Fall is always an exciting time at The Columbus Council on World Affairs as the season kicks off another year of programming. This school year we welcome over 1,200 students from 19 local school districts into the Global Scholars Diploma program. Our Year 1 students have already had the opportunity to hear from over 30 volunteers who have in-depth experience with a total of 18 different cultures, such as South African, Turkish, Hmong, Brazilian, and Greek. Throughout the month of October, our event preparations continue as we prepare to welcome our Year 2 students to their first event at the end of the month. October and November will specifically focus on global careers, and students will have the opportunity to gain hands-on global career experience and knowledge thanks to our career partners at Nestlé and Honda.  Meanwhile, our Year 3 students are well underway and working diligently with the help of their advisors to develop an independent project that will take local action on a global issue. We cannot wait to see how they change our communities and the world in the short span of an academic year.

In other news, we recently welcomed our newest staff member to the team, Renée Bishai! Renée serves as CCWA’s Director of Global Fluency Training and she has already hit the ground running, facilitating and co-facilitating several trainings for local businesses. She holds an unwavering commitment to the development of cultural understanding, which stems from her personal experience immigrating to the United States from Egypt, her time living abroad in France, and her travels throughout North America, Europe, and China. Renée brings a great deal of experience to our team and we encourage you to read her full bio on our website. We are thrilled to have her as part of the CCWA team!

Here’s to another great school year and we hope to see you at an event soon!

Patrick M. Terrien
President & CEO