The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted so many aspects of our lives over the course of the past year. International travel has been basically impossible since April 2020. For a number of our students, the window of opportunity to study abroad will close before they graduate. So, whether you are one of those students whose travel plans have been disrupted, or a student who went abroad and wants to go back, I would like to offer a few thoughts on how you might include an international experience in your post-graduation plans.
I anticipate countries to open up to travelers on tourist visas (which do not need special applications or invitations, generally) starting this summer, as vaccines become more widely available and COVID infection rates start to decrease. So, one option is just to go to a place that you would like to explore and get to know it on your own.
In addition, there are a number of structured programs that allow for funded stays of longer duration abroad. These include the Peace Corps, the Fulbright Program (which include both teaching assistantships and research project scholarships) and a number of other programs that provide opportunities to teach abroad, or opportunities for funding for graduate school abroad (such as the Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford).
Descriptions of many of these programs can be found on the Overseas & Off-Campus Programs website, under “Returning from Abroad” and then “Resources and Opportunities.”
In addition, we are very fortunate to have our own diplomat in residence. Ambassador Niels Marquardt ’75 is an alumnus of Lewis & Clark, and he is an incredible resource as you consider your next steps. Niels spent 33 years in the Foreign Service, serving as America’s top diplomat in Madagascar, Cameroon, Comoros and Equatorial Guinea, with additional service in Germany, France, Thailand and the Republic of the Congo. He was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Rwanda. His final State Department assignment was as U.S. Consul General in Sydney, Australia, where he remained and served another four years in the private sector as CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia. If you would like to learn more about the Foreign Service, or to explore the full range of other careers abroad, Niels is your person.
You will find that the Career Center has a great deal of information about job and internship opportunities. These include positions in companies or organizations that are international or have international branches. They also have information on graduate schools, including schools that are located overseas. In addition, the Academic Awards and Fellowships office maintains a very helpful database on opportunities that include a number of international options. Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Associate Professor of History David Campion is the faculty advisor for this office and he is a wealth of information on the opportunities available and the best ways to prepare and submit a competitive application.
Some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, offer a “Working Holiday Visa” that allows you to legally work and travel in that country for one year. There is also the popular Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms program, where you can work on a farm in a number of countries in exchange for free room and board.
The main point I would like to impart here is that there are a diversity of opportunities to travel or live or work or volunteer abroad post-graduation. There are different costs, different durations, different focuses. But you have many resources on campus to help with your decision-making process. I am happy to offer my guidance. The Career Center, David Campion and Niels Marquardt are all excellent resources. We look forward to helping you chart your path, as you plot out your next steps after you graduate from Lewis & Clark.
Blythe Knott ’91 is the director of Overseas and Off-Campus Programs at Lewis & Clark.
Leave a Reply