FHSU University Communications
FHSU recognized its first Global Citizen Leaders at a presentation in March. The Global Citizen Leader program provides students with an opportunity to earn a transcript note documenting their leadership activities on a global scale.
Noah Erichsen, environmental science and history senior from Ellsworth, and Stephany Rother, financial planning senior from Weskan, were honored for completing the program.
“Thank you so much for being our first couple of students in this program,” said Jeni McRay, assistant provost of internationalization and strategic initiatives, speaking at the presentation. “We are very serious about our mission to develop engaged global citizen leaders and working to bring all the elements together.
“Thinking about sustainability and generally being good citizens and understanding a bit more about the world is hopefully what we are trying to do with this program.”
Noah said he had been surprised to find opportunities to engage globally when he first came to FHSU.
“It’s just amazing,” he said. “Something I never thought Fort Hays could offer. But they offer it so well and in an affordable way.”
FHSU’s Global Citizen Leader program requires students to complete courses and cross-cultural experiences, as well as a presentation synthesizing and reflecting on their learnings and experiences.
Attaining a well-rounded academic background through his coursework was central to Noah’s global leaders experience.
“I learned there are boundaries, but boundaries should not contain people,” he said. “People flow, ideas flow, and that’s where you get this wide perspective.”
Noah studied at the University of Barcelona at the end of his sophomore year at FHSU. During his study abroad experience, his language skills progressed from “not so great” to “passable.”
“When I opened my mouth, everyone knew exactly where I was from,” he said with a laugh.
Using primary sources for his history papers and being able to hold historical documents in his hands were highlights of Noah’s experiences.
“It was so amazing to see the streets where Romans took their chariots as they were building their empire,” he said.
For Stephany, the global citizen leaders program met her three main expectations: coursework, community engagement and studying abroad.
“Being able to go abroad and see different things has helped me connect with people in a way that I wasn’t expecting,” she said. “I met so many people with so many perspectives and experiences. To me, being a citizen is building community, being able to connect people and different ideas.”
Stephany, whose study abroad experience was primarily in the U.K., also traveled to Greece, where she was able to apply her global economics coursework to real-life situations. She learned that taxes, economic systems, and buying and selling in international systems differed greatly from the U.S.
In addition to increasing her cultural awareness, Stephany found that educators in the U.K. put a greater degree of focus on academic writing. She said she is grateful that the skills she learned in the U.K. have significantly impacted her coursework in the U.S.
Hearing Noah and Stephany’s presentations was inspiring for Dr. Fatin Yaro, global affairs academic partnerships coordinator.
“Their journeys clearly indicate that the program is fulfilling its goals and aligning well with the broader university’s mission,” he said. “Their passion, growth, and readiness to drive meaningful change both in their communities and on a global scale are proof of the program’s impact.”
“We look forward to seeing the next cohort of Global Citizen Leaders continue these transformational endeavors.”