Leveraging Social Media at Drexel
For their first year celebrating, Drexel University’s Office of Global Engagement is operating in a hybrid-model so they are excited to take advantage of social media to celebrate.
When Director Ahaj Schreffler passed along the IIE email newsletter that announced Study Abroad Day to Anna Hill, Coordinator of Education Abroad, she thought it seemed like a great opportunity to celebrate their students, the work they do and highlight their office to get new Drexel students interested in study abroad.
Anna joined the office in October 2021. She graduated with a degree in Film & TV, and was highly interested in World History courses. During junior year she spend a semester in London, and later taught English abroad after graduating. “Joining the Drexel community has been fantastic thus far, as we have a unique breed of hard-working staff, faculty members and students that is constantly encouraging and inspiring.”
Like many, it has been a difficult few years but directors and advisors have done their absolute best to prioritize student health and safety. While there have been some disappointments, there have also been quite a few victories sending students abroad for Fall 2021. Students have been resilient, determined and ambitious going through weeks of quarantine, not to mention coping with constant uncertainty hanging over their heads. Despite all of this, Anna reports that many keep coming back to engage with them, meet incoming exchange students, or plan to study abroad again!
To showcase their students’ stories, they will host a Photo Contest for recent study abroad alumni to submit photos from their time abroad. They’ve launched it in conjunction with Study Abroad Day, beginning voting on the 28th. Additionally, they will be encouraging their students and campus community to join in and share memories on their own accounts using the hashtags.
“There are no experiences that will ever be entirely easy or carefree (especially not in the COVID-19 world), but there is so much value in learning how to navigate a world way outside of your comfort zone!”
Happy Study Abroad Day Anna Hill, and Drexel University’s Office of Global Engagement!
