InteRDom Connects with Latin American Study Abroad Program Professionals in New Mexico at The 2016 AAPLAC Conference

The 27th Annual Conference of the Association of Academic Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean (AAPLAC) came to a successful close on Saturday, February 20 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where representatives from the InteRDom program were in attendance.

During this year’s 4-day conference at New Mexico State University, InteRDom representatives had the opportunity to explore the
rich culture and history of New Mexico, network with other international education professionals and participate in workshops and seminars surrounding the conference theme, “Study Abroad … Crossing Borders and Daring to Dream.”

The conference highlighted the importance of paying attention when living and experiencing a culture or environment that is different than one’s own. The theme of the conference also led the
discussion to explore the topic of borders and what that means for study abroad, including the US-Mexico border that is so close to the location of the conference this year, at New Mexico State University.

The AAPLAC Conference is unique in that it brings together a diversity of parties involved in international exchange—study abroad and international programs
personnel from U.S. universities, local program coordinators in Latin American countries, U.S. faculty leaders of short programs in Latin America and representatives from Latin American host universities.  The participants share challenges, successes and strategies to improve the quality of study abroad programs in Latin America, proper student preparation and innovative proposals for new and unique programming.

InteRDom representatives connected with many study
abroad professionals at the conference and enjoyed the diverse sessions and rich discussions that came from the 4-day schedule created by AAPLAC.

Other universities and organizations that attended the conference included: New Mexico State University, Culver-Stockton College, La Salle University (Colombia), the Central University of Mexico, Campbell University, the Central University of Merida (Mexico), the University of Illinois, Saint Xavier University, Quinnipiac
University, Albright College, St. Olaf College, Tusculum College, Kansas State University, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and Tulane University, among others.

AAPLAC was created with the vision of facilitating and supporting the programming between Latin American and Caribbean higher education institutions and organizations dedicated to promoting academic and intercultural experiences with institutions in the United States. By its nature, it fosters
communication between those institutions and professionals in the region.

InteRDom, an initiative of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode), is the premier internship, research, academic study and exchange program in the Dominican Republic. It offers
international students the opportunity to research important topics at the forefront of the United Nations agenda, obtain professional experience by interning with Dominican organizations and businesses related to their fields of study and/or earn academic credits by taking courses and seminars at a local university.