Where are they now
After studying abroad with the Alliance, our alumni often search for ways to incorporate their Chinese or Indian experiences into campus life and their future careers. Get to know Alliance alumni who have taken advantage of the knowledge, skills, and new interests they gained while abroad to inspire others, form new organizations, acquire jobs, and return to China and India.
Kaylee Sager – Shanghai, China
Contemporary Chinese Society and Language, Spring 2010
George Washington University alumna
Though I returned to the U.S. in spring 2010, the Alliance has continued with me. I grew up between Houston, Dubai and Beijing, but my semester abroad was a life-changing experience. I became much more proficient in Mandarin, and I incorporated the work I did in Shanghai into my other pursuits. Partially because of my language skills, coursework, experiences abroad, and networking with Alliance alumni, I interned at the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission the fall after my Alliance study abroad experience. Furthermore, I used my Alliance capstone project and my Chinese Politics class research paper in research endeavors in my courses at GWU, too! In fact, my paper on the political socialization of the Chinese education system has been consulted for research for the International Affairs Department's strategic planning initiatives at the National Education Association where I intern now.
Additionally, I became the president of the international affairs honors society I founded for GWU's Elliott School of International Affairs. My Sigma Iota Rho chapter hosts various academic and professional events throughout the year to promote international affairs. I also was an Alliance alumni advisor and, after talking with the Alliance staff, I put together a panel at GWU about study abroad and the professional experience it can provide for various international educational, corporate, and government careers. Overall, my semester abroad changed every aspect of my life--in all of my social, academic and professional endeavors, the Alliance program and experiences in which I partook have made all the difference.
Cassandra Chao – Beijing and Shanghai, China
Contemporary Chinese Society and Language, Fall 2008
China Now: Development, Politics, and Social Change, Spring 2009
Smith College alumna
After experiencing a year abroad in China with the Alliance, including a semester in both Beijing and Shanghai, I knew that I had to do everything in my power to return. While in my senior year at Smith, the Alliance alerted me and other alumni of an opportunity to apply for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo to represent the USA as an ambassador at the USA Pavilion. I was awarded the ambassadorship and was accompanied by 79 other student ambassadors in Shanghai this July. Four months at the Expo were eye opening and created a greater yearning for me to remain in China. I was recruited online by Moet Hennessy Diageo to work as a Marketing Executive in their China headquarters, where I sit today. To think, it all began with my abroad experience with the Alliance!
Caitlyn Tivy – Pune, India
Contemporary India: Development, Environment, Public Health, Fall 2009
University of Denver alumna
As a long-time vegetarian, spiritual explorer, yoga practitioner and all-around hippie-at-heart, I felt that studying abroad in India during the Alliance’s first fall semester in Pune was the ideal fit for me. The “Contemporary India” courses offered a temporary respite from the strictly analytical environment of my major studies in molecular biology. Although the experience was absolutely nothing like I expected, it was wonderfully and surprisingly transformative. My four months in India truly showed me how many valuable lessons one can learn from “real life experiences,” and how much richer this knowledge can be in comparison to that obtained from a textbook!
Upon returning from India, I was inspired to take on the challenge of a 200-hour yoga teacher training program. This extremely intensive, taxing endeavor has truly transformed my interactions in the world and my general outlook on life. I credit my experiences in India for allowing me to open fully to the gifts of these teachings and embrace ways of thinking that are often wildly at odds with traditional Western norms and values. My immersion in a host family and my travels throughout the subcontinent were instrumental in shaping me into the more fearless and independent individual I am today.
Do You Have a Story to Share as an Alliance Alumnus?
Contact the Alliance Program Intern with your interest in being featured here.
