Student Ambassadors for Global Alumni program connects students, alumni

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State is one of the top hosting institutions for international students in the United States. According to the Institute of International Education's Open Doors data, Penn State has ranked in the top 15 universities for hosting international students for the past 10 years running and ranked in the top 25 for as long as Open Doors has been keeping data (since 2000).

So what happens to these international alumni once they graduate?

“The problem is that, in a lot of cases, we don’t have a good answer to that question,” said Anna Marshall, director of international alumni relations and stewardship at Penn State.

For a university with 727,000 living alumni around the world, and the largest dues-paying alumni association in the world, that didn’t sit well with Marshall. International alumni at Penn State have gone on to do incredible things, said Marshall. Bhutan’s first prime minister was a Penn State graduate, for example. Professor Judi Wakhungu, a Penn State graduate, became minister of environment, water, and natural resources in Kenya and implemented a groundbreaking ban on single-use plastic bags in the country. Penn State is also the No. 2 producer of CEOs in the United States, according to Bloomberg.com.

For every breathtaking story of alumni success, there are more out there that the University is not aware of, because they’ve lost touch with them, said Marshall.

“I worked with an alumna who is president of an international alumni association chapter,” Marshall remembered. “I thought, ‘She is extremely supportive in volunteering for many Penn State global engagement and loves Penn State. I know she wants to stay connected.’ So I went to look her up in our development database and [realized] all of her contact information was outdated.

"If someone that responsible and dedicated does not have good information, then how many other people are we missing?” Marshall asked herself. “And how do we connect with them?”

This led her to come up with the idea for SAGA — Student Ambassadors to Global Alumni. The conceit is to connect current Penn State international students with alumni from their heritage countries. This accomplishes a few goals, Marshall said.

“We bring our ‘lost alumni’ back into the fold,” she said. “But we also give opportunities for our students to connect with people who might become mentors or friends. And, we show current students that we will care about them after they graduate.”

The initial call for applications saw more than 50 applicants submit over the course of two weeks. Of these, 39 were chosen — a diverse mix of doctorate, master's, and undergraduate levels representing about 20 countries. These students meet biweekly to check in on progress. Their main goal is to reconnect with alumni from their heritage countries. Marshall gives them lists of names to reach out to, then they try to set up Zoom meetings or phone calls to connect, she said.

“It’s difficult, especially with the lack of information,” Marshall admitted. “But they are dedicated. They make sure to ask the alumni’s preferred method of communication, for their social media handles, etc. This data will be essential in our efforts to connect with our alumni.”

On Nov. 1, SAGA hosted its first "Meet and Greet" in person. The event featured speakers Ken Hall, assistant vice president of university development; Larry Asu, an international alum from the class of 2014 who currently works as the learning and development manager for supply chain at The Hershey Company; and Roger Brindley, vice provost for Penn State Global. It also featured a performance by the presidents of the Thai Student Association, Aida Muneechai and Poom Chantarapornrat, as well as an interactive game about the Ethiopian language put on by Eden Yemesegen.

“It was a highly successful first event,” Marshall said.

The student ambassadors have already proven eager for the task. Dunstan Dirua, a doctoral student and Humphrey Fellow in the College of Education, wants to help promote Penn State in his home country of Papua New Guinea.

“Currently, I am the only student from Papua New Guinea and perhaps the Pacific Islands region. I want to ensure that prospective students and their families [from my country] feel welcome and comfortable at Penn State should they decide to enroll here,” he said. “If you have an alumnus which you know of from any area in the world, you would feel more at ease and assured that you have a friend waiting for you.”

Tandin Norbu, a graduate student from Bhutan, says that there is mutual benefit for students and alumni.

“Students may be able to request mentorships or other benefits that alumni can provide,” Norbu explains. “I feel it’s even more important to find these alumni in smaller countries where there may not be many alumni or an official alumni chapter.”

Overall, the theme of reconnecting alumni with Penn State is strong among the group.

“People only spend a few years on campus, but they are alumnus for their entire lives,” Marshall said. “We want to make sure that they feel like they are a part of the Penn State family — because they are!”

The first cohort of SAGA is spreading the word in various ways. One such way is the team’s website, where they post weekly blogs and updates on their meetings. Follow along with their progress here.

“We want our alumni community to know that we care about their presence and build long-term relationships with them,” Marshall said. “That’s crucial for what we are doing.”