Employability

By: Ludonis Maule
Ludonis Maule is a senior at Baruch College majoring in Entrepreneurship Management with a minor in Spanish. She has worked at Baruch College’s Study Abroad Office for the past three years where she advises students on their study abroad options and procedures, she has also coordinated several of the office's Study Abroad Fairs. This spring 2012 semester she is interning at InteRDom in the Marketing department.

Most employers appreciate students who are engaged in other positive activities outside of academics. International academics or work experience is also very appealing to employers. This international experience will be more valuable to a firm which operates worldwide. More than likely, you will have some knowledge about another country’s culture which may be useful for business. This increases your marketability as an employee.

A Global HR News study revealed that nearly three in four (73%) HR executives cited study abroad as an essential element when evaluating the resume of a potential job candidate for a junior-level position. According to Experience Inc., studying abroad is valued by employers because the individual is viewed as being:

• Culturally aware


• Flexible and tolerant


• Sensitive to and accommodating of other cultures


• Independent and Mature
  
  

Based on this information, an individual who studied abroad is already attributed qualities from the international experience listed on his/her resume even before they sell themselves verbally in the interview. This study abroad experience can be listed several places on your resume. It can be placed under educational experience including the school you attended, its location along with any course work completed. If the program has an internship component it can be listed under work experience.

Once your study abroad experience has been placed on your resume, you should be prepared to speak about it in an interview. Some interviewers will ask about it directly but others may not. However, you should try to incorporate your time abroad, the skills you acquired, the lessons you learned and the cultural sensitivity you developed into the interview in some way. It is important to emphasize that you did not just go overseas to have a good time, but you learned important things that are applicable to your professional life. For example, learning to think outside of the box, consider new and different viewpoints and be more independent and/or work in a team are all important skills you may have developed while abroad which should be emphasized.

As we all know, a great command of a second language is becoming even more vital to the globalized business world. Hence, the opportunity to study and speak the native language of another country should be seized in order to increase your professional marketability. While learning and practicing the language, you are inherently immersing yourself in a country’s culture. This is another reason why studying abroad is important; one has a better chance of experiencing and understanding a culture at its fullest when they are entirely immersed. We tend to be more appreciative and more open minded when we experience other cultures first-hand.

Studying abroad is not only a cultural experience, but it provides you with qualities which, if marketed properly, can be a major attraction for future employers.

Perspective Matters

By: Sydney Valerio
Summer Institute for Educators
Summer 2011

Sydney Valerio is an adjunct professor at Fordham University's School of Education. She also teaches high school English in the New York public school system. Of Dominican descent, her participation in the field portion of the PIER's Summer Institute for Educators in July 2011 was particularly poignant because of her roots on the island of Hispaniola.

As I climbed out of the taxicab and walked onto Santiago’s Calle del Sol, the Romantic gods found it very amusing to have a summertime shower come down on me. This historic street and city had witnessed the transformation of my being during many summers of my youth and now, as I dipped into its busy streets for some last minute photos and shopping before my evening flight, I knew that the skies of the Dominican Republic were speaking to me. Naturally, my Romantic inclinations appreciated nature’s ability to reflect my inner emotions. As the gumdrop-sized rain drops began to fall on my chest and resonate with the beatings of my heart I walked through these very familiar streets looking out for moments in which my camera would be able to capture the images I needed to feature in my project. As the universe would have it, the darkest of clouds dimmed the streets and squeezed torrential volumes of rain onto this ‘street of the sun’ forcing me to find refuge in a storefront along with other pedestrians. What followed could only be described by Paolo Coehlo’s phrase, ‘maktub’. It was written and the universe had conspired to make things happen for me. Those six hundred seconds that followed allowed for me to witness exchanges between store owners, customers, and those of us who only sought refuge. We all represented distinct purposes and backgrounds. Specifically, there was a young Haitian woman who was carrying a basin filled with toasted peanuts. Even her journey had been brought to a halt by the pitter patter of raindrops on her merchandise. Undoubtedly, the coincidence of our coming together had only transpired because of the inclement weather. All I could do was stare at her face and the nonverbal cues she communicated with her eyes. We were clearly, to one another, two women on a mission and reflections of our disparate worlds. Though we didn’t know each other’s languages we shared a smile and a nod of accordance that clearly stated: “This rain has derailed us!” As we held this silent conversation through our gazes a loud horn coming from a tractor-trailer sized Coca Cola truck interrupted our next move. This vehicle was having difficulty making a turn onto the colonial-sized street. All I could think at that moment, other than the irony of that situation, was about how much my perspective had transformed over the past decade of my life in which I had entered adulthood in a pre and post 9/11 world. A decade in which the homogeneity of being a Latina in the Bronx was distinctly redirected and redefined as I moved into different regions of New York for my educational and professional endeavors. More recently, my perspective had been influenced by my educational journey over the past two weeks.

The New Haven portion of the Yale/NYU Colonial Latin America Institute created the necessary foundation from which to develop my unit, “Perspective Matters”. The participants and lecturers developed my thirst for knowledge about Colonial Latin America. As a high school English teacher in a New York public school I knew I’d have to develop a unit that developed the skills assessed in the New York State Regents exam. In my decade of teaching I have found success because of my ability to relate the curricular material to the lives of my students in a very Constructivist manner. I knew that I wanted to feature Junot Diaz’s Pulitzer winning novel in my unit because of its compelling connecting effect. In order for my students to comprehend any excerpt of this novel they would have to develop their perspective and explore Dominican history and Latino identity. I must admit that my motives were clearly connected to Gardner’s Cultivation Communications theory in which he claims that as a society we define certain aspects of society based on the media images we consume rather than our first-hand, sometimes limited, experiences. While at New Haven, I selected Diaz’s excerpt as the main focus of his activity both because of the series of images that were at the center of the piece and because I knew that I would be able to capture these images firsthand the following week during our trip to the Dominican Republic. I was also very excited to select Diaz’s excerpt because of the large representation of students of Dominican descent in my school. I knew that their perspectives would contribute immensely to our discussions.

The moment I stepped foot on Dominican land I knew that my week in that country would be transformative. The itinerary created by the InteRDom team was full of a variety of visits, lectures and panels that promised to take my project to the next level. Every day’s theme nourished a part of my essence as a teacher and Latina of Dominican descent. Every visit and every guide through historical landmarks created windows for me to look through and use in the future. In specific, the day we spent at Altos de Chavon provided an amazing workshop and tour of the site’s museum and grounds. While visiting the Colonial Zone and the site of the first sugar plantation in Boca de Nigua I certainly understood the power my students would access through this project and their study of Diaz’s literature, Dominican history, and global society. I am currently working on developing the stage from which my project will be taught in all of my tenth and eleventh grade classes. I certainly look forward to the exploration and possible conquest.

InteRDom Blog Has a New Look

Over the past couple of years, InteRDom Internships in the Dominican Republic has grown, expanded and changed much like the world that we live in. The simple “student experience” format of the former blog no longer reflected the multiple facets of the program. More than just a simple internship and academic study program, InteRDom now has a number of projects and collaborations promoting international intellectual exchange and the economic development of a spectrum of sectors in the Dominican Republic. A couple of these programs are:

Internship Supervisor Certification Seminar— An innovative training program designed to capacitate directors and employees of Dominican and international organizations interested in implementing new internship programs or in improving existing ones in their respective companies or institutions. Its content is developed by InteRDom staff members and consultants, and the program is given approximately three times a year in the Dominican Republic. This program ensures a successful internship experience for both interns and organizations.

Fellows Program—Inaugurated in 2010, the Fellows Program seeks to develop a community of scholars that contributes to the Foundation’s growing body of research on matters of international concern that directly impact the Dominican Republic. In the Fellows Program, Master’s and PhD candidates travel to the Dominican Republic through InteRDom to conduct high-level research on issues at the forefront of the United Nations agenda in order to give voice to national and regional concerns and to offer viable solutions to domestic and international challenges. Fellows that carry-out exemplary work have the opportunity to present their findings before the United Nations community on behalf of GFDD.

“Expert in the Spanish Caribbean” and other short programs—In an effort to respond to the specific needs of universities, to encourage graduate and undergraduate students to deepen their learning and research on Caribbean issues and to aid teachers and professors in the internationalization of their curriculum, InteRDom has begun to develop short programs to respond to specific proposals presented by universities and centers. The programs run from 1 – 4 weeks based around specific subjects and themes. Some topics explored in 2011 include: the Dominican Carnaval, political science, service-learning, Colonial Latin America and its effects on modern Dominican identity and Spanish language immersion. The concept of Expert in the Spanish Caribbean is the result of the desire of the program to specialize its program offering and to generate a culture of exchange. The short programs complement the vision of InteRDom’s parent institutions Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundacion Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) to generate innovative programming and conversation around issues relevant to the region.

InteRDom wants the new look and content of the InteRDom blog to reflect these themes, as well as other topics related to our work, such as international education, global business practices, career development strategies, Dominican and Caribbean issues and cross-cultural awareness. The contributors to this blog are not only InteRDom staff members, but friends of the program, collaborators, program alumni, current students and experts and professionals in a number of fields. It is our hope that the things posted here will inspire lively debate and increased interest in intellectual exchange and the development of Hispaniola.

InteRDom is receiving thoughtful proposals from contributors who would like to share their stories, experiences and information about these and other topics. If you would like to contribute, please send a draft to students@interdominternships.org.

TOP Summer Internships!

InteRDom partners with over 300 companies and organizations in the Dominican Republic to bring students a wide variety of projects and opportunities to match each student’s study area, skills and talents! As the needs and interests of companies, organizations and communities are constantly changing with the times, so are their internships! Here is just a sampling of 3 of the TOP internships of the Summer 2009:

The first is in one of the region’s foremost NGOs: the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF). PADF is an international NGO that does work in disadvantaged communities all throughout Latin America and the Caribbean; specifically in the Dominican Republic, the Fwontyè Nou—Nuestra Frontera (Our Border) program implements projects intending to create economic opportunities and mitigate conflict along the poverty-ridden Dominican Republic-Haitian border region. This summer’s intern will be developing a business plan to unify the farming organizations along the border in order to help them work together to give their products a more competitive edge on the world market.

The second TOP internship is in another important NGO, but this one is in a local grassroots organization called Sur Futuro. Sur Futuro is an organization focused on bringing about social and economic transformation in the Southern region of the country using business development plans that focus on local capacity-building, protection of the environment and sustainable use of natural resources. Sur Futuro uses interns to help develop any and all of their projects, and this summer one student will be the Business Development and Fundraising Assistant for the new Sabana Yegua Upper Watershed Management Project. This project aims to restore and protect the natural resources of the river basins of the Sabana Yegua region. The InteRDom intern assigned to this project will create a business proposal for local entrepreneurs that promotes the sustainable management and development of the land. He will also assist in developing a fund-raising plan to support all of the organization’s environmental compensation projects.

Lastly, this summer one intern will be working in conjunction with Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (InteRDom’s sponsoring institution) and the Ministry of Labor of the Dominican Republic to research and develop a proposal for legislation that will regulate and promote internships in the country. This is very important work as the current laws of the Dominican Republic do not include internships at all, but their insertion into regular Dominican business practices would help alleviate many problems currently on the rise in the business sector, including the lack of preparedness of college graduates to enter the workplace. The work of this intern will be included in the final proposal that will go before Congress petitioning for an addition to the labor laws and regulations of the Dominican Republic.

As you can see, InteRDom interns in the Dominican Republic have exciting work opportunities that make an impact on both smaller communities and the nation as a whole. This is just a sampling of the wide variety of opportunities that students from all field of study have to put their skills into practice and aid in the development of a nation. That’s why InteRDom interns are the cream of the crop!

A Day In the Life of an InteRDom Intern

In the United States, it is not uncommon for University life to become dull and routine… but your experience abroad should be anything but dull! While InteRDom values a strong work ethic, the InteRDom experience is a delicate balance of work and fun, and InteRDom interns in the Dominican Republic have the chance to live both sides of Dominican culture in a vibrant, dynamic setting.

A typical week for an intern on the program consists of three parts: internship, classes and social activities.

Students generally work at their internship site from 18 to 20 hours a week, depending on what his or her contract specifies. The schedule also varies: some interns go to work in the morning, others in the afternoon. Some internships related to development, agriculture, Dominican-Haitian relations and others include a travel itinerary, which allows the students to become involved in other communities. Any additional trips are carefully planned so as not to affect the student’s academic performance.

Speaking of academics, depending on what the student has chosen for an academic program, most students take between 4-8 hours of class per week. If the student in enrolled in our Caribbean Culture course, class time includes field trips and cultural outings around the city. If the student in enrolled in courses with other Dominican students, the class itself will be an immersion experience, as you learn how a Dominican classroom functions and how students are expected to behave.

The InteRDom HOT Summer Seminars are an added bonus to everyone’s academic program! These seminars give students the opportunity to debate current “hot” topics with community leaders and experts in the field, not to mention other Dominican, Haitian and international students. The topics this summer are hotter than ever! As the Dominican Republic was recently added to the World Bank’s top 10 list of Latin American economies, we will be giving a seminar entitled “Doing Business in Latin America” in conjunction with the World Bank. Our other seminar, “Civil Rights in Latin America,” will focus on the steps taken in recent years (both legislative and independent) to improve the situation of human and civil rights of all Dominican (and non-Dominican) citizens.

At InteRDom we understand that All Work + No Play = No Fun, and we want you to enjoy your experience abroad! For this reason, we have organized an exhilarating agenda of cultural excursions that will allow you to travel all over the landscape of the country. Our “plus one” policy is a measure that we take to encourage you to invite a friend from school or from your internship—and all his/her expenses are paid! You will learn much more about Dominican culture if you experience it with actual Dominicans!

In addition to these trips, we plan a fun activity for one night each week to give all of the InteRDom students a chance to get together, catch-up, talk about their experiences… and to have a little fun!

Getting Ready for Summer 2009

The InteRDom team is getting excited for what promises to be an exhilarating Summer 2009 session! We have brand new internship offerings, as well as a fun agenda of excursions and cultural outings planned; the students are the only missing ingredient!

This year InteRDom interns have been accepted at more than 40 Dominican organizations, which represent professions that run the gamut from art to technology and serve the private and public sectors, as well as NGOs. These are top organizations in the Dominican Republic, and they are getting prepared for your arrival!

In addition to the internships and the cultural and academic agendas, InteRDom is thrilled to announce its 2009 HOT Summer Seminar Series. This series is a feature of its summer academic offering, and deals with recent topics of great importance on both the Caribbean and international scales. The seminars are given in conjunction with another organization that is expert on the topic, and students from local universities, businesses and non-profits are invited to attend. These seminars give students the opportunity to debate current “hot” topics with other students, community leaders and experts in the field.

In the summer of 2009, InteRDom students will be able to participate in two very important seminars that represent different aspects of current Dominican social and economic development. The first seminar, “Doing Business in Latin America,” will be given in conjunction with the World Bank, and is a result of the Dominican Republic’s recent addition to the World Bank’s list of the top 10 economies in Latin America. The second seminar, “Civil Rights in the Dominican Republic,” will be given with Fundación Institucionalidad y Justicia (FINJUS) y la Escuela Nacional de la Judicatura (ENJ), and will focus on recent documented research and reports of civil rights legislation and experience in Dominican communities.

We invite all accepted students to be writing in the blog right away! Tell us your impressions of the application process, and what your expectations are for the summer!