NCC Global Scholar Shares Experience
The Nash Community College Global Scholars program held a virtual capstone for its Spring 2021 graduates. Emily McLain, a 2021 Global Scholars graduate, created a website to showcase her experience in the Global Scholars Program.
Through the Global Scholars program at NCC, students develop global competencies and skills needed to be successful in today’s global economy. The program focuses on discovering what it means to be a global citizen and how students can apply this knowledge to their academic and professional endeavors. Upon completion of program requirements, students earn the identification of Global Scholar on their transcripts and receive specialized regalia for graduation.
McLain will graduate with an Associate in Arts degree in May 2021 and plans to continue her education at a four-year university with a major in Interior Design. She will be honored with special cords and will receive a UNC Worldview certificate at the Spring Commencement Ceremony.
“My decision to join the Global Scholars Program came from my ever-growing interest in learning more about other cultures as well as my desire to find my purpose as a global citizen,” McLain said. “I believe that a culturally diverse education benefits various facets of life even outside of college. To me, it is important to utilize education in order to develop a diverse and open-minded foundation so that as I encounter people from all walks of life, I can be respectful and willing to learn from them. Thus, I became a Global Scholar to help me build that foundation.”
The purpose of the capstone presentation is to provide a space in which students can demonstrate their knowledge and application of the global awareness they gained while completing the Global Scholars program at Nash Community College. During the presentations, students highlighted their understanding of diverse perspectives and their role as global citizens. They discussed key takeaways from their globally intense courses, global activities and global immersion. Their final goal was to detail their experiences and discuss how this knowledge can be transferred to their career and/or experience at a four-year college or university.
As a Global Scholar, Emily McLain participated in an array of global activities including watching international movies, listening to international music, and learning about the politics, current events, and cultural norms of other countries. “The Brexit Breakfast taught me a lot about a subject I was unfamiliar with,” McLain said. “This was a topic I likely wouldn’t have learned about if it weren’t for the event. Furthermore, that event, in particular, made me realize that politics aren’t as abstruse as I once believed.”
To earn the Global Scholars distinction, students complete 15 credit hours with a minimum of a C in courses designated as globally intensive. They participate in eight global activities and 30 hours of global experience through travel abroad and/or domestic intercultural experience or service. Each student shares a capstone presentation related to their global learning experience and participation in the Global Scholars program.
“Before joining, I was already interested in learning about other cultures and traveling, but I’ve always been a bit shy so I had to work harder to put myself out there and as a result, I met other students at Nash within the program who were kind of in the same boat as me. I thought I would be learning about the world around me, but I found that I learned a lot about myself especially while traveling. Overall, I think the most important thing I learned as a Global Scholar is that the world isn’t as scary as I thought it was and that there is still a lot I want to do, see and learn about.”
The Global Scholars program is a collaboration between NCC and UNC World View designed to help students discover, connect and engage in the world around them. Through the program, students develop global competencies and skills needed to be successful in today’s global economy. The program focuses on discovering what it means to be a global citizen and how students can apply this knowledge to their academic and professional endeavors.
McLain currently resides in Wilson, NC and was a homeschool graduate. During her time at NCC, she received the Dr. Katherine M. Johnson Honorary Scholarship, First Christian Church Fellowship Class Scholarship, Mack and Billie McDonald Memorial Scholarship and the Caroline and John H. High Scholarship.
For more information, email nccgps@nashcc.edu or visit the Program Website.
