Kent State’s International Storytelling course will receive global recognition for its educational efforts abroad this spring.

The Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) awarded Kent State its Global Partnership Division Award for the class as part of its 2014 Best Practices in International Higher Education Awards. Representatives from the university’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication will receive the award from the NASPA’s International Education Knowledge Community at its International Symposium in Baltimore on March 16.

“I think it is great news,” said McKinney. “The three groups of students worked very hard and it is nice that the program can be recognized.”

The course, which originated in March 2011, has taken journalism and communications students to Shanghai, China; Delhi, India; and Curitibia, Brazil.

McKinney said it was created to give students a chance to practice journalism while broadening their view of the world. Once the students finish reporting and finalize their stories from studying abroad, they are required to post their content on a website.

In March, students from the international storytelling course will travel to Europe for the first time. The destination will be Estonia.

“I am excited to visit Estonia, these destinations are places that are going to take an increasing prominence during their careers,” said McKinney.

According to Kentinestonia.wordpress.com, Estonia was under the rule of Russia, but gained its independence in 1991. Since then, the country has skyrocketed in technology with the invention of Skype.

McKinney said he is hopeful this year’s group has a similar experience to the groups while collaborating with the host university.

“This course really engages students with the people abroad, and the students from the host university are their partners, they have a working relationship and a friendship,” said McKinney.

Angela Pino, a JMC graduate, went to Brazil with the class last year. While in Brazil, Kent State partnered with the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná. According to Pino, she learned the differences in practicing journalism in the United States versus a foreign country.

“I’m so used to being independent in America,” said Pino “We schedule our own on interviews. I learned I had to ask for help, because I needed help in translating, I did not speak Portuguese. We all had to rely on our translators.”

Pino said traveling abroad resulted in the creation of long lasting friendships among students in her class and the Brazilian students.

 “The best memory on the trip was the friendships we made with the Brazilian students and the people in our class,” Pino said.

To read stories from past trips and the most recent, Brazil, www.datelineshanghai.com, www.datelinedelhi.org, and www.datelinebrazil.org.`

Contact Kara Taylor at [email protected].