Be A Global Citizen!

This is the third installment of my new interview series called 'Foster the GCs.' Today, I'm joined by Megumi Tanaka who is Soka University of America's Manager of Alumni Relations. We spoke about the role that virtual and in person interactions play in connecting people back to the mission statement. Megumi is also a fellow alumna from the class of 2011. Please enjoy listening to her insights abo...

The title of Ikeda's 2002 peace proposal is "The Humanism of the Middle Way: Dawn of a Global Civilization." This episode is a little on the shorter side. My intention is to offer up some initial impressions of the document and highlight one or more key concepts. I encourage interested listeners to check out Ikeda's full text here (https://www.daisakuikeda.org/assets/files/peace2002.pdf). May this...

On this week's episode of GC talks, I'm joined by Victor Haynes who is a political scientist with a PhD from Claremont Graduate University. He talks about his passion of teaching as a way to foster global citizens. Also, he shares more about his dissertation and the ways in which President Trump's anti-rhetoric produced negative ripple effects across the political arena. How can one feel confident...

I speak with Yuko Nakajima about her work in foreign services as Third Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in Myanmar. From her strong intuition to become a diplomat during University to her ceaseless efforts to assist the peoples of Myanmar in rebuilding their policies and democratic frameworks, she is candid about the struggle to reconcile between her national identity and her role as diplomat. It...

After a long hiatus, I have circled back to the peace proposals, and it is time to talk about Ikeda's 2001 peace proposal to the UN. It is titled: Creating and Sustaining a Century of Life: Challenges for a New Era. My goal is to cover Ikeda's proposals from the year 2000 up until the current year. Each month I will post a new installment of this series! I hope you find these episodes to be a nice...

Blended learning, online communities, the Fediverse, and more! I had a great conversation with Ben Wilkoff who is the Associate Director of Admissions Operations at Minerva University. It was a joy to learn more about his pioneering actions to innovate new communal spaces via the Internet. He has a strong ethic of learning and being curious that really inspires me to persist in my inquires about g...

Here is a new interview series called 'Foster the GCs.' The goal of this new series is to speak with staff, faculty, and facilities workers from Soka University of America, or SUA, about the school’s mission statement, which is to foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life. On today's episode, I welcome Jacqueline Chin who works for the Human Resources depart...

Maria Fernanda Sanchez is a Soka educator who has worked within the Soka school network in countries such as Japan, the USA, and Brazil. Her experiences in teaching and coordinating span over a decade, and, currently, she is working on her PhD in English Communication at Busan University in South Korea. She is involved in many exciting projects to foster global citizens, and her dream is to one da...

Child development and humanitarian competition. These are just two fascinating topics of many that I discuss with Stefanie Horton on another episode of VCE, or Value Creating Education, interviews. I wish to spotlight the work and efforts of amazing VCE educators, like Stefanie, and I hope you find their perspectives to be enlightening. She is an early childhood educator with international experie...

Here is a new interview series called 'Foster the GCs.' The goal of this new series is to speak with staff, faculty, and facilities workers from Soka University of America, or SUA, about the school’s mission statement, which is to foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life. On this first episode, I welcome Kevin Moncrief who is the Vice President for Mission...

Today, I speak with Jaemin Park who is a commercial assistant at the embassy of Sri Lanka in Seoul, South Korea. He talks about his mission on the episode: to serve underprivileged populations and create societal change through public policies, rooted in human rights. I believe that Jaemin's many experiences of transforming personal hardships to cultivate greater empathy and his commitment to huma...

Melanie Peterson-Nafziger is another incredible person from World Savvy, the non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and engage youth to learn, work, and thrive as responsible global citizens. She is a Professional Learning Facilitator and has over 25 years of teaching experience. I really enjoyed talking with Melanie and found her career trajectory to be fascinating, fulfilling, and i...

In this episode of GC talks, I'm joined by Aishani Khurana who is a doctoral researcher in socio-cultural anthropology at the University of Illinois Chicago. She shares about her perspectives on global citizenship and the need to bring out one's lived- experiences with respect to their societal and cultural milieu. From her experiences as a teacher and professor, she cites the valuable experiences...

What the world urgently needs in this fast-paced, globalized society are global competencies that prepare young people for success and active engagement. With the mission to educate and engage youth to learn, work, and thrive as responsible global citizens, the non-profit organization, World Savvy, is greatly impacting K-12 reform toward new development and hope for a better world. I'm joined by t...

I'm joined yet again by Andrew Gebert to discuss the most recent Ikeda peace proposal. This 2022 peace proposal is titled: 'Transforming Human History: The Light of Peace and Dignity.' Andrew is a professor at Soka University of Japan and DePaul University. He is also a Japanese to English translator who is based in Tokyo, Japan. There is so much to unpack in these peace proposals, so I encourage...

I'm joined by Laura Cossette to explore the term global citizenship and what it means to embody this ideal in our day-to-day lives. She currently works at Partners of the Americas where she does important work in global citizenship education, specifically, for study abroad programs. Laura has traveled and lived abroad on numerous occasions in Europe and Latin America.  On the episode, she sha...

I'm joined by Junior Menezes to talk about his fascinating and inspiring background of broadening his perspective on the world. He came from a lower income community on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Through bold action and grit, he has lived in seven different countries, earned University degrees, and currently works as the Admissions coordinator at Minvera University. There is a lot to unpa...

In the latest installment of GC talks, I'm joined by Rodrigo Carvalhedo who is a civil engineer, screenwriter, and animator from Brazil. He currently resides in California and is pursuing his dream to write and create stories that fully resonate with people. From his experiences living in different countries to his curiosity about the world, Rodrigo embodies global citizenship. He shares how vital...

From Taiwanese nights markets to international dialogue nights, Lillian I shares her experiences growing up in two different worlds and how her process of constructing a solid identity would lead her to engage in dialogue for global citizenship. Lillian works as program manager at the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue, located in Boston. She holds dual citizenship in Taiwan and the US...

Let's talk with another amazing educator from the VCE (Value-Creating Education) program, Kimberly Mullenix. Kim is currently a preschool director in San Diego, CA. She has followed her passion for gymnastics, travel, and culture, while broadening her perspective on what it means to be a global citizen. Kim is also a graduate from Soka University of America. She talks about how her journey for hum...

Let's talk with a fellow IB Global Politics teacher!  Paul Vliegen is from Holland who is currently working in New York at the Dwight school. His journey as a global citizen has taken him all over the world to places like Poland, China, and the US. Paul shares his stories and approaches to teaching high school students how to ask questions about the world and learn to take action. Don't miss...

Non-governmental organizations, learning across cultural differences, cultivating compassion, and advocating for those in need. Those are just some topics that were discussed on this new installment of GC talks with Marling Aguila.  Marling is a Peruvian national who works in the NGO sector as well as the founder of a grassroots cultural association called La Casa Cultural Yuyay . Her work en...

What is community service? Which community do I serve? And what concrete actions am I taking to demonstrate my service to this community? These are some questions that I asked myself as I wrote my second scholarship essay to the Golden Key Honors Society. My life has taken an unexpected turn during the pandemic and I find myself back in California, working for my alma mater Soka University of Amer...

This episode marks one year for Be A Global Citizen! I'm very happy to have Dr. Paulette Bethel join us to share her incredible journey as a former Ambassador to the United Nations. She continues to be engaged on the International stage and is currently residing in the Bahamas. Her pioneering efforts within the UN are inspiring and exemplify global citizenship in many ways. I hope you enjoy our co...

On the podcast, I invited Audrey Roodvoets to join me in a wonderful conversation about global citizenship. Audrey is a Montessori teacher in Arizona, and she also happens to be a former classmate of mine from University. We discussed the role of curiosity, passion, and kindness as crucial components in fostering global citizenship. With the recognition of our interconnectedness to other people an...