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Changing the Face of America Abroad

By Jason Hollander

Anthony Jewett (N.Y.C. '03) was walking the streets of Beijing several years ago when it dawned on him that he had seen few other students of African descent since his arrival. Then a junior at Morehouse College, Jewett was in China studying international business and diplomacy. He had certainly met other American college students during his five months in Asia, but not many of color.

This observation inspired him to do some research, and the numbers confirmed his concerns. Although minority students make up more than 30 percent of the U.S. undergraduate population, they account for only 9 percent of those who participate in study abroad programs, including a mere half-percent of students at historically black colleges and universities.

"We just don't see it as relevant to our educational experience," says Jewett, noting that many students of color are the first in their families to attend college. "It's often enough of an achievement and ordeal to be pursuing a degree."

It's a perception that Jewett-who participated in four international programs (in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East) during his time at Morehouse-believes needs to change. "International exposure is more than relevant for students of color who want to be leaders in the political, social, or economic growth of our communities," he says. "In a rapidly globalizing world, that leadership increasingly requires knowledge of the world around us and how we fit into it."

To that end, Jewett, who taught third grade bilingual in the South Bronx as a corps member, partnered with Michael Williams II, a former corporate attorney and business development executive, to found the Bardoli Global Initiative in 2005. Their goal is to send abroad 25,000 students of color by the year 2017. (Bardoli is a city in India where several prominent African-American leaders traveled to meet with Mahatma Gandhi in 1937.)

Fellows and awarded $90,000 in seed money for their work, Jewett and Williams are in the process of cultivating their first class of students, who will begin their travels this May.

The pair has launched a social marketing campaign, targeting select college campuses, community groups, and faith centers to educate students and their families about the essential value of studying abroad. Jewett hopes the initiative will break down barriers to international study by providing help with academic planning, financial aid, essay writing, and travel preparation. The program will also require students to complete a service-learning impact project during their time abroad.

"I was so committed to going abroad, because it was the one way to put into practice everything that I spent so much time learning," says Jewett. "I realized that I had to see the world in order to know the world, not just read about it."