Staff

In the fall of 2005, Daniel Reyes and Eduardo Contreras initiated the Study Abroad Student Mentor Program. This program aimed at fostering a welcoming environment for all students; thereby, increasing study abroad enrollment of students from historically underrepresented groups. Building upon models from other universities, the SAO created the Study Abroad Mentor Program with the support of the International Office and from various offices and student groups on the UT campus. In the spring of 2006, the SAO hired 5 freshmen (all of them Latinas) to serve as the first student mentors. Although none of them had studied abroad, all of them enthusiastically supported the endeavor, and began a magazine project entitled, "Encuentros". Over the course of a year, the magazine evolved into something larger than any of them had imagined and changed names to Abroadly Speaking. The inaugural issue of Abroadly Speaking came out in the spring of 2007, and the name of the Study Abroad Mentor Program changed to the Study Abroad Student Leadership Initiative.

The mission of the Study Abroad Student Leadership Initiative is threefold. First, and foremost, it aims to create a welcoming environment for all students-especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups. Second, this program encourages study abroad in non-traditional destinations. Finally, this program provides many opportunities for underrepresented study abroad students to develop leadership skills in various creative and community endeavors. Abroadly Seaking seeks to illuminate the diverse study abroad options for students in non-traditional destinations while also encouraging non-traditional and underrepresented students to incorporate study abroad into their curriculum. Abroadly Seaking is a student run magazine and is the first of its kind at the University of Texas. It is the main creative work of the Study Abroad Student Leadership Initiative. We hope this project will inspire other students to explore the world of international education.