Global Education Office

The Education Abroad team supports the university’s internationalization and experiential learning efforts through promoting and facilitating study abroad, international exchange, and other global learning programs and opportunities for all students with a commitment to safety, accessibility, and sustainability.

“Education abroad” programs include credit bearing and non-credit bearing global learning programs and experiences such as study abroad, study away, international exchange, internships abroad, service-learning abroad, research abroad, virtual global learning, and more. VCU Education Abroad supports domestic, international, in-person, virtual, credit-bearing, and non-credit bearing global learning experiences.

The Education Abroad team:

• Collaborates with academic units including faculty, advisors, and administrators to identify and/or develop affordable, academically appropriate global learning opportunities for all students;
• Increases awareness of study abroad and global learning opportunities with the ultimate goal of increasing the number and diversity of participants;
• Facilitates VCU faculty-led programs and programs offered through international partner institutions and organizations including short-term and semester- or year-long global learning experiences;
• Advocates for student financial access to global learning experiences by offering affordable programs and collaborating with campus and external partners for students to identify and receive funding support such as scholarships, grants, fellowships and financial aid;
• Informs, advises and supports students and their families before, during, and after participation in study abroad and global learning experiences;
• Supports student academic, professional, and personal growth and development including intercultural development through intentional co-curricular programming and alignment with VCU REAL;
• Prepares students and faculty for a safe, healthy, and successful experience abroad through pre-departure orientation/training and resource development/distribution;
• Strives to provide equitable opportunities to all VCU students to engage globally and to increase access to global learning opportunities for all students including students from diverse and underrepresented populations;
• Manages global learning participant application processes and databases to provide a central clearinghouse of VCU students’ global engagement for reporting and emergency purposes;
• Continually endeavors to provide our students with quality programs and experiences with articulated global learning outcomes and assessment mechanisms that help us better understand the impact on students’ knowledge, skills and dispositions for continuous targeted support.

Email: davenportse@vcu.edu

I work in a hybrid capacity and am on VCU's campus on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
 
Stephanie Tignor has worked in the Global Education Office for almost two decades in a variety of progressively responsible positions. As the director of Global Learning, Stephanie oversees the university's study abroad and exchange programs, the university's campus, virtual, and community-based global learning programs, and VCU's programming for international students. She is an alumna of VCU, at which she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees. She first discovered her passion for international education as a music major while on a semester study abroad program in Edinburgh, Scotland. As a graduate student in English, she studied abroad in Peru and spent time volunteering in Ecuador as a teacher of English as a foreign language. She has personally led service and study abroad programs to Mexico, Malaysia, and France, as well as inbound programs for students from VCU's Chinese partner institutions. She has presented and published on various topics in international education, particularly on strategies for increasing access to global learning for all students, especially including those from historically underrepresented populations. Stephanie is a member of the GoAbroad Innovation Awards Academy.   


 

Email: syoung8@vcu.edu
Schedule an advising appointment with Sarah!

I work in a hybrid capacity and am on VCU's campus on Mondays, Tuesdays & Fridays.

Sarah Carrier joined the Global Education Office in 2008 after graduating from Allegheny College with a degree in International Studies and Spanish. Sarah studied abroad with American University’s Washington Semester Program and has traveled through Western Europe, Asia, and Central and South America. She is also a graduate of the VCU School of Education’s Counselor Education program where she focused on the importance of cultural exchange and the career development of college students. Sarah joins the Education Abroad staff in assisting returnees with their career development and professional goals, as well as working with incoming exchange students.

Advising areas

• VCU Partnerships & Exchanges:
  • Curtin University
  • Fudan University
  • University of the West of England
  • University of Surrey
  • University of Westminster
  • Bauhaus University
  • University of Guadalajara
  • University of Lima
  • VCUarts Qatar
  • Pusan National University
  • K Arts
  • Kyung Hee University
  • Chung Ang University
  • La Salle Ramon Llull
  • University of Cordoba
  • Rabdan Academy

Email: leapae@vcu.edu

Schedule an advising appointment with Amy! 

I work in a hybrid capacity and am on VCU's campus on Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays.

Amy Leap joined the Global Education Office in 2019. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a B.A. in Geography and Spanish. Amy studied abroad in Bilbao, Spain and Buenos Aires, Argentina, interned and researched in the cloud forest of Guatemala and has traveled to many other countries in Latin America and Europe. She also graduated from SIT Graduate Institute with a M.A. in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management. There she worked with SIT Study Abroad in Morocco offering student affairs support and researching intercultural competency development. Amy is here to advise students towards making their study abroad dreams a reality and to support existing and new program initiatives.

Advising areas:

• Italy Partnerships
  • SRISA
  • Accademia Italiana
  • Sant'Anna Institute

Email: levya@vcu.edu

Schedule an advising appointment with Alexandra! 

Email: wellsj7@vcu.edu 

Schedule an advising appointment with Julia!

Email: mendylb@vcu.edu