Before starting her career in international education, Abby Reilly, Global Partnerships and Events Manager for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program (Gilman Program), met an international scholar from India whose friendship changed her life and career path.
The first connection I made in international education set me on an unexpected course, in both my personal life and professional career.
In 2014, as an AmeriCorps*VISTA at the University of South Carolina Aiken, I was placed in on-campus housing with a Fulbright Scholar, Mukulika, from India. The institution only had one person dedicated to study abroad and international student services, so I found myself eagerly stepping in to help her adjust to life in the U.S. What started out as scheduling grocery store trips and other errands turned into movie nights, attending temple, enjoying free concerts at the local park, cooking together (really, her teaching me how to cook!), and exploring the Aiken and Augusta areas. We formed a wonderful friendship, based in curiosity and mutual understanding.
One day, Mukulika asked me to drive her to an event for local Fulbright scholars at University of South Carolina-Columbia, my alma mater. That event happened to be sponsored by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Being exposed to IIE’s mission for the first time that night changed my perspective in many ways. It overwhelmingly affirmed my interest in pursuing a career in public service, but, for the first time, I saw that career path through the lens of international education. As much as I wanted to help people and communities through acts of service, I also wanted to connect with and learn from people. I also learned that even if we speak the same language, we all have much to learn from and teach one another. The connections formed in that kind of exchange can lead to healthy, mutually beneficial partnerships.
The spontaneous connection with Mukulika further encouraged my empathy and widened the scope of what I thought was possible for myself and others. Initially an introverted, nervous young woman, I was given the courage to explore and travel outside of my comfort zone. Through teaching English in Benin and working in international higher education on U.S. campuses, I learned that education without consideration for the international context is like reading a black-and-white textbook. It’s possible to learn from it, but the depth of understanding, innovation, and creativity that global perspectives and connections naturally bring are missing. Those connections we make across cultures bring the necessary color, texture, and life to our knowledge of ourselves and each other.
Ten years later, I’m now working at IIE as part of the team that supports the implementation of the Gilman Program. I feel so grateful to work with a program that aligns with the beliefs shaped in part by that first connection made with Mukulika. Chief among them: International education shouldn’t be an option, only available to those who can afford it. Rather, it should be accessible to all. Because engagement and exchange on an international scale are essential in shaping the skills and knowledge we need to create an amazing future together.