8-10-20
August 10, 2020
Op-ed: PALS program makes global connections in spite of pandemic barriers
By Mariah Thomas
As a student at the University of Montana, I’ve had a chance to connect with peers across the world this summer through the Mansfield Center’s new Global PALS program, in spite of the barrier of a pandemic. Through this exchange, I’ve built a friendship and global awareness I never thought was possible virtually.
Global PALS, which stands for Peers Across Lands Sharing, was created this summer for students at the University of Montana to connect with young leaders from Southeast Asia. The program works as a virtual exchange, pairing one University of Montana student with a student from across the globe. Students engage in cross-cultural learning activities with their PAL, such as discussions about their respective countries, cooking cultural dishes, and even going on virtual adventures together. Despite a physical barrier, the opportunities for connection that the program has fostered for involved students, like myself, have been wonderful experiences.
My PAL, Pia, is from the Philippines. We share common interests in journalism, and I’ve loved learning about her work with documentaries. We’ve also had the opportunity to learn about the political climate in each other’s countries. I’ve learned that the civil rights protests occurring in America are being mirrored in the Philippines — although with different issues on the table. Pia and I are very similar, and it’s been fun to get to know her this summer.
The Mansfield Center has also been inventive about ways to create group learning opportunities via Zoom. Pia and I led the first group session, meeting with a cohort of students in the program. We organized PechaKucha Storytelling, which is a type of storytelling traditional in Japan. Each person created a presentation of 20 slides, and had 20 seconds per slide to tell the group about their favorite book or movie — essentially, getting 400 seconds to tell your story. Another set of PALS organized a group watch and discussion of “Becoming,” a documentary about former first lady Michelle Obama.
From both group sessions, students had valuable takeaways from connecting with their peers across the world. We discovered that even with completely different cultures, we enjoyed similar films and books. Many contained similar themes regarding empathy, kindness, inward and outward beauty, and dystopian societies. Amidst the exchanging that occurred, everyone treated each other with respect, were willing to work through awkwardness, and enjoyed making new friends.
The ingenuity of the Mansfield Center in creating a program that connects students from across the world even in the midst of a global pandemic is worthy of praise. Even more worthy of praise, though, is the way that this program supports University of Montana students in their leadership and workforce development. Not only are students provided an opportunity to learn how to work virtually, but we are also honing our cross-cultural communication skills, allowing us to become better equipped to deal with an increasingly global economy. I encourage other institutions to create similar virtual learning opportunities for students.
Being in the Global PALS Program has inspired me to be more culturally aware about the world around me, which is an important aspect of becoming a globally minded citizen. I feel supported, connected, and more prepared than ever for a future working with a global community as a result of being involved in Global PALS.
Mariah Thomas is a sophomore at the University of Montana studying journalism and working as an international research intern for the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center.
Originally Published in the Missoulian.