Northeastern Expands Global Experiences Through Government Initiative

Northeastern expands global experiences through 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative

Northeastern University was one of eight universities to receive a $25,000 grant, sponsored by Santander Bank, from President Obama’s “100,000 Strong in the Americas” initiative.

The initiative aims to achieve 100,000 student exchanges between the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America by 2020 and increase the study abroad activity in those regions by decreasing the institutional barriers to student exchange in the Americas.

Specifically, Northeastern will focus on building capacity for study abroad and co-op opportunities with three partner institutions—University of the West Indies in Trinidad, University of the Andes in Chile, and Insper (Institute of Education and Research) in Brazil.

Another exciting piece of the grant is being used for online “virtual embassies” at Northeastern, whereby previous students with experience studying and doing co-ops in particular countries give advice and support to prospective students interested in working and studying in those countries.

To sum up, Brian Gibson, Director of Northeastern’s Global Experience Office, says “what we’re looking to achieve [is] to have a very fruitful and productive partnership with these schools, with more of our students going there, more of their students coming here, [and] more co-op opportunities in Trinidad, Brazil, and Chile.”