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Originally Posted on The College Today: http://today.cofc.edu/2015/05/20/i-want-your-job-educational-group-travel-planner-and-guide/
20 May 2015 | 9:47 am
By: Hannah Ashe

Ginnie at Bryce CanyonGinnie Poveromo ’07 headed west from Charleston following her graduation with a psychology degree. She and a fellow alum moved to Wyoming for the summer to explore Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Teton Mountains, among the state’s other natural offerings. Now Poveromo works for Grand Classroom, a company that allows teachers and student groups to travel, primarily in the American West but also internationally. The coolest part? She occasionally gets to accompany them as a guide on these unforgettable adventures.

Q: What is your position title and what are your responsibilities?

A: I’m an account manager. I work with teachers who are offering a trip to their students. Generally I’ll work with a teacher throughout the year to help get students all the information they need. Once everyone is signed up I’ll work on the itinerary and develop the details of the trip.

I may work with 35-or-so traveling schools each year, and out of those 35 I might accompany five as a guide.

Q: How do you decide which trips you get to go on?

A:  We’ve got a great network of guides and I will be placed on trips based on where I can best help out. Normally I am on a trip to help facilitate logistics and activities while we have experts in the area that provide the educational background for the student groups.

Q: Which trip that you attended was your favorite?

Ginnie in Galapagos

A: My love for the outdoors really reached a whole new level when I lived in Wyoming after college. So I love going back there on our Yellowstone and Grand Teton trips, it almost feels like going back home for me.

I also got to go to the Galapagos Islands last year, so swimming with the sea turtles was one of the top-five best moments in my life.  

Q: How did you end up in Wyoming after college?

A: My college roommate and I weren’t sure what we were going to do after college so another coworker of mine at a restaurant mentioned seasonal work she used to do in Wyoming at marinas and lodges. We were like, ‘let’s do that!’ We figured, “why not?”

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: I love being on a trip and getting to know the students that travel with us, knowing that I’m providing what can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them. We work with kids in schools in very low-income areas all the way up to top-notch private schools, so our groups run the gamut. Some of these kids may not have the opportunity to go to places like this again, so knowing that I’m helping them experience these amazing locations and hopefully develop a deeper love of nature is very rewarding.

Q: How did you find out about the position?

Poveromo with a group of students at Yellowstone National Park

A: I was interning in Richmond, Va. with a nonprofit organization that was focused on outdoor education. The interim director at the time is related to some of my now-coworkers and she mentioned that there were some openings at Grand Classroom, so I followed up on that lead and the rest fell into place! I’ve been here now for about three years and it feels like one big family. In fact, one of my co-worker’s sons will be attending the College starting this fall. We’re all very excited for him.

Q: How did the College help you prepare for this position?

A:  I’m so glad my freshman advisor strongly encouraged me to take an intro psychology course. I was reluctant at first but it changed my path completely, in the best possible way. A psychology degree is so useful for learning how to work with people and develop strong relationships, which is key to my job’s success. I have to develop the trust of teachers and parents to provide a great trip for their kids.

Additionally, being at the College gave me the confidence to pursue some great adventures, which ultimately led me to my current position. As a student at the College, you feel like you’re part of the larger community in Charleston, you’re not just walled in on campus. That gives you the confidence to spread your wings a bit.

Q: What advice would you give to current students?

A: Don’t worry about the unrealistic pressure of trying to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. Take classes that interest you, try something out of the box, and stretch yourself to do things outside of your comfort zone. College is a time for exploration.

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By: Leland Gross (’14)

I have taken nine months after graduating to be a part of a 9 month leadership development program through the National Prayer Breakfast, the second largest annual event that the president attends and speaks at, and the National Student Leadership Forum. The NPB is an annual event hosted by the House and Senate with the purpose of gathering world leaders from all walks of life to put aside differences and discuss the value of Jesus and his leadership principles. The NSLF is an annual event held for college-aged student leaders from around the country for the same purposes.These are not Christian events, but operate with the vision that regardless of whether or not you believe in the divinity of Jesus, we can all rally around his core values of love, unity, and servant leadership.

FullSizeRender (1)My internship is similar. For nine months I live in a house with six other guys who just graduated from all over the country. During the year we engage in extensive training regarding relationships, leadership and communications with successful business leaders and U.S. Congressmen. We facilitate leadership development training for emerging student leaders at the NSLF and NPB pertaining to conflict resolution, group dynamics, communication and reconciliation techniques. In addition we travel throughout the U.S. and internationally, to meet with business and civic leaders to learn about servant leadership.

Two great trips I have taken were to New York to be homeless for a week and to Ethiopia to be with a family that helps facilitate leadership development to African Leaders.

IMG_0216In New York I had one person with me, one change of clothes, a toothbrush, a water bottle, and a phone and credit card for emergency use only. We were there for six days. The purpose was to trust the Lord, trust others, and see where we could serve. We stayed and served in homeless shelters where we met great people. Overall from random people we met we were given a home to stay in for three days, $330, all of our meals paid for, and great new friends. One was involved in a local church. A week after we left he told his church about us and through a crazy turn of events met a man who through our story was moved to pay for our friend David’s rent indefinitely. Cool huh!?

Ethiopia was different. Still uncomfortable in ways but we had a guaranteed home. I was again with one other person (different from New York). Our days consisted of lots of coffee (a cultural phenomenon there) and meetings with different leaders. Two interesting meetings were with a man who was a former ambassador to Germany who is currently working on the South Sudan Peace talks. We picked his brain on his leadership perspectives, offered him reconciliation advice and had a great talk about Jesus. I find that Jesus is a great figure, but due to recent problems with the Christian church many people are turned off to him. However, when you get past that to talk about who he was as a person and as a leader it leads to great conversations! Another meeting was with the Center for African Leadership Development which helps leadership consulting for local businesses. We met with them a few times and our last time shared with them a Ted Talk by Brene Brown called the Power of Vulnerability (check it out its great!). We then led a discussion on the importance of vulnerability and human connection when engaging in leadership settings.

It has been an incredible year of growth and adventure. I feel honored and humbled to have been given this experience. My program ends next Friday and I already have ample job opportunity based on the connections built here. It has been amazing. I am sad to see this season end, but I am excited to continue these relationships and see where life takes me.

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This afternoon the annual national awards reception hosted by the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. The reception will be held at 4:00 in Stern Ballroom. Representatives from each school and Academic Affairs will be on hand as we celebrate a record year for Fulbright applicants and recipients along with many other successes with the Goldwater, Gilman, Hollings, and Rotary, among other awards.

Nicole DeMarco: nominee for Rhodes Scholar, Rotary Ambassadorial Global grant and the recipient of the Teaching Assistantship Program in France

Chelsea Roland: nominee for Rotary Ambassadorial Global grant

Malcolm Kates: nominee for  Rotary Ambassadorial Global grant and recipient of the German Academic Exchange Scholarship

Rachel Taylor: nominee for Rotary Ambassadorial Global grant

Joseph Quisol: nominee for Truman Scholarship

Santasia Frasier: nominee for Benjamin A. Gilman International scholarship

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Mueller Wins 2015 Rudd Faculty Award for Service Leadership

Posted by: Lauren Saulino | April 22, 2015 | No Comment |

Original Article Source: http://today.cofc.edu/2015/04/20/mueller-wins-2015-rudd-faculty-award-for-service-leadership/ 

Professor Rene Mueller, Director of the International Business Program in the School of Business, is the recipient of the 2015 Howard F. Rudd Jr. Distinguished Faculty Award for Service Leadership.

From left to right, Howard Rudd, dean emeritus of the School of Business; Professor Rene Mueller; School of Business Dean Alan Shao.

The award was established in 2013 to recognize outstanding, high-performing business professors who lead by example and advance the mission and global vision of the School of Business.

The award is named for Rudd, dean emeritus of the business school, who taught at the College for nearly 30 years. It is the most prestigious faculty award given in the School of Business and the only one of its kind at the College of Charleston.

The selection criteria – measured over a three-year period – includes service leadership, teaching, research and business community engagement.

The honor comes with a $10,000 award, of which up to $5,000 may be taken as a personal stipend and the remainder used during the year that follows to support the recipient’s community engagement, professional development, research and other service initiatives.

“Rene has a long (18 year) history of outstanding, high professional performance at the College of Charleston. In addition to her accomplished record of teaching, research and service, she has been an exemplary leader in promoting a global vision, and she has been exceptionally active in the national, state, and local international business community,” Carrie Blair Messal, associate professor of management and marketing, wrote in a letter nominating Mueller for the award.

Mueller said the award is especially meaningful because Rudd was the dean of the business school when she was hired. “He set an excellent example for all faculty members. He was extremely engaged in the community and encouraged faculty to work with those in the local business community. While teaching has always been emphasized, over the years, service has become a lot less important than academic research. I was fortunate enough to have been hired when it was expected that faculty members actively engage with those outside of academia,” she said. “Service work, in particular, has an excellent return on investment. New skills are developed through work with the community and these are directly transferable to classroom lectures. Likewise, relationships built though service enable our students to get real-world work experience, internships, and jobs.”

In just the past year alone, Mueller has overseen International Service Learning projects in Honduras and Ghana, organized and administered the Global Scholars program, served as an outside member on the search committee for the Dean of the School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs and served as a member of the Center for International Education (CIE) Scholarship Committee.

“I have been fortunate enough to have secured grant funding which has enabled me to extend my service, teaching, and research overseas,” Mueller said. “These same grants have enabled many faculty and students to internationalize their own studies. More recently, I have been working on micro-finance projects in Honduras and Ghana. These opportunities have enabled me (and my students) the opportunity to understand the lives and conditions of those living in extreme poverty. We have been able to use our business skills to help others start their own businesses.”

More information on Mueller’s career and service activities can be found on her faculty web page.
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Tomorrow at 6pm in Addlestone 227, Kirsten Weld will present her talk, “Paper Cadavers: The Archives of Dictatorship in Guatemala,” which examines the discovery and rescue of Guatemala’s secret police archives. Anyone interested in human rights work, the politics of memory, and transitional justice will not want to miss this!Paper%20Cadavers%20Flyer-3

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Moore Student Research Conference: April 10

Posted by: Lauren Saulino | April 10, 2015 | No Comment |

Congrats to our fantastic International Studies majors who presented their individual research today:

Kaitlyn Werley, Olivia Cohen, and Nick LavergneWilliam Moore Flyer 2015

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Thursday, April 9 at 4pm in the Cato Center for Performing Arts:

DanielSharp

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Raj Patel: The Value of Nothing – Stuffed and Starved

Posted by: Lauren Saulino | April 7, 2015 | No Comment |

RajPatel

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BrianCatlosApril2015

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