Aggies Go Global is a resource that provides financial and and communal support to students seeking international experiences at New Mexico State University. Separate from the Office of Education Abroad, Aggies Go Global connects students to international opportunities that do not yield academic credit, such as volunteering, internships, research projects, and conferences.

Aggies Go Global aims at helping students at whatever stage they are at in the planning process. Kayla Myers, Coordinator for Aggies Go Global, said her office receives both students who may have their entire trip planned out and those coming in with just an idea. Aggies Go Global can assist students in researching various opportunities, and in connecting them to organizations that the program has worked with in the past.

“Students can either travel individually, with a professor, or take part in the group trips sponsored by Aggies Go Global. For group trips, we try to keep the cost low,” Myers said.

For individual trips, Aggies Go Global provides counseling and assistance in prepping a student for the trip, and also covers a portion of their flight. With group trips, the cost of the entire trip is subsidized, with the total cost including the flight, meals, in-country transportation, and hotels.

Students are required to write a funding proposal for Aggies Go Global in order to have their flight covered.

Kendra Wardon, a sophomore, was a member of the first cohort that attended and presented at the Women’s Economic Forum in India through Aggies Go Global’s Women Economic Leadership Scholar program last April.

The total cost for the trip was $1,500, though Wardon added that a majority of students also received additional funding from their colleges and respective departments, as well as the Associated Students of NMSU.

Wardon’s group regularly met with the Aggies Go Global staff, with meetings taking place six months before the actual conference. Their meetings prepared them not only for their presentations at the conference, but in being able to overcome and adjust to the effects of traveling abroad.

“Aggies Go Global brought in different guest speakers and professionals to help us prep our speeches and prepare us for that culture shock of going to India,” Wardon said.

Grace Igwe, a senior, took part in the Global Citizens Project in Costa Rica, another group trip sponsored by Aggies Go Global.

Igwe said she had the opportunity to partake in leadership activities during her stay, and was also exposed to Costa Rican culture.

Regarding the application process, Igwe noted that there are certain requirements for the Global Citizens Project, one being that it must be a student’s first time traveling abroad. The application process includes submitting all required materials-a one-page essay and an interview.

Similar to the Women’s Economic Leadership Scholar program, those selected for the Global Citizens Project were required to undergo trainings in the spring semester.

Both Wardon and Igwe encouraged students interested in receiving funding and support from Aggies Go Global to connect with Myers as early as possible. Myers herself requests that students reach out at least three months in advance of the opportunity they are looking at.

Students may email her at [email protected] to set up an appointment.