» Education Abroad HSI Initiatives

Chapman's strategic plan includes enriching the Chapman Experience by expanding opportunities for students from underrepresented communities; pursue formal recognition as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)  Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). The Center for Global Education (CGE) is dedicated to serving our University's mission and supporting the Latinx student population on campus. Chapman University is now one of 51 emerging HSI, or eHSIs in California, with a population of 18% Hispanic or Latino students. We will further our efforts to gain full HSI status.

Below are some initiatives we have in place:

Bilingual Pre-Departure Orientation

La familia is an integral element to the Latinx cutlure, and the decision to study abroad is often a family decision as such. We believe it is important to form a bond between office and family at the CGE.

In addition to a pre-departure orientation (PDO) for all accepted students on campus, the CGE also hosts a virtual PDO for families every semester. We host this orientation once in English and separately in Spanish for our native Spanish-speaking families. The orientation in Spanish is conducted by our bilingual staff members, Daniel Garcia and Emilio Rodriguez. It is an opportunity for families to meet CGE staff while learning the basics of studying abroad; we brief programs, review costs and scholarships, and discuss ways to support students.

Latinx Study Abroad Alumni Panel

Hearing from students with whom they can relate can have a postive impact on a student to pursue an opportunity. Peer influence is an especially strong factor for encouragement amongst Latinx college students. We connect prospective students with alumni at the CGE to foster these relationships.

We host a panel of Chapman Latinx study abroad alumni every fall semester during International Education Week in November. Recent alumni from the previous Spring or Fall semesters typically volunteer to share their experiences. It is a casual atmosphere through which prospective students can get first-hand antectodes from students like them who were recently in their position.

Watch  2021 Viajes - Latinx Study Abroad Alumni Panel: 

Vámonos: Latinx Information Session, Application Workshop, and Bilingual Information Session for Families

At the CGE, we understand that students who aren't familiar with the concept of "study abroad" may never enter our office because they are unfamilair with our services. Rather than expecting them to come to us, we work with the Latinx student group every Spring semester to put on a series of events called Vámonos. The event series is conducted by our bilingual staff members, Daniel Garcia and Emilio Rodriguez.

Vámonos consists of 3 events:

1. A Global First Steps (GFS) session specifically for members of the Latinx student group:
   1. Global First Steps is an information session that all students must attend in order to open a semester abroad application. We conduct and individualized GFS for the Latinx student group as the first part of Vámonos.
2. An application workshop for said members:
   1. A week later, we host an application workshop in a classroom on campus, which is an opportunity for students to work on their applications with the help of advisors on site. The idea is to provide a one-stop shop where students can open and entirely complete an application without ever having to do anything outside of these first two events.
3. An information session in Spanish for families:
   1. The last event in the series is an information in Spanish for families during which we cover the basics of studying abroad, including explaining what study abroad is, how students will be billed and can apply for scholarships, and answer questions directly from families.

Bilingual Information Sheets

In addition to the events listed above, the CGE has also created bilingual on-demand resources including an informational PDF in English and Spanish. The information sheet provides a brief overview of several aspects of our programs, including safety, insurance, costs, and scholarships. Click on the hyperlink above to access said resource and scroll down to see the information in Spanish.