On the evening of Monday, December 2, 2024, faculty, staff and students gathered to celebrate the achievements of recipients of distinct Global Learning honors and awards.
One of the highlights of the evening came in the form of a moving address by the keynote speaker–Renee O’Connor. Ms. O’Connor, a social studies teacher at Miami Norland Senior High School, shared her full circle moment - from standing on the steps of the United Nations building while studying abroad in Lausanne, Switzerland, to entering the same building later, where she spoke in front of the U.N. Committee on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in support of Florida educators.
Middle Row (from left to right): Derek Ayala, Natalia Bocsi, Getanjalie Jathu, Karyne Martins Araujo, Ashley Coll, Anamaria Pedraza Orjuela, Emily Rosario, Jennifer Gonzalez, Dr. Hilary Landorf
Front Row (from left to right): Lia Goodman, Raheim Grant, Dominique Addison, Connie Penczak, Michelle Zaldivar
During her remarks at our event, Ms. O’Connor also took the time to highlight three student leaders:
Jennifer Amaya, whose immigrant experience and expression of the value of global learning for multicultural skills touched O’Connor; Ashley Coll, who embodied the spirit of global learning by investigating gender inequity in Latin America through a COIL project on machismo; and Raheim Grant, whose work as a Dream Fellow in supporting immigrant communities, allowed O’Connor to point to the transformative power of small, intentional acts of care in influencing individuals, systems, and policies.
These were three of thirteen students who were awarded the Global Learning Medallion (GLM) in the Fall 2024 semester. The GLM is a graduation distinction that students achieve through coursework, extensive co-curricular involvements, and an immersive capstone project centered around their personal and professional aspirations as globally fluent individuals. The ceremony also recognized students in the Millennium Fellowship, recipients of the Global Learning Awards of Distinction, and Global Learning Notable Faculty.