NSLI-Y Interactive held the virtual event "Intercultural Communication Panel" on October 26.

On October 26, 2020, NSLI-Y Interactive hosted the virtual event "Intercultural Communication Panel." In this free virtual event, a panel of alumni and current students shared ideas on how to leverage immersive experiences while in their host countries in order to improve language skills. Panelists highlighted experiences that show how they were able to successfully learn and use their target language outside the classroom. The event included presentations from each of the guest speakers, followed by a Q&A session.

Image of Dr. Anu Taranath

Dr. Anu Taranath brings both passion and expertise to her work as a speaker, facilitator, author, and educator. A University of Washington professor for the past 19 years, she teaches about global issues, race, gender, identity, and equity. Her book Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World was named a Finalist for four book awards including the Washington State Book Award, and included in Fodor’s Travel’s “13 Books to Inspire Your Travels” and Oprah Magazine’s “Best 26 Travel Books of All Times.” Please visit www.anutaranath.com for more on Dr. Anu and her work.

Josh headshot

Josh is a sophomore Russian and Eastern European Studies and International Relations major at the University of Texas at Austin and an alumnus of NSLI-Y’s 2016 Russian Summer and 2018–2019 Academic Year programs. Josh plans to use his Russian skills in a prospective career in government service, helping craft our national policy towards Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In his free time, Josh enjoys cooking and trying new foods from across the world.

Ryan headshot

Ryan is an alumnus of NSLI-Y's 2019 Arabic summer program in Rabat, Morocco and an incoming freshman at Harvard University, where he hopes to pursue a major in Government with a secondary in Ethnicity, Migration, Rights. As a Vietnamese-Lao-American, as well as the son of war refugees, he’s passionate about empowering individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and transforming environments to be diverse, inclusive, and uplifting.

Halden headshot

Halden is a current participant in the 2020–2021 NSLI-Y Mandarin Chinese Academic Year Program and serves as the NSLI-Y Alumni Representative in the Chapel Hill, NC Southeast Region. She previously engaged in the 2018 NSLI-Y Mandarin Chinese Summer Program in Chengdu, China.