Today's Challenges are Tomorrow's Opportunities: Supporting Cultural Engagement and Student Resiliency during the Education Abroad Experience

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Join us in Berlin for this one-day event where we will come together as a community of professionals to build skills for working with today’s education abroad students. Through dialogue, we will tackle our shared challenges relating to students’ encounters with difference and striking the balance between considering where students come from and giving them access to a culturally authentic and immersive education abroad experience.

Co-hosted by Indiana University’s Europe Gateway, CIEE Berlin, and The Forum on Education Abroad, this Regional Seminar will equip attendees with tools and strategies for helping students manage their own expectations for the sake of their learning and well-being. In addition, participants will come away from the seminar with an expanded network of education abroad professionals following a day of learning and community building.

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Why You Should Attend

Led by senior education abroad leaders and local university staff and faculty, this full-day seminar explores key questions including:

• Who are today’s students? What are their expectations of an education abroad program? 
• Where do these expectations come from? How do international higher education trends and structures impact the expectations of students and the institutions and organizations that host them?
• How can international educators provide students with access to culturally relevant education abroad opportunities that challenge them to be open, to learn, and to grow?
• What strategies, tools, and techniques can be used to design programs, classes, and student support systems that effectively help students manage expectations and overcome challenges so that they can make the most of the cultural opportunities presented to them?
• How do on-site staff and faculty develop support systems that help students engage with their education abroad locations in a meaningful way?

Outcomes You Can Expect

At the end of the day, participants will be able to:

• Grasp current trends and tendencies among today’s college and university education abroad students;
• Implement best practices for providing students with culturally significant curricular and co-curricular opportunities that align with the needs and expectations of students and their home institutions;
• Apply strategies and tools to help students’ manage their own expectations and overcome challenges so that they can develop essential skills such as resilience, problem solving, cross-cultural agility, and independence;
• Connect with a network of like minded education abroad professionals from across Germany and surrounding regions.

Agenda, Speakers, and Location

Thursday, April 24
Welcome Reception - 18:00 - 20:00
​Tor Eins
Möckernstraße 26 
Bezirk Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg 
10963 Berlin 

Friday, April 25 | 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CEST (GMT+2)
Agenda is tentative and subject to change.

Time	Session	Speakers
9:00	Welcome + The Day’s Agenda
9:30	Decoding Today’s Students: Expectations, Trends, and Institutional Influence Explore the motivations and expectations of today’s education abroad students and uncover how trends in higher education and home institution dynamics in the U.S. and Europe shape their experiences. With examples from American, Polish, and German perspectives, gain insights into aligning programs and policies with the evolving needs of both students and institutions.	Jenn Engel (Indiana University), Gesa Heym (Freie Universität Berlin), Agnieszke Kołodziejska-Skrobek (Jagellonian University)
10:30	Coffee Break and Networking
11:00	Fostering Accountability: Empowering Students to Own Their Well-Being and Growth Presented by a leader in education abroad and a mental health clinician, participants will discover strategies for guiding students to take responsibility for their learning and well-being while navigating cultural challenges. During this session, participants will learn new ways to balance support and accountability in their work with education abroad students to cultivate resilience, independence, and personal growth during their time abroad.	Shani St. Louis (MindHyrst), Eric Ginola (CIEE Berlin)
12:00	Lunch on Your Own
13:15	Designing Co-Curricular Experiences for Meaningful Cultural Engagement This session will present examples of innovative strategies for delivering co-curricular opportunities that foster authentic connections between students and their host communities. In this session, explore how thoughtfully designed experiences can deepen cultural learning and make education abroad more impactful.	Benjamin Lißner (Universität Hamburg), Annabell Türk and Katrin Völkner (IU Europe Gateway), Anna Sadecka (University of Warsaw), Nele Thomsen (AIFS)
14:15	Coffee Break and Networking
14:45	Culturally Responsive Curricula: Strategies for the International Classroom Learn to create classroom environments that encourage students to engage with diverse perspectives and local cultures. Over the course of this session, facilitators will present practical approaches to adapting teaching methods and content to maximize cross-cultural learning and academic success.	Barbara Finke (IES Abroad Berlin), Christian Anderson (University of South Carolina), Betiel Wasihun (Humboldt University)
15:45	Charting the Path Forward: Collaborative Reflections and Action Planning Conclude the day by reflecting on key insights and work collaboratively to develop actionable steps to foster deeper cultural engagement and build student resilience in education abroad programs. Participants will leave the seminar with clear strategies and a shared vision to implement in your own work.	Miguel Ayllon (Indiana University), Marissa Lombardi (The Forum)
16:30	Conclude

​Location:
Indiana University Europe Gateway at CIEE Berlin
Gneisenaustraße 27
10961 Berlin, Germany​

Registration Rates

The Opening Reception and all coffee breaks are included in the registration rates listed below. Check here to see if your institution is a member of The Forum.

Registration Period	Expires	Pricing
Early Bird Registration	March 24, 2025	Member: $289 Non-Member: $339
Online Regular Registration	April 23, 2025	Member: $389 Non-Member: $439
On-site Regular Registration	April 25, 2025	Member: $389 Non-Member: $439

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Speakers and Planning & Advisory Committee

* Denotes a speaker for the seminar. See the agenda above for session details and the speaker lineup.

Christian K. Anderson, Ph.D.*
Professor of Higher Education & Director, Museum of Education, University of South Carolina

Christian's Bio

​Christian Anderson is a historian of higher education who also does work on comparative higher education and higher education in popular culture. He earned BA and master's degrees from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. from Penn State. Dr. Anderson has led study abroad trips to Taiwan, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Argentina, and Ireland & Northern Ireland. He got the study abroad bug in high school when he did an exchange program to the former Soviet Union (visiting five cities in Russia and Ukraine) and then studied in México. He has lived in Chile, Germany, and has spent time more than a dozen other countries.

Amelia Dietrich, Ph.D.*
Senior Director for Research & Publications, The Forum on Education Abroad

Amelia's Bio

Dr. Amelia Dietrich is the Senior Director for Research and Publications at The Forum on Education Abroad and Managing Editor of Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad. She joined The Forum in 2015 as a Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow. Amelia’s work focuses on leading original research initiatives and supporting the publication of others’ scholarship on best practices in education abroad, maximizing the impact of education abroad for students, institutions and communities, and identifying promising practices on the leading edge. Amelia also facilitates professional development workshops on the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad in a variety of venues and lends her expertise to project-based consultancies and comprehensive reviews. She serves on the IIE Open Doors Study Abroad Working Group and the Advisory Board for the Center for Research on Abroad
and International Student Engagement.

Previously, Amelia taught Spanish and linguistics at Penn State University, and led students on a research fellowship to Spain. Amelia holds a B.A. from Moravian University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Spanish and Language Science from The Pennsylvania State University. She is a Certified Professional in Education Abroad.

Eric Ginola*
Director of Student Life and Wellbeing, CIEE Berlin

Eric's Bio

​After growing up in the American Midwest, studying there and in the Pacific Northwest, Eric has lived, taught, researched and worked in (inter)cultural studies in Germany and Austria for nearly 15 years. He has been with CIEE Berlin since 2016 in a variety of roles and currently that as Director of Student Life and Wellbeing and as a core member of the faculty. 

Annette Listmann
Head of Study Abroad Team, Universität Hamburg

Annette's Bio

​

Anna Sadecka*
​Head of International Relations office, University of Warsaw

Anna's bio

​Anna Sadecka is the Head of the International Relations Office at the University of Warsaw with over 15-year experience in higher education. She is a leader of numerous international educational projects and an author of grant applications. As part of her duties, Anna participates in the University’s strategic initiatives, such as  Excellence Initiative, HR Excellence in Research, European Universities Initiative. She is an author of publications on international education and was a speaker at many international scientific and professional conferences, including EAIE and NAFSA. She was also an expert of the European Commission and Universities Canada (Global Skills Opportunity Program). 

Anna has a background in social sciences and education and holds a PhD degree in sociology. Her research interests include innovative education, virtual teams, international academic mobility, comparative cultural analysis. She is a Project Management Certificate holder (University of California Berkeley Extension) and was a fellow of the US Department of State. 

Annabell Türk*
Assistant Director, Europe Gateway, Indiana University

Annabell's Bio

Annabell Türk is the assistant director of the Indiana University Europe Gateway. Originally from a small town in Franconia, Bavaria, she holds a bachelor's degree in North American Studies and Law from LMU Munich and a master's degree in North American Studies from the John-F.-Kennedy-Institute at Freie Universität Berlin. 

Annabell first joined the Europe Gateway team as a student assistant in 2018, and later full-time as its Program & Communications Manager. Prior to these roles, she worked with the German University Alliance in New York, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Berlin as well as the U.S. Consulate General in Munich. 

Her exchange semester at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, ignited her passion for higher education and global academic exchange and deepened her commitment to fostering connections that enrich intercultural learning and understanding. In her current role, this translates into facilitating global learning experiences for IU students both on the ground in Berlin and in the virtual classroom. 

Izabela Zawiska
Head of International Relations Office, Jagiellonian University

Izabela's Bio

​Dr. Eng. Izabela Zawiska, a graduate of the Agricultural University in Kraków, has been affiliated with the Jagiellonian University since 2012. Since 2020, she has served as the Head of the International Relations Office. In this capacity, she plays a key role in advancing the University's internationalization agenda through the strategic implementation of international educational projects as well as "internationalization at home" initiatives. Dr. Zawiska coordinates partnerships and collaborations with foreign universities and research institutions, alongside managing bilateral exchange programs and university-wide mobility initiatives, ensuring their effective development and fostering global academic cooperation.

In 2025, Dr. Zawiska began her tenure as the President of the IROs Forum, an organization that brings together representatives of international relations offices from Polish universities, collaborating closely with key institutions to shape Poland’s internationalization policies for academic and research institutions. As the University's representative in prominent international cooperation networks—including the Utrecht Network, where she serves as a member of the Steering Committee, The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, and Una Europa—she plays an active role in shaping the University's global engagement strategy.

​In addition to her various administrative and strategic roles, Dr. Zawiska has written numerous articles and delivered a wide range of presentations at conferences and seminars, focusing on the internationalization of higher education and the effective management of academic and educational mobility programs. Her work continues to enhance the global visibility and impact of the Jagiellonian University.

Andrea Adam Moore
​Center Director, CIEE Berlin

Andrea's Bio

Andrea Adam Moore holds a Master in Business Administration. Andrea was previously the Director of the Indiana University Europe Gateway in Berlin. Earlier in her career she directed German University Alliance in New York City, and before that managed an international 300-student program at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin’s School of Business and Economics. She is a marathon runner and loves traveling to explore other cultures.

Jennifer Engel*
Associate Vice President for Education Abroad, Indiana University

Jennifer's Bio

​​Jennifer Engel, Ph.D. is the Associate Vice President for Education Abroad at Indiana University, providing strategic leadership for education abroad initiatives across all Indiana University campuses.  She has had the opportunity to hold progressively more responsible and complex roles within international education over the course of more than twenty years, with a depth of knowledge and expertise in education abroad.  Previously, she was the Vice President of Academic Affairs & Experiential Learning at CIS Abroad, leading student learning and assessment; curricular and programmatic development; and innovation in education abroad. She served as SIO at Loyola University Chicago, and Executive Director of Global Learning at the University of South Carolina where her primary responsibilities included risk management; strategic planning for study abroad; and campus internationalization. Jennifer has been involved with The Forum on Education Abroad, NAFSA, and AIEA, holding leadership positions and presenting nationally and internationally.

Gesa Heym*
Head of Student Mobility, ​Freie Universität Berlin

Gesa's Bio

Gesa Heym has been Head of the Student Mobility Team at the Division International Affairs of Freie Universität Berlin since 2018. She works at Freie Universität’s International Affairs Division in different positions since 2006 and is the university’s Erasmus Institutional Coordinator since 2011. 

Previously, she was a desk officer in the ‘Dialogue with the Islamic World’ working group at the Federal Foreign Office and personal assistant to the President of the University of Osnabrück. 
​
She studied Islamic Studies at the University of Göttingen, Birzeit University (Palestinian Territories) and the Université d'Aix-en-Provence as well as University and Science Management at the Danube University Krems.
​

Benjamin Lißner*
​Central Exchange Coordinator, Universität Hamburg

Benjamin's Bio

​After getting his degree in Japanese Studies, Benjamin Lißner stayed with the University of Hamburg first in the translation office, then transitioned to his current role as central exchange coordinator, where he shares oversight of both the inbound and outbound programs concerning student exchanges outside of Europe. In addition, he is Hamburg’s mobility officer for the European University Alliance for Global Health, EUGLOH, serving both students as well academic and administrative staff plus early career researchers in an associated project funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). He also briefly worked with the University’s Faculty of Education, mainly on standardizing credential evaluation processes.

Shani St. Louis*
Psychological Counselor, MindHyrst - Mental Health and Wellbeing Services

Shani's Bio

Shani St. Louis is a Psychological Counselor and Mental Health Nurse from the UK with over 20 years of experience working with adults and young people. She studied CBT Psychotherapy at the University of Oxford and has extensive experience working across diverse settings with internationally based organizations.

Now based in Berlin, Germany, Shani is the Founder of MindHyrst Mental Health Services. The organisation is dedicated to supporting international students and grantees, with a focus on their mental wellbeing while abroad. Shani currently provides services to Stanford in Berlin, CIEE Berlin, Fulbright Germany, and many more.
​
Guided by the MindHyrst motto, “Everyone has the right to be seen, heard, and understood,” Shani strives to deliver empathetic, culturally responsive care to assist students' education abroad experience.

Katrin Völkner*
​Director, Europe Gateway, Indiana University

Katrin's Bio

​​Katrin Völkner is the director of the Indiana University Europe Gateway. She was born and raised in Berlin, but moved to the United States for her studies and completed a PhD in interdisciplinary German Studies at Duke University. 

Katrin has dedicated her career as an educator and administrator to advancing and nurturing cross-cultural learning opportunities and exchanges across disciplinary and national borders. In her work as a faculty member at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, she was the director of the Multimedia Learning Center and she co-led the Global Languages Initiative, a multi-year effort that supported foreign language learning and global engagement.  

Upon her return to Germany, Katrin worked for CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange) and at the University of Potsdam in roles that focused on improving educational practices. As the director of the IU Europe Gateway, she supports Indiana University’s multipronged internationalization strategy by facilitating education abroad and international research activities. 

Miguel Elias Ayllon*
Associate Vice President for International Affairs, Indiana University

Miguel's Bio

Miguel E. Ayllon, a leader in designing and managing international engagement programs at large, multi-campus research-intensive public institutions, joined Indiana University as associate vice president for international affairs in September of 2023.

Miguel came to IU from the University of Missouri – Columbia where he worked for more than 15 years and most recently served as Executive Director for International Partnerships and Study Abroad. In this role, he led the central study abroad office, managed relationships with international partner universities, and advised the vice provost for international programs on relationship priorities. During his tenure in Missouri, the College of Engineering set a record for study abroad enrollment and forged its first academic collaborations with Latin America. Miguel has also contributed as a panelist in Research Initiation in Engineering Formation panels for the National Science Foundation.

Miguel holds bachelor’s degrees in business administration and communication arts (Bryan College), earned his Master of Public Administration (East Tennessee State University), and his doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis (University of Missouri). He has also taught courses on global and cross-cultural leadership to undergraduate and graduate students

Barbara Finke, Ph.D.*
Center Director, IES Abroad Berlin

Barbara's Bio

​Barbara holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. degree in political science from the University of Mannheim in Germany. She also studied for a year at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore with a fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD. Barbara conducted her Ph.D. research on the legitimacy of non-governmental organizations in global governance with a case study on women’s NGOs in the United Nations system. She has taught and published on civil society in global and European politics and on international relations theory. From 2007 to 2017, Barbara headed curricular affairs and admissions at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, a distinguished international graduate school that focuses on public policy and international affairs.

Agnieszka Kołodziejska-Skrobek*
International Cooperation Coordinator for the Americas, Australia and Africa, International Relations Office, Jagiellonian University

Agnieszka's Bio

Agnieszka holds a master’s degree in economics from the Krakow University of Economics, and has been involved in science and education for more than 20 years.

She joined the Jagiellonian University in 2016, and since 2020 has been associated with international cooperation at the International Relations Office, where she coordinates bilateral exchange programs and agreements (inbound and outbound student and staff exchanges) with universities and research institutions from the Americas, Australia, and Africa. In her current role, she also has strong links with international university networks – she serves as institutional liaison for The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities and as university representative for Latin America WG at the Coimbra Group.
Experienced project specialist with a demonstrated history of working in research industry, data management and analysis, as she previously worked at one of the research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
​
Agnieszka is passionate about Spanish language and culture, and loves to travel and explore other countries. In addition, she enjoys spending time at the opera and art galleries or outdoors, walking and riding a bike.

Marissa Lombardi, Ed.D.*
Vice President and Chief Learning Officer, The Forum on Education Abroad

Marissa's Bio

Dr. Marissa Lombardi serves as the Vice President and Chief Learning Officer, implementing an impressive array of programs, resources and materials related to the Standards of Good Practice, equity, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, and other topics that promote and facilitate the highest quality education abroad programs.

Prior to joining The Forum’s team, Marissa was with EF Education First, where she served as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Partnerships.Previously, Marissa was an Assistant Teaching Professor and Director of the Master of Science in Global Studies and International Relations program at Northeastern University, where she developed a concentration and certificate in Global Student Mobility. She also served as a faculty scholar and lead scholar at the university’s Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning through Research.

​She served as dean of students at Lorenzo de’Medici Italian International Institute in Florence, Italy, where she was part of a senior leadership team responsible for the oversight of campuses in Florence, Rome, Venice, and Tuscania. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Bennington College, a Master’s of Arts in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University and a Doctorate of Education, with a specialization in International Education, from Northeastern University.

Nele Thomsen*
Berlin Director, AIFS Abroad

Nele's Bio

​Nele worked as a tour guide, turning her passion for art and history into welcoming visitors to Potsdam. She also co-published guidebooks for the city, and still takes students on tours to this neighbouring city of Berlin. Since 2014, Nele has been working for AIFS as the Resident Director in Berlin, working on faculty-led as well as catalogue programs.

Betiel Wasihun, Ph.D.*
​Lecturer, Humboldt University International Campus

Betiel's Bio

Betiel Wasihun, Ph.D. (Heidelberg University), is a literary scholar and cultural theorist who has been teaching in various programs at Humboldt University's International Campus (HIC) for many years. She is also a research associate at the Institute for Philosophy, History of Literature, Science, and Technology at TU Berlin, where she held an IPODI-Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship from 2017 to 2020. Prior to relocating to Berlin, she was a Fellow at Lincoln College (2010-2015) and a member of the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford (2010-2017). From 2006 to 2008, she was a teaching and research fellow in the German Department at Yale University. Her current research focuses on surveillance and its cultural and literary manifestations.