Date:5/5/00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Isabela Varela, career information specialist, Placement and Career Services (319) 273-2602

James O'Connor, UNI Office of Public Relations, (319) 273-2761

Photo/Interview opportunities: The students will leave by bus from the west entrance to the UNI Wellness/Recreation Center at 4 p.m., Monday, May 8. They will stay overnight in Des Moines before flying to Mexico. Interviews can be arranged in Cedar Falls and Des Moines.

UNI students to get hands-on business experience in Mexico

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – On May 9, a group of 10 University of Northern Iowa students will travel to Merida, Mexico in phase one of a two-phase program called “Job Shadowing Experience in Iowa and the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.” The Yucatan Peninsula is Iowa's Mexican “sister state.”

According to Isabela Varela, career information specialist in UNI's Office of Placement and Career Services, the students will be hosted by local families and will participate in job shadowing and cultural activities. The goal of the 10-day trip is to enhance global understanding through professional/occupational field experience.

The program's second phase will take place in the fall when a similar group from the Universidad Autonoma Del Yucatan and Universidad Del Mayab will visit UNI. Similarly, the Yucatan students will be hosted by Cedar Valley families and will participate in job shadowing and cultural activities.

“The program will give both groups the opportunity to compare and contrast occupations and organizational settings in Iowa and the Yucatan, acquire an overview of business, social, educational, and health practices, and gain a broader understanding of careers,” said Varela. “The student exchange through the collaboration of Iowa and Yucatan universities, organizations and communities will help promote closer relationships and create incentives for economic ventures as well as cultural and educational exchanges. ”

Accompanying the students will be Varela and Laura Praglin, career development coordinator, UNI Office of Placement and Career Services.

This project is sponsored by the UNI Office of Placement and Career Services, the Iowa Sister States Program, the U.S. Department of State, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the UNI College of Business Administration and the UNI Global Health Corps. It also receives support from the Cedar Falls and Waterloo Chambers of Commerce.

###

Back to the news release directory.