Dr. Phyllis Ngai
Email: phyllis.ngai@umontana.edu
Student, Faculty, Alumni Experiences
Featured Content
Michaela Niva’s Experience in Italy
It had always been a dream of mine to live abroad so during a gap year between my freshman and sophomore year of college, I decided to make it happen. I saved up my money, found a job in Rome as an Au Pair and moved. Although I was working while abroad, I still made a point to explore and learn...
Becca Olson's Experience in Greece
It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to join the Peace Corps. Since middle school, I’ve been thinking about college and my time spent after graduation traveling and volunteering in a foreign country. When I came to the University of Montana, I had no idea a minor like International...
Asia Chhon’s Experience in Morocco and Thailand
My name is Asia Chhon and I am from Oakland, CA. I am in my last year at the University of Montana studying Sociology with a minor in IDS. I am a first-generation college student who comes from a two first-generation America parents. My dad is Cambodian and came to America to flee the Cambodian...
Lee Adler’s Experience in Poland
I initially chose to minor in IDS because it would help me with my goals of returning to the Army as a commissioned officer. The Army has given me opportunities to work in international development before, and I thought this program would demonstrate my commitment to these types of missions....
Dr. Phyllis Ngai & Dr. Peter Koenh’s Experience in Ethiopia
Partnering with Addis Ababa University-Thirteen Months of Hospitality: The Ethiopian calendar boasts one more month than ours and the tourism industry has long promoted Ethiopia as a destination where one can enjoy“13 months of sunshine.” Based on our recent experience as invited lecturers by...
Hannah McDaniel's IDS Experience
I chose to minor in International Development Studies because I wanted to compliment my Communication Studies major with the exploration of complex issues and potential solutions as they are occurring around the world. Through the program, I gained an appreciation for community-driven,...
Emily Lynch's Peace Corps Experience in China
Working overseas challenges you on many different levels. You can feel completely isolated in the middle of a million other people. You question what you think you know when you see how different “low-income” communities can be from country to country. Language barriers can be infuriating at...
Alex Preis’ Post Graduation Experiences
Minoring in IDS was a logical choice as a Political Science International Relations major passionate about building an international career. I initially chose IDS because I wanted to go into the Peace Corps, and UM offers a Peace Corps Prep certificate through the IDS minor. IDS was about a lot...
Rachael Schmoker's Internship in South Africa
My name is Rachael Schmoker, and I am a senior from Fairbanks, Alaska. I am studying Health and Human Performance with an emphasis on Community Health. My minors are IDS and GPH. This past summer I went on an IE3 internship to Cape Town, South Africa to work in a HIV and AIDS organization in the...
Alumni Kelsey McCall on her Peace Corps Adventure in Gambia
In mid-October IDS alum Kelsey McCall left on her two year Peace Corps assignment in the Gambia where she is aspiring to make long lasting, sustainable, qualifying change in her Gambian community by educating all ages in health curriculum that improves lives for many generations. As part of her...
Alumni Lily Piecora Dances with Turtles in the Yucatan
In July 2014 I took off for the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico for a Sea Turtle conservation internship with the Cozumel Sea Turtle Salvation Project. The internship was on the small island called Cozumel, an extremely well-known tourist spot in the area. Cozumel has a small local population that...
