Florida State University recognizes that today’s increasingly globalized workforce requires graduates who are both academically and cross-culturally prepared to succeed in a diverse and multicultural world.
This fall, 20 FSU students were awarded the Global Citizenship Certificate (GCC) during a graduation ceremony Wednesday, Dec. 4, marking the beginning of their journey as life-long global citizens.
The certificate program prepares students for the challenges they will face by helping them to develop global/intercultural fluency, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and intercultural communication skills.
More than 425 students are currently enrolled in the certificate program, which started with only approximately 30 students in August 2016. The certificate is administered by the Center for Global Engagement and the academic home is in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s International Affairs Program.
Students take four, three-credit academic courses, complete one sustained experience and attend eight intercultural events. Every student enrolls in Global Perspectives (IDS 2431), which introduces them to the basic concepts, theories, functions and behaviors associated with intercultural communication and provides an informed starting point for students to build intercultural competencies throughout the certificate program.
GCC graduates are aware of the growing interconnectedness of our world, value diversity, contribute to their communities and have a sense of their role as global citizens.
At the graduation ceremony, Gabriel Exposito, a political science and international affairs major, addressed his fellow graduates and attendees. He shared how the experiences he acquired through the certificate program, particularly his sustained experience in South Korea through FSU’s Global Exchanges, inspired him to serve in the Peace Corps in China after graduation.
“GCC students, our work, dedication, and curiosity have led us in the direction of the future,” Exposito said. “Our world is getting smaller and it is now easier than ever to visit, study, or live abroad.”
During his year-long exchange in South Korea, Exposito also traveled to Japan and China.
“My year abroad inspired me to join the Peace Corps, where until 2022 I will be involved in teaching various subjects at universities in Central China. I want to bring disadvantaged people some of the opportunities that many of my childhood friends still do not possess. I have been put in a tremendous position of privilege by immigrating to the United States from Cuba, and I want to do my part in helping developing communities succeed. Our journey as global citizens will be judged by future generations, not by whether we made travel accessible to a privileged few, but by whether or not we made the world fair for every human.”
The certificate meets several of FSU’s liberal studies requirements, and students can receive a transcript notation demonstrating to future employers and graduate schools that they are prepared for today’s global society. It also counts toward the Garnet and Gold Scholar Society’s international engagement area.
Interested students can visit cge.fsu.edu/globalcitizen for more information.