Randolph-Macon College is among five Virginia colleges and universities honored for their innovative contributions to study abroad programming in the 11th annual GoAbroad Innovation Awards. RMC shares GoAbroad’s 2021 Innovation in Diversity Award, recognizing strategic efforts to expand international educational opportunities to underrepresented groups.

The award applauds the College’s contribution to Black+Abroad, an annual event hosted by students and alumni of color centering on their unique experiences traveling, studying, and living abroad. 

Previously held as an in-person event at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Black+Abroad evolved into a collaborative virtual series organized by students and international education advisers at Randolph-Macon College, VCU, Hollins University, Bridgewater College, and Shenandoah University. This year’s series welcomed more than 258 students and 724 international education professionals during six virtual panels held in March 2021. The panels—all of which are available on Black+Abroad’s website along with other support resources—included topics like how to access funding for study abroad opportunities, avoiding common travel pitfalls, best practices for serving students of color in higher education, and more.

To increase connection in a year when few students were fortunate enough to travel abroad, RMC’s Office of International Education worked with Simone Biasuzzi, an Education Abroad Adviser at VCU who led the project efforts, to transform Black+Abroad into a digital series linking multiple campuses across Virginia. The entire Black+Abroad team was excited to help bring the event to life in an accessible format given the barriers Black students have encountered while traveling abroad.

“It’s important for every student to have an international experience,” Study Abroad Coordinator Lauren Devan says, “but it can be especially impactful for Black students. Many of the student and alumni participants in the series noted their experiences abroad helped them become more independent, speak up for themselves, learn to navigate their multiple identities both abroad and at home, and even change their post-graduation plans in some cases.”

Devan points out that historically, the international education field has not reached and supported students of color as well as it has other student populations. She seeks to balance that tilt in RMC’s Office of International Education by increasing opportunities for equitable representation and fostering peer-to-peer support networks like Black+Abroad.

“Any student is going to have some anxiety about getting on a plane and exploring a new part of the world, but not all students have the same concerns,” Devan said. “That process can become so much easier if you can see and talk to other students who look like you, who have the same concerns as you, and have already gone through the experience. Black students don’t have to go through the process alone.”

Mayumi Nakamura, RMC’s Director of International Education, noted the importance of collaborative efforts like the Black+Abroad series in closing gaps in study abroad programs.

“Throughout the course of the series, this group has successfully demonstrated how essential it is for us to work together to continue cultivating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education,” Nakamura said. “We at Randolph-Macon feel very honored to have been part of that effort.”

To learn more about study abroad opportunities at Randolph-Macon College, contact the Office of International Education.