Josefhine Chitra is a 2011 Global UGRAD Fellow; she studied at Utica College.  

To say that the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD) as one of my life changing experience is such an understatement. Before 2011, I never studied abroad or at an international school. Hence, spending one semester at Utica College became a pivotal stepping stone and the new window of better opportunities for me at that time.

Being the only Indonesian at the campus and living miles away from my family in a totally foreign land have taught me to be independent and embrace cultural differences. Academically, I struggled in my study there for the first time because the system was completely different. I had to read so many books prior to coming to the class, I had to write many essays, and obviously I was not very fluent in English. However, with the constant monitoring and assistance from the World Learning and very supportive professors there, I received the Academic Honor Roll at the end of my study. My academic experience there has been very helpful for me to get the working pace when I pursued my master’s degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Not only, I found genuine friendships in the US, the Global UGRAD has also given me a vast network of bright young people around the globe. My experience working in a multi-cultural setting has also helped me landing a good position at work before my master’s degree (MSc candidate 2016, Development Management, London School of Economics and Political Science).