Transformative Journeys: an overview of Long Island

University Global, Personal Stories, and Why You Should Join

the Adventure

By Ari Marshall

“Photograph of current Long Island University Global students during a field trip to Rome”

Imagine a university where you can explore the most beautiful parts of the world but also while
study the most pressing global issues of our time affecting these beautiful places- welcome to
Long Island University Global.

Long Island University Global (LIU Global) offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Global Studies
which explores the interconnectedness of the world's political, economic, cultural, and ecological
systems.

It is a remarkable program that prepares students with skills to address challenges that go beyond
national and disciplinary boundaries and helps them find solutions at local, national, regional,
and global levels.

LIU Global's curriculum centers around six major issues that pose the greatest threats to human
well-being: economic inequality, social inequality, climate change, sustainable human
settlements, war and conflict, and human rights.

At LIU Global, students gain a comprehensive understanding of how global issues impact
diverse regions around the world. It’s an immersive approach that creates adaptability and
empathy in students, as they understand different ways in which each location grapples with
these challenges.

By examining these issues from four core perspectives of economic environmental, cultural, and
political, LIU Global students develop problem-solving skills that are essential for addressing the
complexity and global nature of these enduring problems.

The program uses experiential learning to provide students with practical knowledge and skills
that they can apply in their future careers. Students connect classroom learning to real-world
experiences through site visits, field trips, and immersive programs like homestays, service
learning, and internships. This approach ensures that students learn how to engage in respectful
and reciprocal dialogue and teamwork with those directly impacted by global challenges.

The Costa Rica Center is situated in Heredia, a university town located in the high central
plateau on the outskirts of San José.

It serves as the entry point for the Global Studies degree program, offering students a robust
academic foundation and hands-on experience through coursework integrated with field studies.

The program delves into the history of the region, highlighting the impact of European
colonization and forced migration of the Indigenous and African populations.

Katie Solosky, a third-year student in the Asia Pacific Program at LIU Global, vividly recalls her
time in Costa Rica. Specifically, she remembers a moment during an experimental class field trip
to Limón, where she was learning about Afro-Costa Rican justice. It was during this trip that she
realized that choosing LIU Global was the right decision for her education and future life goals.

Katie considers her educational trip with author and Professor Dr. Chipembere to be a pivotal
moment in her life because she had the opportunity to learn from Afro-Costa Rican musicians
and activists firsthand. Being able to relate the knowledge she gained to real-life experiences was
an experience she had never been able to fill with the traditional classroom academic curriculum
before.

The program includes Spanish language courses, home-stays with Costa Rican families, and
fieldwork at sites across the country, as well as in Panama.

It also offers electives in strategic communications and social entrepreneurship, which serve as
introductions to two of the minors.

LIU Global students' second year is experiencing exciting changes, with the establishment of a
new program location in Vienna, Austria, focused on comparative politics of post World War II,
modern diplomacy, disarmament, and peace building.

“This statue in downtown Vienna, Austria serves as a memorial to the Austrian Jewish
community that tragically fell victim to the Holocaust. During our arrival in Vienna as LIU
Global students, we were led on a guided tour where we stopped here as the first step in learning
about Austria’s involvement in WWII and the Holocaust.”

Additionally, the second half of sophomore year is spent in Italy, with a new program dedicated
to studying diverse fields like web design, photography, documentary filmmaking, world cinema,
Renaissance art, Italian language, and communication.

In their third year, Global Studies students participate in the Australia/Pacific Program, which
focuses on sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region.

Through two semesters of courses and fieldwork, students learn about the challenges and
solutions that communities, organizations, and nations are developing to promote economic
development without damaging the environment.

The program, which is centered in Byron Bay, Australia, focuses on the study of activism,
indigenous justice and allyship, and ethical research principles. It also includes courses in
political economy, ecology, social entrepreneurship, international development, and multimedia
storytelling.

In addition to academic classes, students have the opportunity to embark on a cultural emersion
canoeing and camping trip along the Whanganui River in New Zealand, as well as a visit to a
Fijian village with a community run Marine Protected Area to experience effective marine
conservation firsthand.

“Amidst the serene river, Professor Lou and Kohu, a Maori canoe guide, pause their paddling to
appreciate the breathtaking landscape. Kohu has grown up around the river and his role as a
guide goes beyond showcasing the sights - for him it's a chance to demonstrate the significance
of the river and water in his culture. Kohu and other Maori leaders shared the profound saying
they live by, 'I am the river and the river is me’, as a large part of their culture is centered
around connection to the river or ‘awa’”

"Alexandra Martinez, a fourth year LIU Global student, showcased her diving skills as she
snorkeled through the Marine Protected Area, managed by the community in Waitabu, Fiji. The
trip was led by knowledgeable community members who emphasized the significance of
collective efforts in preserving marine species. Instead of relying solely on fishing for income, the
community transformed the marine ecosystem into an eco-tourism adventure.”

Through these courses and experiential learning, students gain a deeper understanding of the
challenges and solutions to sustainable development across different communities, cultures, and
political dynamics.

The Capstone Semester, which takes place during the final semester of the Bachelor of Arts in
Global Studies program, provides students with a unique opportunity to complete their LIU
Global education in New York City.

Based at the LIU Brooklyn campus in downtown Brooklyn, students work closely with faculty
and mentors to complete their senior thesis and prepare for their transition to post-university life.

The Senior Thesis, is a process that allows students to transform their research from the fall
semester into a senior thesis or project, contextualized within a major global issue. Students
present their work in various venues, including a campus-wide research event.

Additionally, students secure internships at organizations or enterprises relevant to their

academic and professional aspirations.

Perhaps for some, the idea of LIU Global might seem daunting, while for others, it may be the
dream school they've always wanted.

Similar to you, I was once an uncertain high school graduate who faced a similar dilemma
regarding higher education.

I knew that I wouldn't thrive in a traditional lecture hall setting surrounded by a large number of
students and I was seeking an educational experience that would challenge me, offer me the
opportunity to explore the world, and understand how to make it a better place for myself,
family, and future generations of people.

But Long Island University Global sounded like to big of a jump into the world from the small
town I grew up in.

This dilemma is one that many LIU Global students, past and present, have faced.

They, too, were searching for an escape from the traditional college experience, which meant
being confined to one location and unable to explore the world they wanted to change so
desperately but were scarped to make the jump to LIU Global.

In the words of Kendall Shanks a 2021 LIU Global graduate “When I graduated high school I
needed to escape. I had never left the country, had only seen the ocean once.”

Despite receiving several questions from their dad before committing about if the school was
going to be worth it, after graduating from LIU Global, they say, “LIU Global presented them
with a phenomenal chance to escape, but also the opportunity to dive deep into language, culture,
environmental studies, and many other aspects of global studies.”

Similar to Kendall, I was drawn to LIU Global because of the opportunity to travel and escape
the confines of my small, homogenous town but little did I know, I was about to dive headfirst
into the academia of global studies, learning the basics of four different languages and immersing
myself in Italian, Fijian, Maori, and Aboriginal culture.

After accepting that eight countries in eight years through LIU Global was the path I wanted for
myself I only had one major drawback; the school because of its rigorous travel schedule offered
no sports.

All throughout my childhood, I have loved sports; it was a staple in my life, like many others,
when academics or home life was rough, and I couldn't imagine giving up the ability to
participate in sports.

Before committing to LIU Global, I reached out to the 2020 alumni Sam Becker, who also had a
love for sports, as visible on her Instagram and her final senior thesis, which centered around
social justice in sports.

During a Zoom meeting with Sam, who lives in Philadelphia, she described how she viewed the
inability to play collegiate sports as a barrier before committing to LIU Global. But then, she
explained how LIU Global actually gave her an incredible unique opportunity to play lacrosse
with local Costa Ricans and then join a local rugby team outside of Byron Bay while at the Asia
Pacific Program.

These opportunities gave her lifelong friendships and presented her with the ability to take her
passion for sports and combine it with the issue of social justice to create a research topic for her
senior year.

As I approach the end of my third year with LIU Global and work on my senior thesis research
project at the Asia Pacific Program, I find myself content with not pursuing participation in
sports, despite my original plan, as I am in love with the absolute freedom of LIU Global to
pursue other interests of mine such as marine conversation and sustainability tactics that are
specific to the regions I’m visiting and studying in.

Through my marine conservation and sustainability endeavors, I’m mentored by passionate

change makers and teachers who genuinely care about my classmates' and my mental well-being.

They are far more concerned with academic and creative freedom, as well as the quality of work
we produce on topics we care deeply about, rather than structured tests and due dates.

Through LIU Global, I have the opportunity to focus my undergraduate thesis on the critical
issue of illegal fishing and the implications of unsustainable over harvesting of ocean fish stocks
has on both the marine ecosystem and human well being.

"This is a photograph I took while snorkeling at Heron Island, located at the southern tip of the
Great Barrier Reef. Nearly all species of turtles are classified as endangered, and a primary
threat to their survival is commercial fishing. Turtles often become bycatch in fishing nets, which
becomes even more detrimental when ships engage in illegal fishing with no regard for the
marine ecosystem.”

I haven’t finished my Long Island University Global career yet but I’ve know every time I am
engaging with people who have first-hand accounts of injustice outside the classroom makes me
realize that I am in an unparalleled school. Whether I am snorkeling for a class, canoeing,
volunteering, or hiking, I am reminded that choosing LIU Global was the right academic and life
choice for me.

2020 alumni Sam Becker shares the same sentiment after graduating and considers her time at
LIU Global an experience she “wouldn’t trade for anything else. ”

Kendall Shanks, a 2021 graduate, also agrees saying, “If I were to go back in time and have a
chat with my eighteen-year-old self, I would tell them not to change a thing - dive headfirst into
the unknown." If you're ready to take the plunge, starting an application for Long Island
University Global is easy - just click here.

About the author: Ari Marshall is

currently a third-year college student
at Long Island University Global,
where she is designing an
undergraduate research proposal. Her
passion for experiential education has
led her to speak enthusiastically about
her experiences with LIU Global. As a
writer, Ari is committed to exploring
global issues related to sustainability
and marine conservation.