Kelly Scavella is a global citizen with Bahamian roots. After earning a BA in International Agriculture, she spent time in Egypt teaching life skills to Sudanese refugees. After an internship with the U.S. Department of State, Kelly earned a MS in Peace Operations from George Mason University with research focused on governance in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa and its symbiotic relationship with U.S. foreign policy and international organizations.
With popular travel movements on the rise, there is no shortage of wanderlusters who have bravely packed their bags to see the world on their own terms.
As we move toward a more globalized society through travel, women are afforded career and volunteer opportunities that allow us to turn our love for food, culture, friendship, and service into employment.
Have you ever wondered how to get started? If so, the opportunities below will get you on your way:
Global Health Corps:
Global Health Corps is building the next generation of health leaders with an emphasis on health equity. This opportunity offers paid fellowship positions with health organizations in Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and the United States.
Peace Corps:
The Peace Corps is a service opportunity for changemakers to immerse themselves in a community abroad, and work side-by-side with local leaders to implement social change through a variety of employable sectors. I suggest that you visit the blackpvc Instagram page, a non-official and affiliate of Peace Corps, to see the great work that volunteers of color are doing abroad.
The JET Program:
The JET Program is an employment opportunity that allows professionals to live and work in cities and villages throughout Japan. JET Program participants are not only teachers and public servants, they are cultural ambassadors of the United States to Japan.
Search Associates:
Search Associates is recruiting agency for people interested in global education. Throughout the agency's 25-year tenure, Search Associates has helped over 35,000 primary and secondary administrators, teachers, counselors, librarians, and interns find positions in international schools around the world.
International Schools Services is a similar organization that focuses on connecting educators with communities around the world that are in need.
William J. Clinton Fellowship:
The William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India is an immersive, 10-month volunteer service program that matches professionals with development organizations throughout the country. Fellows work on scalable and sustainable development projects in the fields of technology and innovation, education, livelihoods, and public health.
United Nations - Young Professionals Programme
The Young Professionals Programme (YPP) is a recruitment initiative for professionals to start a career as an international civil servant with the United Nations.
Princeton in Africa:
Princeton in Africa is a developmental program for leaders that are committed to Africa's advancement. The program offers a yearlong fellowship opportunity with a variety of organizations that work across the African continent.
There are also extended branches of this program offered in Latin America and Asia.
Boren Awards:
The Boren Awards provide funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study African and South Asian Languages. You can learn Indonesian through this program as well. This long-term, linguistic, and cultural immersion abroad is ideal for applicants that want to work for the federal government, as its central mission is to provide the U.S. government with experts in languages critical to U.S. national security.
Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program:
The Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program is a U.S. State Department program administered by Howard University that seeks to attract and prepare professionals for careers as diplomats in the Foreign Service. The program seeks individuals interested shaping foreign policy between the U.S. and various countries around the world.This opportunity also pays for your graduate school education. If you have an interest in representing the U.S. through diplomacy, you can also check out similar programs like the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship and the Donald M. Payne International Development Fellowship Program.
I hope that these opportunities get you excited about building your international career. You can do it!
Meet you on the other side of the world!
