The World Wise Podcast

45: Rising to every challenge: Marlene M. Johnson on a life of politics, leadership, and love

This episode’s guest is someone that many have known for her longstanding leadership in international education, but some of us might not have known her as a businesswoman, a political leader, a caregiver, and as a newly minted author. Marlene M. Johnson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlene-johnson-61b29720/] was the Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators [https://www.nafsa.org/] for almost two decades and prior to that was Minnesota’s first woman Lieutenant Governor. She is co-founder of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners and the Minnesota Women’s Campaign Fund. She is now on the advisory board of Kakenya’s Dream, a board member of the Washington Office on Latin America, and a trustee of the Alexandria Trust. In 1988, she was awarded the Royal Order of the Polar Star by the Kingdom of Sweden. In this episode we go behind the scenes with Marlene about her life and her new book, Rise to the Challenge: A memoir of politics, leadership, and love. Episode highlights: * Marlene’s reflections about her life’s journey and how the book came about. * How Marlene’s career in politics and business and her early international exposure prepared her to be a non-traditional candidate yet a good fit for the role of NAFSA’s CEO and Executive Director. * The “ability to punt” and how this attribute served Marlene well while leading NAFSA, whether it was weathering the Asian financial crisis that impacted Asian international students or the impact of 9/11 on the international education sector. * Marlene’s legacy of calling for a national policy on international education and her thoughts on where we stand now. * Is the U.S. poised to have its first woman president and one whose life—coincidentally—reflects the legacy of international education? Marlene weighs in. * The poignant love story of Marlene’s life with her husband, Peter, and how their relationship influenced her and shaped her as a leader. * Marlene’s top 2-3 pieces of advice for women leaders. Episode Resources: * Get Marlene’s new book here [https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517917616/rise-to-the-challenge/] or from Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Challenge-Memoir-Politics-Leadership/dp/1517917611/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GBI694QKK8JA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.XlvT0tdLVrb1mbkLTKBIQw.o-LYXxgT82D7FE2dGZICquFuE4R1YOiZb5LBchhAiEg&dib_tag=se&keywords=rise+to+the+challenge+by+marlene+m+johnson&qid=1727053979&sprefix=marlene+johnson%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1] * Listen to: Episode 8 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/8-how-art-elevates-our-understanding-of-social/id1612382660?i=1000558216686] with LaNitra Berger and Episode 36 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/36-how-being-a-global-nomad-leads-to-nimble/id1612382660?i=1000610902757] with Fanta Aw of NAFSA * MPOWER Financing’s Social Impact Report [https://www.mpowerfinancing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Impact-Report-2023_8.5x11_V4_07-DEC_low-Res.pdf] * My book:  ⁠⁠America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility [https://www.rajikabhandari.com/america-calling-the-book] * Sign up for https://mailchi.mp/6823de644a6c/subscribe⁠⁠America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/6823de644a6c/subscribe] * Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajikabhandari/⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajikabhandari/], https://twitter.com/RajikaBhandari⁠⁠X [https://x.com/RajikaBhandari]⁠⁠, https://www.instagram.com/rajika_bhandari/⁠Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rajika_bhandari/] This episode was made possible by the generous support of MPOWER Financing [https://www.mpowerfinancing.com/].

44. The trifecta of being a Black, Undocumented, and Immigrant Student: Dr. Felecia Russell on her new book

Within the broader national conversation about undocumented students and dreamers, there’s a group of students who are almost invisible and who don’t get sufficient attention yet whose experience is a complex interplay of race and immigration in America. The topic for this episode is Black undocumented students and the guest is Dr. Felecia Russell, the author of the new book, Amplifying Black Undocumented Student Voices in Higher Education. Drawing upon her own experience, Felecia has served as the Director of College Access at two high schools, the Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Cal Lutheran University, and now as the Director of the Higher Ed Immigration Portal [https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/] at the Presidents Alliance [https://www.presidentsalliance.org/] on Higher Education and Immigration. Episode Themes: * Felecia’s journey from Jamaica to Los Angeles, and eventually discovering that she was undocumented. * Experiences of black undocumented students in the US, their feelings of invisibility and the interplay of race and immigrant status.    * What Felecia learned from interviewing other Black undocumented students for her book. * Black immigrant identity and the Black diaspora in the U.S. * Felecia’s experience with writing a book that is both research and a personal narrative. * Advocacy for undocumented black students. What can campuses do to support Black undocumented students? * Felecia’s advice for young, undocumented Black students today. Episode Resources: * Follow ⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitsharma/]Felecia on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/feleciasrussell/] * Check out Felecia’s new book [https://www.routledge.com/Amplifying-Black-Undocumented-Student-Voices-in-Higher-Education/Russell/p/book/9781032581507] and the recording [https://www.presidentsalliance.org/book-launch-and-conversation-amplifying-black-undocumented-student-voices-in-higher-education/] from the book launch * Learn more about Embracing Undocumented [https://embracingundocumented.com/] * Learn more about the Presidents’ Alliance [https://www.presidentsalliance.org/] and its resources * Listen to episode 32 with Dip Patel [https://www.rajikabhandari.com/podcast/episode/3fec983d/32-no-place-to-call-home-dip-patel-on-the-situation-of-documented-dreamers] * My book:  ⁠⁠America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility [https://www.rajikabhandari.com/america-calling-the-book] * Sign up for https://mailchi.mp/6823de644a6c/subscribe⁠⁠America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/6823de644a6c/subscribe] * Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajikabhandari/⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajikabhandari/], https://twitter.com/RajikaBhandari⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ [https://twitter.com/RajikaBhandari], https://www.instagram.com/rajika_bhandari/⁠Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rajika_bhandari/]

43. Four African Students, MIT, and dreams of a Made-in-America degree: Arthur Musah on his new film, Brief Tender Light

Season 4 of the World Wise podcast kicks off with a conversation about African international students, film-making, and storytelling! Until some years ago there were no personal narratives about international students or the complexities of the student and immigrant journey. But this type of storytelling is important because it helps add context to the numbers and statistics that we are all familiar with. Just this year, over 50,000 students from sub-Saharan Africa studied in the U.S., a record increase over past years. But how much do we really know about the lives and stories behind those numbers? In this episode we go behind the scenes of the lives of African students in the U.S. with filmmaker, Arthur Musah [https://www.arthurmusah.com/], to discuss his latest and award-winning film, Brief Tender Light [https://www.onedayitoogofly.com/films/brief-tender-light/]. Episode themes: * Arthur’s vision for Brief Tender Light and why it is a film that tells a “modern African story” * Arthur’s family's history of studying abroad and how mobility patterns and the African diaspora have shifted over time * The film’s themes of youthful idealism and the sense of responsibility that international students carry with them, and how this evolves as they navigate their journeys as immigrants * How African international students navigate race and their own identities in the U.S. * How we change once we leave home and how the experience of studying abroad is both about learning, unlearning, and re-learning * The distance from home, the overwhelming disconnection, and the emotional, social, and psychological toll that international students pay in exchange for pursuing their American Dream and how this affects their mental health and well-being  * Arthur’s journey from being an engineering student to becoming an artist and filmmaker. * With almost half the world’s young talent coming from Africa by 2030, what Arthur wants American colleges and universities to take away from his film. Episode Resources * Learn about the PBS release [⁠https://www.pbs.org/pov/films/brieftenderlight/⁠] of Brief Tender Light * Follow ⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitsharma/]Arthur and his film company on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthurmusah/], X [https://twitter.com/pidgincinema] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/brieftenderlightfilm/]  * Listen to these episodes about Africa and African students, and about film-making: episode 7 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/7-where-talent-meets-opportunity-a-conversation/id1612382660?i=1000557557693]; episode 13 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/13-shaping-the-future-leaders-of-africa/id1612382660?i=1000563930544]; episode 27 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/27-building-the-worlds-talent-by-enabling-african/id1612382660?i=1000587182559]; and episode 10 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-bridging-divides-through-a-camera-lens-filmmaker/id1612382660?i=1000559660217]  * My book:  ⁠⁠America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility [https://www.rajikabhandari.com/america-calling-the-book] * Sign up for ⁠⁠America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/6823de644a6c/subscribe] * Connect with me: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajikabhandari/], ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ [https://twitter.com/RajikaBhandari], ⁠Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rajika_bhandari/] https://www.mpowerfinancing.com/ https://www.mpowerfinancing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Impact-Report-2023_8.5x11_V4_07-DEC_low-Res.pdf

42. How an engineer-turned-social entrepreneur is solving women's health issues: Grameen Foundation President & CEO, Zubaida Bai

In this episode, I return to one of my favorite topics: gender issues except that this time around, we focus on global women’s health issues and particularly reproductive issues. This episode’s guest is very special because she has not only impacted the lives of thousands of girls and women around the world, but she is also a former international student from India. Zubaida Bai [https://grameenfoundation.org/about-us/leadership/zubaida-bai] is the president and CEO of Grameen Foundation [https://grameenfoundation.org/], headquartered in Washington, DC. She is a social entrepreneur and women's health advocate with more than 18 years in the social impact space. She is the founder of Ayzh [http://www.ayzh.com/]®, a social enterprise based in India that designs vital healthcare products to improve the health and happiness of women and girls across their reproductive lives. Bai has been recognized as a Young Global Leader [https://www.younggloballeaders.org/community?page=11&via=indexdotco] by the World Economic Forum, a Maternal Health Champion by Ashoka, a TED Fellow/ Speaker [https://www.ted.com/speakers/zubaida_bai], and named a United Nations SDG 3 Pioneer [https://www.unglobalcompact.org/sdgs/sdgpioneers/2016/zubaida-bai] by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). She is a Visiting Social Innovator [https://sici.hks.harvard.edu/meet-our-community/] with Harvard University’s Social Innovative Change Initiative (SICI) and a member of the Governing Body at SEMA [https://semareprohealth.org/team/zubaida-bai/] (Shaping Equitable Market Access) for Reproductive Health. Episode Themes: * Zubaida’s journey as a first-generation college student in India to becoming an international student  * How Zubaida’s international education experience in Sweden and the US transformed her and her thinking around women’s health issues * Connecting the dots between engineering and social entrepreneurship * What Zubaida’s leadership of the Grameen Foundation and her hopes for leading the organization into its next 25 years and beyond * In addition to health, what are the most pressing issues that we need to address when it comes to girls and women in Global South countries? * Zubaida’s views on the current global situation around women’s reproductive rights * Zubaid’s experiences as a woman leader from the Global South and her advice for young women embarking on the path of social entrepreneurship and who want to create social impact Episode Resources: * Follow ⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitsharma/]Zubaida on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/zubaida-bai/]  * Listen to Zubaida’s TED Talk here [https://www.ted.com/speakers/zubaida_bai]. * My book:  ⁠⁠America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility [https://www.rajikabhandari.com/america-calling-the-book] * Sign up for ⁠⁠America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/6823de644a6c/subscribe] * Connect with me: ⁠⁠LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajikabhandari/]⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X [https://twitter.com/RajikaBhandari]⁠⁠, ⁠Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rajika_bhandari/]

41: Admissions Tests as a Window to Worldwide Opportunity: Rohit Sharma of ETS

If you’re someone who has aspired to study in the U.S. then you’re probably familiar with the range of admissions tests you likely had to consider or take. These might include the TOEFL [https://www.ets.org/toefl.html], or the Test of English as a Foreign Language, to assess someone’s English proficiency for university study, immigration and more, and that is accepted by more than 10,000 organizations in 130 countries, including top English-speaking universities worldwide. More than 30 million people have taken the TOEFL test. And then there is the GRE [https://www.ets.org/gre.html] test, the world’s most widely used admissions test for graduate and professional school. Just over 341,000 people took the GRE admissions test between 2021 and 2022 and 75% of them were outside the U.S., and many of them from India. This episode’s guest is Rohit Sharma [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitsharma/], Senior Vice President for Global Higher Education and Workskills at ETS [https://www.ets.org/]—or the Educational Testing Service—the U.S.-based organization that conducts these important tests. Rohit is himself a former international student from India and now oversees ETS’s engagement in international higher education and also its new focus on upskilling and skill development for adult workers. Prior to joining ETS in 2022, Rohit has held senior leadership roles across higher education, training, certification and workforce development sectors, with over two decades of international experience covering more than 25 countries and jurisdictions. In today’s conversation we talk about the value of international students and why ETS is at the forefront of fostering student mobility; how tests like the GRE aim to be responsive to a diverse and global student population; and yes—the topic on everyone’s minds these days—how AI will affect testing and assessment. Episode Themes: * Rohit’s own journey of taking ETS tests when coming to the U.S. to study and now coming full circle to work for the world’s largest testing and assessment organization * Why ETS is focused on keeping the door open to international students in the U.S. * How ETS ensures that its tests are fair, unbiased, and culturally sensitive for test-takers from diverse backgrounds * ETS’s new focus on  upskilling and reskilling adults and why it matters * How AI will affect the future of testing and assessment * When it comes to higher education or jobs, what excites Rohit the most about this particular moment in time Episode Resources: * Follow ⁠Rohit [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitsharma/]⁠ on LinkedIn * Check out MPOWER Financing's ⁠Social Impact Report⁠ [https://www.mpowerfinancing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MPOWER-Financing-2022-Social-Impact-Report.pdf] * My book:  ⁠America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibilit⁠ [https://www.rajikabhandari.com/america-calling-the-book]y * Sign up for ⁠America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/6823de644a6c/subscribe] * Connect with me: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajikabhandari/], ⁠Twitter⁠ [https://twitter.com/RajikaBhandari], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rajika_bhandari/] Episode sponsor: This episode was made possible by the generous support of ⁠MPOWER Financing⁠ [https://www.mpowerfinancing.com/] which provides no-cosigner loans and scholarships for international, DACA, and refugee students. Headquartered in Washington DC, MPOWER has to date helped tens of thousands of students fund their educational dreams and journeys.