Global Panther Success Ambassadors

GPS, otherwise known as the Global Panther Success team, is a group of domestic, international, graduate and undergraduate students at UNI focused on helping new international students begin their journeys as members of our Global Panther Family!

This team of students in collaboration with our student services coordinator and the Office of International Engagement lead incoming students through international student orientation, help with students' move in, and assist with getting new students settled in their new home away from home.

Throughout the year, GPS also will help to plan and coordinate events and serve as a constant resource for all of our new and current students.

Students in this position are contracted for an academic year (August - May) and help with a plethora of activities outside of those allocated above. Every March, the Office of International Engagement interviews and hires new members to the team, creating a diverse group of students aimed in supporting their peers.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at international@uni.edu.

What is a Global Competence?

Global competence is a multi-dimensional construction that requires a combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values successfully applied to global issues or intercultural situations. Global problems refer to those that affect people (domestic and international students). Intercultural situations refer to face-to-face, virtual, or mediated encounters with people perceived from a different cultural background. Developing a global competence is a lifelong process, but it is one that EDUCATION can shape.

Why is it essential for students to develop Global competence?

Develop cultural awareness and respectful interactions in an increasingly diverse society.
Help recognize and challenge cultural biases and stereotypes and facilitate a more welcoming community.
Prepare for world work, which increasingly demands individuals who are effective communicators and open to people from different cultural backgrounds.

OIE has created the Global Panther Success Ambassador Program to provide this vision on education and support students who want to develop their global competence by serving as ambassadors through volunteering opportunities.

Students participating in the Global Panther Success Ambassador Program can engage with the international and larger UNI community, staff, faculty, and Cedar Valley through outreach, coordination, and professional development. These opportunities allow students to build upon their intercultural communication, leadership confidence, and coordination skills through volunteer, leadership, and learning opportunities.

Volunteering and leadership opportunities:

Participate in International Orientation, during which they will more directly lead activities, workshop sessions, and programming in addition to helping students begin their story and educational journey at the University of Northern Iowa.
Welcome students to campus, move them into their housing, and be the first point of contact for new students before Orientation activities begin.
Engage with students throughout the academic year and serve as a continual point of contact for new and returning students, helping to bring their concerns to the attention of the International Engagement Office or other staff on campus.
Collaborate with the Student Services Coordinator to plan programming and events for the larger UNI community. This would include cultural events, International Education Week, community outreach, and weekly activities.
Participate in presentations to partner organizations and prospective students about the University of Northern Iowa, their experiences, and their social and academic journey.

How do we select our GPS ambassadors?

Composition: The Global Panther Success Ambassador Team is typically composed of 5-7 students chosen from within the UNI student body through an interview process and essay submission. The team tends to be composed of various individuals, including diverse student backgrounds, educational levels, and majors. Students will volunteer on the Ambassador team and gain experience organizing activities, helping orient students, and serving as a resource throughout the academic year.

Selection process: Every March, the International Engagement Office will host an application and interview process through which students will submit information (graduation year, country of origin, other extracurriculars, etc) in addition to an essay surrounding the questions below:

“What are the three (3) major issues international students face on campus?”
“What skills or experiences do you possess that could help alleviate their situation?”

Through applications, essays, and in-person interviews, the office will then offer the selected students the opportunity to become a Global Panther Success Ambassador for a yearly term. Students will then have the professional opportunity to engage in various learning experiences (as seen below) to better their global competencies, professional interactions, and leadership abilities.

Award Information: Once students are selected, they will receive an invitation letter that outlines the goals of the Global Panther Success Ambassador Program. The award letter must be signed and returned to the OIE office.

Then, students will meet with the Director of International Engagement and the Student Services Coordinator to walk through the opportunities available to students, highlight strengths and areas in which students want to improve, and provide an outline for the upcoming academic year and the student's involvement in Orientation(s), programming, community engagement, and other growth opportunities.

Scholarships of $1,400 will be awarded to students at the beginning of the academic year and applied to their UNI accounts, reflecting their time and commitment as members of the Global Panther Success Ambassador Program.

For students who graduate, withdraw, or are asked to leave the program before the end of their year-long position, an agreed-upon portion of the scholarship, as mentioned above, will be dispersed according to the amount of time served as part of the Global Panther Ambassador Program.

Those in the Global Panther Success Ambassador Program will reinterview each academic year to continue their placement in the program. Based on this, a new team composed of new and returning students will be selected.

Growth Opportunities through the GPS Program

Students might volunteer in one or more of the following areas:

Serve as general global ambassadors for the University of Northern Iowa, focusing on admitted and incoming international students.
Guide students through an (n) International Orientation session(s) and move in, introducing them to campus, orienting them to their departments, and cementing their personal connections to campus.
Create programming and events in collaboration with the Student Services Coordinator to engage with the larger campus community, support international student populations, and highlight internationalization efforts on campus.
Serve as a point of contact for the larger international student community, guiding them through life in the U.S., university in Iowa, and their varying higher education experiences.
Help students with the basic needs of orienting to campus by guiding them through the process of gaining student IDs, campus tours, connecting to Wi-Fi and online learning opportunities, and health screenings, among many others.
Introducing new students to UNI can but does not necessarily include assisting them with questions that they might have, providing appropriate information, and directing them to appropriate UNI services as needed.
Volunteer to collaborate as a team to carry out programming and events throughout the year sponsored by the Office of International Engagement to support student needs and interests and build community.
As much as possible attend and participate in a bi-weekly meeting to share opportunities, updates about student feedback, needed areas of support, and other notes as needed.

Through the Global Panther Success Ambassador Program, students will also be offered the opportunity to explore above and beyond the growth as mentioned earlier opportunities to lead in the following areas:

Social Media Management, Outreach, and Content Creation
Undergraduate Student Outreach and Programming
Graduate Student Outreach and Programming
New and Incoming Students Connection
Community Collaboration and Activities Liaison

If more than five students are on the team, the Student Services Coordinator will be their point person and team leader. The SSC will meet 1:1 with students to outline their areas of interest and strengths, providing an additional opportunity for growth beyond those outlined above that fits the individual student.

For more information on how Global competency is a must on students' education, please visit: https://www.oecd.org/education/Global-competency-for-an-inclusive-world.pdf

* OIE will support the test fee if students would like to take the global competence assessment at the end of their service.

Global Panther Success Ambassadors

Ava Deitrich

International Student Services Coordinator

Global Panther Success Coordinator

Elizabeth Baby

Graduate Assistant

Global Panther Success Ambassador

Bilal Baig

Global Panther Success Ambassador

Dinithi Ferdinando

Global Panther Success Ambassador

Nneoma Nnaji

Global Panther Success Ambassador

Mevlon Pozhari

Global Panther Success Ambassador