Honors Certificate of Global Competencies Fosters Education & Travel Abroad

By Sophia Flippin, Honors Student Intern, sophia.flippin@wsu.edu

The Honors Certificate of Global Competencies (CGC) offers students travel experiences and educational opportunities that develop and enhance skills necessary for thriving in an increasingly globalized world. One of three honors elective certificates, the CGC helps students develop international perspectives and provides opportunities to engage with the global landscapes of their chosen academic fields.

Recently, Thomas Wieland (‘24) and Samantha Radcliffe (‘23) earned their CGCs through international travel. Wieland spent three and a half months at Instituto de Empresa in Madrid studying international business relations and researching Western European jazz musicians and “gigging” culture. He set out to examine how these musicians establish shows, perform the music, honor the jazz tradition, and contribute to the genre.

An avid saxophonist, Thomas sought to gain a firsthand view of his area of research. Within his first weeks in Spain, he rented a saxophone and found himself immersed in Madrid’s music scenes. Soon, he was playing gigs nearly every night and touring with a few different musical groups around the country.

“I wanted to become a part of the jazz scene for so many reasons, but I think most of all just to live a little. That’s how I have fun: gigging, performing, and meeting other musicians,” he said.

While living in a foreign country and not speaking Spanish fluently was intimidating, Wieland found music to be a “backbone” that allowed him to connect with others. “…I found the most joy, and I learned the most just being with these people, being with these other musicians.”

Thomas also found that learning a new language and navigating a new culture made him slower to respond, which in turn made him more empathetic and patient. He applied these new skills while conducting research in Spain and elsewhere in his life, making him “really grow as a person that has a presence in places other than just the United States,” he said. Earning the certificate also served as a platform to share this knowledge with fellow students, faculty, and other scholars in the music space.

In addition to their individual travels, students pursuing the Certificate of Global Competency take 15 course credits that significantly help them develop international perspectives for approaching the honors thesis. The CGC requires them to develop competency in a foreign language by earning 3-6 credits at the 204 level or higher. They also complete 6-9 credits of coursework during one or more terms abroad, including Honors 430 research.

“Our intention with the CGC is for it to provide both a practical and theoretical understanding of the world,” said M. Grant Norton, Honors College Dean.

Once back in the U.S., students present their findings to honors faculty and students, discussing specific international topics related to their Honors 430 coursework. This experience allows them to examine further how the CGC enhanced their Honors education at WSU.

For Samantha Radcliffe (‘23), the presentation was a highlight of earning her CGC. While presenting before the Honors College dean and assistant dean was nerve-racking, it helped her gain confidence in her presentation skills and contributed to her receiving the Honors College Dean’s Award, she said.

Samantha studied psychology and criminal justice and minored in Spanish. Her undergraduate research culminated in a legal analysis of Thailand’s human trafficking laws and her honors thesis specifically compared the efficacy of legislation regarding both sex and labor trafficking. She found that labor trafficking remained inadequately addressed largely due to the difficulty of detecting victims, especially those with migrant worker status.

The study-abroad aspect of Samantha’s research allowed her to connect with leaders of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and anti-trafficking advocates. Many of these interviews contributed significantly to her thesis. She found these in-person experiences were crucial for learning the intricacies of trafficking.

Samantha remarked that her time abroad made her confident in herself and her abilities, especially in making friends from different cultures. She also found tremendous value in experiencing and understanding different cultures.

“Going to temples and dressing up in traditional Thai clothing and seeing the locals come up to you and being really excited that you’re appreciating their culture, I think is really beautiful,” she said.

Both Thomas and Samantha will continue exploring new places and cultures. Thomas will conduct his post-graduate musical education at the University of Wisconsin and pl ns to continue traveling the world.

Samantha recently returned from a backpacking expedition across Australia and is planning her next adventure in Peru. Her goal is to earn a PhD in forensic psychology to help trafficking victims at the international level.

Wieland’s words embody the purpose of the certificate: “​I ​think ​as ​an ​honors ​student, ​it ​is ​my ​responsibility ​to ​have ​a ​broader ​understanding ​of ​different ​cultures ​and ​backgrounds ​and ​religions,” he said. ​​ In both cases, earning the Certificate of Global Competency fueled an interest in travel and cultures as well as a desire to further explore the world, all hallmarks of the program.