Global Hilo
Witten by Eli Matola
The University of Hawaii at Hilo Global Ambassadors Program assists international students find a place of belonging within the Hilo community by molding them into useful and active members.
Program participants visit public primary and secondary schools twice a semester. Visits involve age-appropriate presentations on participants’ native lands and cultures. Typically, presentations last one class period (about an hour) and cover 25 students from Global Ambassadors. Chosen by the students themselves, topics have ranged from Pacific Ocean atolls to teaching Korean.
Participants gain from the program in numerous ways. Through the visits, they acquire a greater sense of the contribution they can make to their community. The presentations provide them the chance for an introspective investigation of their cultures. Global Ambassadors also enhances a resume, emphasizing public speaking skills and a go-getter spirit.
UH Hilo Global Ambassadors. Photo courtesy of Jim Mellon.
Program coordinator Jim Mellon has organized the aggregation for four years. “The program,” he explains, “is really a win-win for the students and local community. Hilo is a very welcoming place for the international students.”
Along with giving international students a valuable opportunity to share their cultures and impart their time and knowledge to the community, the program assists the community. As mentioned, participants are required to visit classrooms and teach. Hilo youth, in effect, are able to acquire an education from individuals around the world.
Mellon hopes the class visits will encourage younger students to become excited about traveling or learning about other cultures. The coordinator discusses the influence the program has had on the east side of the island, saying that elementary and high schools have appealed for visits from the ambassadors.
The UH Hilo Global Ambassadors teaching Hilo students. Photo courtesy of Jim Mellon.
International students are normally asked to join the program during orientation. Once a member, a student receives instruction on the presentations they will give later in the semester. Mellon asserts ambassadors can expect to leave the program with experience in public speaking and volunteerism. Participants also partake in a ceremony at the end of the semester.
For more information please email Jim Mellon at mellon@hawaii.edu.
