FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Isabela Varela, career information specialist, UNI Placement and Career Services, (319) 273-2602
Vicki Grimes, UNI Office of Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa— A group of 10 University of Northern Iowa students traveled to Merida, Mexico in phase one of a two-phase program called “Job Shadowing Experience in Iowa and the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.” This is a pilot program that will be used as a model for other institutions in the United States.
(Student's name), (Hometown), traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula as part of a job shadowing experience through UNI. (He/She) is the (son/daughter) of (Parents' names) and is a (class) (major(s)) major.
According to Isabela Varela, career information specialist in UNI's Office of Placement and Career Services, the students were hosted by local families and participated in job shadowing and cultural activities. She said a similar group of students from Mexico will travel to UNI in January.
“I really enjoyed staying with a host family because it helped us get a taste of the culture,” said Nicole Pals, Britt. “My host family was very welcoming and helped with anything I needed.”
During their trip, they also visited two universities in Mexico. The goal of the 10-day trip was to enhance global understanding through professional and occupational field experience.
The UNI Global Health Corps students visited and interviewed health care professionals in private and public health organizations such as Clinica de las Americas, the Clinica de Merida and the Desarrollo Intergral de la Familia, which is a governmental relief organization that focuses on health education, rehabilitation and youth services.
International business students shadowed employees at large-scale corporations that included CEMEX, the third largest cement and ready-mix concrete company in the world; Maseca-Gimsa, the largest producer of corn flour in Mexico and one of the largest makers of tortillas in the United States; and Grupo Brasemex, a lingerie producer that exports 40 percent of its product to the United States, where it is sold by Wal-Mart, K-Mart, JC Penney and Frederick's of Hollywood.
“We went into various types of companies and we observed the kinds of business practices and technology they use in Mexico,” said Sara Zubrod, Templeton.
The UNI students also toured the University of Mayab and the University of the Yucatan, as well as public and private K-12 schools. According to Varela, this experience helped to give UNI students a greater appreciation of the Mexican educational system.
Following the trip, students participated in a debriefing workshop to help them process their observations and experiences, as well as explore how these experiences changed their
perceptions of Mexican society. The students also formulated ways to bring theat knowledge to their future careers and promote intercultural understanding in Iowa.
“The trip to Mexico gave me an insight into what its health care system is like,” Pals said. She hopes to work with minority populations after she graduates.
Varela and Laura Praglin, career development coordinator at the UNI Office of Placement and Career Services, accompanied the students on their trip.
The program's second phase will take place in January when a group from the Universidad Autonoma Del Yucatan and Universidad Del Mayab will visit UNI. This group will be hosted by Cedar Valley families and will participate in job shadowing and cultural activities.
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
###
Note: to obtain a listing of the students, please contact the Office of Public Relations at (319)273-2761
Back to the news release directory.