International Education Wizard
Meaningful Intercultural Experiences for All
As a confused 1997-born practitioner stuck between a Gen-Z and Millennial identity, I possess the ability to relate to many current generations of college students—and incoming students— regarding the desire to have a sense of belonging, the curiosity to discover their strengths, the pressures to be employable, and the challenges brought onto them from external events.
The field of international education is one of the most magical, dynamic and resilient fields I have ever seen in meeting the needs of these students. As someone whose undergrad experience was interrupted by the pandemic, I am amazed by the new trends, discoveries, and innovations in the field in response to the disruption: developing quality virtual learning experiences, pioneering SDG-friendly programs, and prioritizing ways to support students' mental health and socio-emotional well-being.
The community of international education is truly welcoming and inspiring. Their openness to share new knowledge, hold difficult conversations, ponder challenging questions, and treat everyone's thoughts and experiences as valuable has ignited my own passion for wanting to be part of the amazing work! Just when I think there is an answer, there is a new question.
ˈreɪʧəl ˈbɔrnˈstɪn
Rachel Bornstein
Programs Abroad Coordinator
University of Tennessee
MA, International Education Management
Middlebury Institute of International Studies
About Me
I was born in China but adopted when I was eight months and brought to the United States, where I was raised in Oklahoma. I attended a private K-8 school and a private Catholic high school, which were difficult years for me to feel proud and included as a racial minority adoptee.
My confidence in my roots grew when I was an undergraduate student at the University of Oklahoma to study Spanish and Linguistics. I had the opportunities to study abroad in Granada, Spain and intern in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Being part of an exclusive organization, the Global Engagement Fellowship, completely set up the foundation for me to become the passionate global advocate I am today. I became fascinated with the complex relationships between intersectionality, positionality, culture, communities, and languages.
In 2021, I obtained my TEFL certificate and went to Madrid, Spain to work as a language assistant in a bilingual school in Madrid, working with 4 head Spanish teachers and teaching 150+ students across 4 grades. I also made a lovely circle of friends from Spain, Ukraine, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Venezuela. Not to mention— I also lived in a 5-bedroom apartment that, over time, housed roommates from the US, Hong Kong, Argentina, Germany, Portugal, and Poland.
In the fall of 2022, I returned to the States to pursue my master's in International Education Management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, Class of 2023.
Within 1 year of the start of my Master's, I received an exciting offer to join the Center for Global Engagement as a Programs Abroad Coordinator for the University of Tennessee. To this day, I am mastering the moving parts of faculty-led program development, communication with various stakeholders— including international partners— and supporting diverse students at all stages of education abroad. In addition to this role, I am a part-time researcher investigating the impacts of US study abroad programs and students on host communities abroad— to be presented at the 2023 Diversity Abroad Conference!
I am excited by the dynamic nature of international education and the opportunities that come with it, specifically ones geared towards designing or managing creative projects that improve the development of cultural competence, intercultural engagement, and group dynamics.
