KENNESAW, Ga. | May 3, 2018

Education Abroad Office Recognizes 44 KSU Students for their Global Initiatives with Global Engagement Certificates

The Kennesaw State University (KSU) Office of Education Abroad awarded 44 exceptional KSU students with Global Engagement Certifications recognizing their achievement in global learning for the 2017-2018 academic year.

The Global Engagement Certification is available to both undergraduate and graduate students at KSU. The certification acknowledges recipients’ global coursework, education abroad and cross-cultural experiences.  

Dr. Michelle Miles, Director of National and International Scholarships and Fellowships at KSU, was the keynote speaker at yesterday’s ceremony held at KSU Center, and Jason Rhodes, lecturer of Geography at KSU, presented the medals to recipients.

The certification highlights the transformative power of global experiences in higher education. Recipients of the certification agree that their global experience was crucial in both their professional and personal growth.

For Public Relations Major, Emily Lange, receiving the certificate was symbolic of her final chapter at KSU before she graduates in July. Lange spent her sophomore year studying at the Technical University of Dortmund in Germany.  

“I can’t imagine my higher education experience without global learning. I am more open to opportunities that are outside my comfort zone and have expanded my knowledge of the world through learning different perspectives,” she said.

Two weeks after graduation, Lange will board a plane to Germany to work as an au pair, a job made possible in part by her education abroad.

For International business major, Michael Busby, studying at the top business university in Madrid, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, landed him an internship opportunity at a strategic consulting firm in the city. After working for them for seven months, Busby has received a standing offer to work for them full time when he graduates from KSU this December.   

“Study abroad programs are important for students because it gives them a taste of what it would be like to live abroad. It gives them interactions with new cultures, languages and systems,” he said.

(Photo Right: Busby and Lange after Wednesday's ceremony. Both have received an accepted full time job offers abroad.)

Annie Patterson, a Spanish Major in her senior year at KSU, spoke at the ceremony on Wednesday and shared her education abroad testimony.

 “I think the fact that my program required study abroad forced me to learn not only the language but also the culture. It’s one thing to learn the culture in the classroom, but to live it is another,” she said.  

Patterson participated in the Culture and Language Program in Peru where she stayed with a host family. The immersion prompted her to speak the language every day and learn from the people around her.

(Photo Left: Patterson with her proud parents. Patterson shared her student testimony at Wednesday's ceremony.)

The GEC enhances KSU students’ resumes and endorses the global skills, knowledge and attitudes they achieve abroad. For more information on the Global Engagement Certification, visit

- Anna Barnes