{"id":3800,"date":"2026-10-06T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T14:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/?p=3800"},"modified":"2026-10-05T22:24:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T03:24:59","slug":"jcccs-global-engagement-office-provides-opportunities-that-a-classroom-cannot-replicate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/2026\/10\/06\/jcccs-global-engagement-office-provides-opportunities-that-a-classroom-cannot-replicate\/","title":{"rendered":"JCCC’s Global Engagement Office Provides Opportunities That A Classroom Cannot Replicate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Student Ambassador, Zaylee Misic, shares some insight on what the Global Engagement office can offer students here at JCCC.<\/span><\/span> Photo By: Nathan Schweiger\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Zaylee Misic was still in Japan when the offer came.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She had spent the summer there on a short-term study-away program through Johnson County Community College, finally chasing an interest she had carried for as long as she could remember. Before she flew home, the colleg<\/span>e<\/span>\u2019s Global Engagement office reached out to students who had studied abroad to ask if any wanted to become student ambassadors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Misic interviewed and took the job.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked if there was a moment she knew she was glad she got involved, Misic didn’t hesitate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day, honestly. I just really love this job,\u201d Misic said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now Misic is the one trying to get other students on a plane, and the obstacle she runs into again and again is cost. Many students, especially those planning to transfer to a four-year university, rule out studying abroad before they ever look into it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve never even considered it because of that reason,\u201d Misic said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The college built its programs with those students in mind.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the office\u2019s faculty-led and summer programs cost less than $4,000, according to Global Awareness Program coordinator Queen Wilkes, with destinations ranging from Japan and Iceland to Mexico and Italy. Compared with what students find at four-year universities, Wilkes called those prices \u201ca dream come true.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have an idea of a place,\u201d Wilkes said. \u201cBut actually being there and experiencing it is something that’s hard to put into words.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The office recently formed an internationalization task force to expand global learning across campus, part of a larger effort to change how people think about community colleges.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the time community colleges are not associated with global learning,\u201d Wilkes said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Only about a third of community colleges in the country have a study abroad office at all, according to Wilkes, and few<\/span> of those<\/span> that do offer as many programs as JCCC. For many students, that access carries real weight. Not everyone goes on to a four-year school, and Wilkes pointed out that community college may be the last chance some students have to see the world through their education.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJCCC students are really lucky,\u201d Wilkes <\/span>said<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For language learners, the trips offer something a classroom can\u2019t. Some programs require a certain language level, which pushes students to keep up with their classes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of hard to immerse yourself in Japanese language in Kansas,\u201d Wilkes <\/span>said<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The trips can also reshape what students want to do with their lives. Wilkes traveled with the Teaching English in Japan program this summer, and some students came home more certain about that career path while others decided to change course.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wilkes heard it from students firsthand: \u201cI thought that I wanted to work with higher education, but I actually think I want to work with young kids.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Programs can follow narrower interests too. Wilkes said the office tailors experiences to what students care about, whether a student wants to learn about tech and graphic design in Japan or how chocolate is made in Costa Rica. Students who travel to Iceland study climate change and geology, and some return with a more passionate perspective on sustainability. Because the programs focus on study rather than just travel, the experience can shape a student\u2019s career long after they return.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, the office does more than send students overseas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople call us the study abroad office because that\u2019s what we get most associated with,\u201d Wilkes said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Students don\u2019t need to leave the Midwest to get involved. The Global Awareness Program, known as GAP, combines language and globally focused classes with a capstone on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Students also attend eight global activities on campus or in the community, from Japan Fest to international film screenings to lunches with international professionals.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Misic, her job has become real-world experience. She manages the office\u2019s Instagram page, building the marketing skills she\u2019ll need for her career, and works every day with people from around the world.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an incredible opportunity,\u201d Misic said. \u201cI plan to go into marketing and international business, so it kind of goes a little bit hand in hand.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That kind of growth is what Wilkes hopes every student gets, with the office behind them along the way.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want your first experience with an international company or international opportunity to be when you don’t have any support,\u201d Wilkes said. \u201cLet us do the heavy lifting so that you can focus on learning.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Misic took that offer and ran with it. One summer program led to a job, and that job is already pointing her toward a career. She hopes more students follow her lead, especially those who have written study abroad off.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone\u2019s transferring and they\u2019ve never even considered studying abroad, then maybe it\u2019d be great for them to get involved here,\u201d Misic said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe don\u2019t want your first experience with an international company or international opportunity to be when you don’t have any support,\u201d Wilkes said. \u201cLet us do the heavy lifting so that you can focus on learning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":3801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[78,26],"ppma_author":[365],"class_list":["post-3800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life","tag-cavs","tag-jccc"],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Saul Epstein","author_link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/author\/sepstein\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2026\/10\/11-global-engagement-9483-1-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[{"link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/author\/gabrielle-thompson\/","display_name":"Gabrielle Thompson"}],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Life<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Life<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Cavs<\/a>","JCCC<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Cavs<\/span>","JCCC<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 days ago","modified":"Updated 2 days ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on October 6, 2026","modified":"Updated on October 5, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on October 6, 2026 9:00 am","modified":"Updated on October 5, 2026 10:24 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":365,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"gabrielle-thompson","display_name":"Gabrielle Thompson","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2026\/10\/11-global-engagement-9483-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3800"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3802,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3800\/revisions\/3802"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3800"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=3800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}