There is not really alot of diversity in study abroad. We all know that there's not alot of diversity on most college campuses anyway. But take whatever the most recent statistics are for study college/university attandence are for minority groups and shove that out the window. I don't mean this as a negative thing but it's just something that you really can't help but notice.
There are approximately 4 african american students out of about 1,500 from CIEE.
I am the only one in my program,business and society.
I'm not usually the one to point out the diversity (or lack thereof) but I couldn't help but feel my heart sink a little bit when I looked around the orientation and didn't see one face like mine out of 90 students. This is heart wrenching not just for me but for "my people." I put that in quotes because I mean only the african american group. I ran into a girl on the street who is in a different program under the umbrella of CIEE and we literally hugged and talked about how happy we were to have each other as a little community. I don't want to always focus on the color of my skin (of my afro) but they make me stand out in a different way from others. It's nice to have someone to talk to who shares the same concerns and who will have similar experiences as me. I'm not saying she's my new bestie but there will be times when only a black person can relate.
*People of Asian descent and of South/Central American descent are also represented but don't make up much more than blacks do. I've also seen some middle eastern descent students.
The point is that ALL minorities have dismal numbers. Like really sad, depressing, disappointing numbers as far as study abroad. I don't know why but I though that more minorities would come to Europe. It's the top destination for study abroad plus it's more "developed" than some countries. I didn't expect to see alot of black students in Peru and I didn't. But my group in Peru only had 25 people and there were two of us. Sin a group of 100 I thought I would see 8. I guess that's an ambitious number though...
Thanks for sharing. Although African American students comprise 14 percent of postsecondary student enrollment, they make up only 3.4 percent of study abroad participants. This is a very disturbing issue that begs the question, “Why don’t more African-American students study abroad?" Answers to that question are usually one of the 5 F's: family, faculty, finances, fear and friends. Because they in many cases lack role models or close friends who have gone overseas, the prospect of studying abroad can be particularly daunting to students of color. An article came out recently in transitions magazine: "Top 10 reasons for African American Students to Study Abroad" (http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/study/articles/studyjul1.shtml). What do do you think are the main reasons students of color do not study abroad? What should we be doing to address this issue?
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