CSU Pueblo Named as a Recipient of the CulturaGo Grant to Support Study Abroad
Release Date: June 27, 2023
CSU Pueblo is one of six institutions awarded the CulturaGo Grant for the Summer 2023 session. Through this grant, up to 1,000 students at CSU Pueblo now have the opportunity to enroll in free cultural education courses through CulturaGo to help prepare them for study abroad in South Korea and Italy. Course topics include etiquette, advice from locals, culture shock, and how to avoid faux pas. The deadline for students to enroll is June 30. However, students retain their access beyond that date and are encouraged to use this resource to prepare for future study abroad excursions. There are no requirements or prerequisites to register for this program. Students interested in South Korea or Italy are encouraged to enroll.
Assistant Director of Inclusion and Global Initiatives and grant initiator, Victoria Ruiz, said,”A grant like this means students have one extra tool to help them culturally navigate their destination. It's one less thing to stress about during their pre-departure planning and we want to ensure our students feel secure when they board their planes. They can access these courses instantly and learn at their own pace.”
CulturaGo’s online country and identity-specific cultural preparation courses are designed to help students determine if a study-abroad opportunity will fit their educational goals at the university. The classes offer tools to enhance students' cultural understanding, awareness, and intelligence of the country of their destination.
“This grant will hopefully spark interest in the possibility of international travel for our students,” Assistant Dean of Student Support and Advocacy Bonnie Fruland said.
Below are the institutional links for students to register for the online courses. These links are available to students who are actively planning a study abroad trip and for those who may potentially study abroad.
Introduction to Italian Culture: https://bit.ly/3HsTNbg
Introduction to Korean Culture: https://bit.ly/3oZ9bWM
According to CulturaGo, “Our judges are impressed with Ruiz's commitment to BIPOC and historically underrepresented students to succeed. We’re enthused to help make study-abroad preparation more accessible by providing their students with logins for our online identity and destination-specific cultural preparation courses."
“A program like CulturaGo could alleviate some of the stress these students face by preparing their expectations and providing them a sneak peek at what these brand-new cultures offer,” Dean of Students Dr. Marie Humphrey said. “We’re enthused to help make study-abroad preparation more accessible by providing students with logins for our online identity & destination-specific cultural preparation courses.”
About CulturaGo
CulturaGo believes in giving people the chance to engage more effectively with different worldviews from a place of empathy, understanding and competence through cultural preparation.
By fostering cultural preparation, students and young professionals everywhere can avoid putting the benefits of their experiences abroad at risk and develop an essential set of skills for their career readiness and maximum employability in today’s globalized job market.
