Global Ambassador Program

By sharing your stories throughout your education abroad experience and encouraging others to study abroad, you play an important role in helping to internationalize the UT campus.

You can choose to be featured as a guest blogger or vlogger on the UT Education Abroad blog or to take over Texas Global social media channels. Global Ambassadors who complete program requirements will receive a Certificate of Global Engagement.

Be a Spring 2021 Global Ambassador

Apply today to be a Global Ambassador during your Spring 2021 education abroad experience. Applications are due at 11:59 p.m. CST on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020.

What Can You Do as a Global Ambassador?

As a Global Ambassador, you'll produce about five pieces of content throughout your international experience, with deadlines about once a month. What are some of the creative pieces you can share with Longhorn Nation about your time abroad?

• Take over Texas Global Education Abroad's Instagram Stories! Show us what your day looks like, from classes to dinner to exploring the sights. Check out Zoe's Instagram Stories takeover for inspiration.
• Write a blog post for the Education Abroad Blog. Describe your first impressions of your new home, any culture shock you experience, what your classes are like or the latest adventure you went on with your classmates. Read Kevin's blog post for more on his experience in South Korea.
• Share a photo essay with pictures of your new campus, scenes from your walk to your internship, weekend trips to new cities, cultural landmarks, etc. 
• Produce a video describing your experience, academics, concerns for the semester, etc. View Carleigh's vlog from Querétaro, Mexico about why she chose to study abroad.

Why be a Global Ambassador?

Inspire Other Longhorns to Take the World by the Horns

• Foster communication between students thinking of studying abroad and students currently studying abroad.
• Provide a forum for students to share their academic and intercultural experiences with staff and faculty in their departments, as well as friends, family, and prospective Longhorns.
• Better illustrate to study abroad candidates what to expect during their time abroad.
• Encourage reflection on the nature of study abroad.

Personal and Professional Benefits 

• A reflective tool to document your time abroad.
• An effective way to keep friends and family back home informed of your thoughts and adventures
• Great training for the many times you will need to write a case statement, essay, etc.
• Resume builder for job interviews or graduate school.

Meet the Fall 2020 Global Ambassadors

I've lived in Central Texas my whole life and I felt that my scope of the world was limited. Having heard amazing stories from study abroad alumni, and wanting to expand my global perspective, I found a perfect program fit for me at Kungliga Tekniska högskolan Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Sweden offers a national affinity for nature and sustainability, two subjects I care for deeply. I am among a unique class of students going abroad during a stressful and tumultuous time. I believe the documentation of my travels via blogs is important for historical reasons and helping others who would like to study abroad in the future or who were not able to study abroad due to the circumstances around the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Read Kai's blog posts on the UT Education Abroad blog.
 

Hello! I’m currently studying abroad in Paris, France, with the program IFE (The Institute for Field Education). I was drawn to this program because it includes not only academic courses but also visits to various historical sites around France and a personalized internship. I’m so excited to immerse myself in French culture and work on my language skills. I enjoy sharing my life experiences with others and I find it extremely valuable and inspiring when other students do the same. 

Read Zoe's blog posts on the UT Education Abroad blog and view her Instagram Stories takeover.
 

I specialize in international political economy with a regional focus in East Asia and I am very excited to be abroad in an Asian country this semester! I am aiming to further develop my Korean language to work in Korea post-graduation. I am interested in sharing my experiences from South Korea since it is a country I value a lot. I think the culture and lifestyle deserve to be shown, especially to my peers and colleagues.

View Amy's Instagram Stories takeover.
 

I grew up in Laredo, Texas. I was initially attracted to South Korea because East Asia has a growing impact on the global stage, so I wanted to familiarize myself with the neighborhood. Beyond academic reasons, I am excited to increase my Korean language skills, immerse myself in the unique culture and eat a lot of incredible food!

Read Kevin's blog post on the UT Education Abroad blog and view his Instagram Stories takeover.

As someone who has participated in a summer Maymester, I am both excited and nervous about the opportunity to study abroad for a full year. As an exchange student at the University College London (UCL) in their Arts and Sciences and Anthropology department, I take classes focusing on writing, documentary filmmaking, audio storytelling and photography. Located in the heart of London, UCL drew me in because of the opportunity to expand my professional skills in a city full of diversity, culture and a dynamic city life. I hope to test my childhood dream of living abroad to see if London could be my next home after college.

Read Amarachi's blog post on the UT Education Abroad blog and view her Instagram Stories takeover.

Some Words of Wisdom

As a Global Ambassador, you represent Texas Global, UT Austin, Texas and the U.S. Therefore, you should avoid content that may be illegal, obscene, defamatory, threatening, infringing of intellectual property rights, invasive of privacy or otherwise injurious or objectionable. In addition, do not use the Texas Global brand to endorse or promote any product, opinion, cause or political candidate. You must also adhere to the University Code of Conduct and the Student Honor Code.

Finally, blogging and posting to social media are very public activities. Anything posted on the internet stays there--forever. Deleting a post simply removes it from the platform, but copies of the post may exist scattered all over the internet. As such, never link to something you haven’t read; when you link to something, you should make sure it is something you really want to be associated with, and always keep in mind that you are acting as an ambassador for study abroad at UT Austin. If you are unsure about posting something, ask! You shouldn’t post anything you wouldn't be comfortable with anyone viewing, from your parents to potential employers. Think before you post!

Check out the Education Abroad Blog to see what's new.

Tips for Recording Video

Videos are a great way to document and share your time abroad as a Global Ambassador. Here are some tips and tricks to recording high-quality videos.

Contact Us

Email globalambassadors@austin.utexas.edu for more information.