New Realities and Untapped Potential
New Realities and Untapped Potential – Diversity Abroad Conference 2018
In April 2018, CYA’s Executive Director of Student Affairs, Nadia Melinioti attended the Diversity Abroad Conference: New Realities and Untapped Potential in Miami, FL. Over 500 education professionals, student leaders, employers, and leading graduate program providers met to discuss ways to advance research, develop effective advising tools, and offer learning & development opportunities essential to creating equitable access to global education.
The goal of this year’s conference was to ensure that the next generation of young people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and experience to be academically, personally, and professionally successful in the 21st-century interconnected world.
As a study abroad institution and Diversity Abroad Network Member, CYA encourages accessibility to global education through its program. Nadia Melinioti’s participation in the Diversity Abroad Conference is part of the commitment to provide new opportunities for learning and development to young people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.
A Few Words About Diversity in Education According to Nadia
Diversity comes in many forms: gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, age, culture, socioeconomic background etc. All of these contribute to an individual’s unique experience of the world. Diversity often focuses on the differences, and is referred to as “the mix”, inclusion is the act “of making the mix work”; it is the deliberate act of welcoming diversity and creating an environment where many different kinds of people can thrive and succeed.
A quality education entails all aspects of diversity including, race, religion, and culture and societal norms. Having a diverse school setting is beneficial because students learn more about how to operate in a global environment with a better view and understanding of how our differences make us stronger. Diversity enriches the educational experience, promotes personal growth and a healthy society strengthens communities and workplaces.
