Western students Jagdev Saluja and Kayla Gauthier have been selected as Global Skills Opportunity ambassadors and will share the highlights of their international learning experiences with higher education and government officials. (GSO)
Western health sciences students Kayla Gauthier and Jagdev Saluja both credit their experiences studying abroad with propelling their academic and professional achievements. Recently named ambassadors for Global Skills Opportunity, a federally funded program for international educational experiences, the students will be sharing insights about the impact of their trips with government and higher education officials and international education professionals.
The GSO program is open to all Canadian post-secondary students, with priority given to Indigenous and low-income applicants and those with disabilities. The funding makes outbound mobility more accessible, covering direct expenses related to the GSO experience, such as international travel and accommodations.
Gauthier, BHSc'23, who's pursuing a master of science degree in health and rehabilitation sciences, and Saluja, a third-year kinesiology student, both took part in GSO Student Mobility Projects offered through Western and its partner institutions.
As two of 15 GSO ambassadors, Gauthier and Saluja will represent the more than 12,000 Canadian post-secondary students who have gained and developed intercultural skills through the program's study and work abroad initiatives. They will share personal reflections and speak to the benefits of global learning at live and online GSO events, including the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) Conference in Ottawa, Nov. 3 to 6. They'll also engage with GSO alumni, acting as facilitators for discussion, content and feedback.
Gauthier and Saluja are collaborating to host a Western event promoting the merits of GSO.
Kayla Gauthier, Faculty of Health Sciences
GSO Student Mobility Project: Aging Globally: Building Global Skills by Studying Health and Aging in Scandinavia, taught by Professor Aleksandra Zecevic
Aging Globally is an international course introducing students to health-care systems, public health policies, homecare delivery practices, hospitals, long-term care homes, aging research and exemplary community initiatives in three Scandinavian countries: Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
Students explore and identify what can be learned from "arguably the best health-care systems in the world" for disease prevention, management of chronic disease, well-being and health-related quality of late life. The course starts with seven bi-weekly lectures and concludes with a 10-day trip through Scandinavia.
"My journey abroad transformed me into a more globally minded, socially conscious, adaptable and curious individual," Gauthier said. "These conversations challenged my preconceived notions and unconscious biases and encouraged me to think critically and consider alternative viewpoints. Immersing myself in different cultures enriched my academic learning and prepared me to be a more well-rounded and culturally aware professional who can positively contribute to public health."
Following her Aging Globally experience, Gauthier completed a six-week internship at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden before taking on her current role as the 2023-24 international internship coordinator for Scandinavian internships in Western's School of Health Studies.
"The skills I gained through my GSO experience opened the doors for collaborations with the World Health Organization in Geneva and opportunities to present at the Oxford Global Health and Bioethics International Conference," Gauthier said.
She also believes her international learning opportunities made her a more competitive candidate for scholarships, having been recently awarded a Canadian Graduate Scholarship, the most prestigious scholarship for Canadian master's students.
"Without the support of the GSO scholarship, I'm not confident I would have reached my current professional and academic standing."
Jagdev Saluja, Faculty of Health Sciences
GSO Mobility Project: Achieving Equity and Global EDI-D-I Competence in the Canadian Health Sector Workforce, coordinated by professor Melanie Katsivo, Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and associate director (Programs and Partnerships) the Africa Institute
Offered in collaboration with the University of Manitoba
The goal of this project is to equip students with Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization and Indigeneity (EDI-D-I) knowledge and skills, to prepare them for frontline work in Africa (or in similar global settings) as well as in Canada.
Students take a virtual asynchronous certificate course in EDIDI, co-developed with African partners, before being placed at a partner institution in one of seven African countries for a five-week experiential learning placement.
Students develop case studies at the end of their placements, which are used to enhance the curriculum.
Without the GSO opportunity, Saluja said he never would have realized "his passion for global health and advocacy."
"Our society is a global village," said Saluja. "Living and working abroad gave me the skills to better engage with East African stakeholders in health care, where I am now more inclined to pursue further research opportunities in the region.
"My internship provided practical applications of theoretical knowledge, enabling me to bring back in-depth studies that contribute to broader academic research."
Saluja received Western Science's prestigious Dean's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program scholarship to return to Kenya to conduct further research, which he presented at a Universities Canada lunch and learn session in September 2023 and at Western's Africa Institute Advisory Board meeting in November 2023.
"I look forward to helping other students take GSO to even higher heights, so we may help break barriers for all students to achieve, through experiential learning in their respective fields," Saluja said.
