studies. A number of potential ISH-DC resident scholars visited to learn about residential opportunities. Coincidentally, one conference attendee representing the State Department stopped by and introduced herself as an ISH-DC alumna. She even pointed herself out in the ISH publication An Unforgettable Experience in International Living by former Executive Director, Paul Feys.
As global issues become more complex, the case for supporting international educational exchanges continues to grow. Events like this bring together organizations and leverage our collective strength in supporting student’s cultural understanding, leadership skills, and personal growth. ISH-DC was pleased to participate in the conference and would like to thank The Washington Diplomat for bringing together embassies, educational institutions, and other organizations supporting international students for a day of learning and networking.
