Engage the World through Illinois

Our Global Campus wordmarkThe podcast Our Global Campus: Engage the World Through Illinois features the international and intercultural experiences of students and professionals, who dare to explore life on the other side of their cultural assumptions.

Hosted by the International Programs Team in the College of LAS, each episode unpacks the complexities that often attend the journey of finding one's place in the world.



The podcast can also be accessed via multiple streaming platforms listed on the Spotify for Podcasters platform. 

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About the host

Ashish Gaur

Ashish Gaur is a doctoral researcher in Philosophy of Education at the College of Education, UIUC. As an educator who values the process of unlearning and continual growth, his passion for meaningful conversations that inspire thoughtful reflection and fresh ideas brings him to this podcast.

About the host

Jasmine Morkeh

Jasmine Morkeh is an undergraduate student studying political science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois. She is also a member of the 4th cohort of the LAS Global Leaders Program. 

Season 5 Episodes
Podcaster(s)

Multicultural Circumstance

Cindy shares her perspective on her struggles with social identity and belonging while growing up in the South with an African American family as a Korean adoptee.

 Podcaster(s)

The RACE to Presidency

Qiaoyi Nie and Alesha Lewis employ their research backgrounds in Political Psychology and Racial Politics to assess the various factors that will govern who will win the race to the presidency.

 Podcaster(s)

Lost in Translation, Found in Connection

Three bilingual students—Toni Ishola, Kexin Wang, and Carlos Hernandez—from diverse walks of life articulate a unifying message— the strongest ally to exponentially increased connection is language.

Podcaster(s)

Rethinking Why We Study What We Do: A Cultural and Social Perspective

Join the OGC team alongside our special guest, David Martinez, as we introduce our fields of study and delve into the deeper questions surrounding them.

 Podcaster(s)

House of Cultures: Inside the Native American House

Dr. Charlotte Davidson and David Eby from the esteemed Native American House help us kick off the first episode in our new series, “House of Cultures.”

 Podcaster(s)

Climate Change: A Personal and Cultural Lens

Dr. Trujillo-Falcón, Lhea Assria, and Lyba Akhtar explore how culture and identity shape our understanding of climate change.

Season 4 Episodes
Episode 1, season 4 of Our Global Campus Podcast

Connecting the Dots

Marissa Lombardi discusses how following her passions and a non-linear path led to a career in education abroad.

 Jude Mensah

Language as a Tool for Connection

Jude Mensah's passion for language learning and teaching is neatly juxtaposed with his thoughts on language as a vehicle for cross-cultural communication.

 Global studies senior Eva Sypsis

Behind the Scenes of Study Abroad

Eva Sypsis takes a behind-the-scenes look at at some of the challenges and triumphs that accompany education abroad.

Dr. Charles Fogelman, professor of Global Studies at the University of Illinois

Profit or People: How Multinational Corporations Use Power

Dr. Charles Fogelman, whose research focuses on the relationship between land and people, discusses corporate social responsibility (CSR) with guest hosts Isabel and Sameer from the LAS Global Leaders Program.

Season 3 Episodes
Episode 1, season 3 of Our Global Campus

LAS & KSA Welcome New Korean Students

Jiwon Lee, president of the Korean Student Association, reflects on a new student event in Seoul and shares her goals for the KSA.

 Episode 2, season 3 of Our Global Campus

War’s Disruption of Language, Culture & Identity

Ekateryna (Kat) Bondareva details how she is personally affected by the war in Ukraine and the ways in which it has brought into question her language, culture and identity.

 Episode 3, season 3 of Our Global Campus

Iconically International

Students boldly address the challenges facing international students on UIUC’s campus and their plans to help mitigate some of these barriers.

Episode 1: Korean - 신입생 한국 학생 환영회 LAS & KSA
 
Episode 4, season 3 of Our Global Campus

Goalbalization

Ava Marginean and Kayla Constabileo, LAS Global Leaders and soccer aficionados, discuss the interplay of soccer, globalization, and identity.

 Episode 5, season 3 of Our Global Campus

Study Abroad & Sustainability: Steph’s Estancia in Spain

Global Studies major, Stephanie (Steph) Lepak, shares how her passion met a problem that subsequently revealed her purpose.

Episode 6, season 3 of Our Global Campus

Global Initiatives + Environmental Justice

LAS Global Leader Colette Schlie and McKenzie F. Johnson, assistant professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, discuss the implications of global governance.

 Episode 7, season 3 of Our Global Campus

A Testimony of Transformation Through Travel

Martin Källstrand set out to visit all 195 countries 25 years ago. On the heels of his visit to his final country, Eritrea, he shares an exclusive interview about his life-changing journey around the world.

Season 2 Episodes
Episode 1, season 2 of Our Global Campus

The What and Why of Representation

Dr. Isabel Molina-Guzmán discusses her journey to becoming the Associate Dean of Diversity & Inclusion for LAS.

 Episode 2, season 2 of Our Global Campus

Trading My Suit in Kazakhstan for Swag in Illinois

Assel Aryn, Vice Rector of AlmaU in Kazakhstan, describes what it’s like to push pause on a career and study abroad later in life.

Episode 3, season 2 of Our Global Campus

Home: A Re-Evaluation

Students discuss how as they cross national and cultural borders, they develop transnational identities and are able to find a sense of home.

 Episode 4, season 2 of Our Global Campus

How Study Abroad Led to a Lifetime of Service

Catherine Barry, former U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer, details how study abroad led her to engage with the world.

 Episode 5, season 2 of Our Global Campus

Enabled Abroad: Amideast Talks Access & Agency

Ahmed Shehata and Ahmed Abdelaziz (U.S.–Egypt Higher Education Initiative) discuss how international education programs help students with disabilities study abroad.

Season 1 Episodes
Episode 1 of Our Global Campus

Graduating Senior Reflects on Life & Leadership

Shaojing Gao takes us on her journey from China to her varied experiences as a student and campus leader at UIUC.

 Episode 2 of Our Global Campus

Survival Tips from an International Transfer Student

LAS TA HyeJin Tina Yeo talks with Jeongeun Seo, a junior in chemistry, about transferring as an international student from South Korea.

 Episode 3 of Our Global Campus

From Indonesia to Illinois

Fisca Aulia, a development planner in the Ministry of Planning in Jakarta, details her journey as a graduate international student.

Episode 1: Mandarin - 來自中國的大四畢業生回首在伊利諾伊大學的生活與領導之路
Episode 2: Korean - 국제 편입 학생을 위한 서바이벌 팁
Episode 4 of Our Global Campus

Korean, Yet Culturally Black

Cindy Wilson discusses her experience growing up as a transnational Korean adoptee with an African American family in the southern U.S.

 Episode 5 of Our Global Campus

Negotiating Hybrid Identities Abroad

Robert Whitmore and Issy Marquez discuss what it means to be African American and Latina abroad.

 Episode 6 of Our Global Campus

One Adventurous Third Culture Kid

Katrina Rbeiz shares her diverse experiences growing up as a Lebanese-American in the Middle East and how they are influencing her studies.

 Episode 7 of Our Global Campus

Campus in China, Class in Illinois

Yunong Zhang and Yiren Dai discuss their experiences studying at UIUC from China.

 Episode 8 of Our Global Campus

Lessons from Tram 49

Emily Freiburger recounts the ways German shifted from a language to a love through her time abroad in Vienna.

 Episode 9 of Our Global Campus

Togetherness by Design

Christopher Earney, Head of the UN Secretary General’s Crisis Insights Team, speaks of the critical interplay of mental health and innovation.

Episode 7: Mandarin - 在中國校園裡的伊利諾伊大學課堂-新常態下的混合學習項目
Episode 8: German - Illinois in Vienna Programs oder Weisheiten der Straßenbahn 49
Episode 10 of Our Global Campus

Being Black in China Means...

Angelique Evans, doctoral student in U of I’s College of Education, takes us on her incredible journey as an international student and Black professional in China.