Global Education

Thea Agape Lim '98 is a Legal Officer in the Administrative and Employment Law Branch of the Legal Office at the World Food Programme, based in Rome, Italy. Her work includes defending WFP in legal actions brought by current and former employees at all stages of litigation up to and including the International Labour Organization Administrative Tribunal, protecting the privileges and immunities of WFP and its staff, and reviewing draft policies and procedures relating to conditions of employment. Previously, she was a Senior Legal Counsel at the World Bank Administrative Tribunal and was the Senior Legal Officer, Contracts at the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, based in Jerusalem. She holds a Master of Laws from the University of London, a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto, a Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University. She lives in Rome, Italy with her husband and their two young daughters.

What has drawn you to Global work and living?

I was born in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. when I was seven years old, so as a result of my parents' choices, you could say I had a global lifestyle from an early age. Growing up, I would also see my father, who worked for the World Bank, travel on missions to distant countries for weeks at a time. I knew that not only did I want to travel as extensively as he did, but that I also wanted to live abroad. While I enjoy the novelty of living abroad, doing so requires accepting that there will be some discomfort and it will never be as easy or familiar as being in your home country, the latter being something I appreciated when I returned to live in DC for three years. 

How did Stone Ridge help you think globally?

Although Catholicism is obviously at the forefront in Stone Ridge, I remember the world religions class in the Fourth Academic year as an important exposure to other cultures and belief systems. I only wish that we had had more time to study the different religions in greater depth. I would also say that the student body diversity was important in helping me to think globally, knowing that several of my other classmates and I were born in another country or came from families whose roots were outside the United States.

Why is it important that students today learn and understand what it means to be a global citizen?

It is well-recognized that we have civic duties, but the advent of globalization means that we can no longer limit our definition of community to the local or even national scale. Some issues, such as climate change, cannot be addressed by a single country and require international cooperation. It is also important to understand what it means to be a global citizen because this informs the responsibility we should feel towards our fellow human beings, regardless of where they are, a responsibility that stems from our common humanity. 

What role did your studies at Stone Ridge have in determining your career path?

At Stone Ridge, I was active in mock trial and the model UN club. Today, I am a lawyer for a UN agency so there is definitely a direct connection. Participating in the model OAS simulations also familiarized me with the work of regional/multilateral organizations, where I currently work. Several of my classes at Stone Ridge, notably Dr. Koss's AP American History class, demanded critical thinking and analytical skills and I have sought out similar opportunities in my professional life.

What is your opinion about the study of world languages and how would you encourage current students?

Studying world languages is very important and speaking, or at least being able to understand a language, is an important way to immerse one's self in a different culture. Especially when traveling, speaking some basic phrases can be a way to show respect and people are usually really happy to engage with you, even if you end up switching to English. 

Obviously, living in another country and doing a language immersion would be the best way to practice a language. But that is not always practical and with the current pandemic, likely not really feasible. There are a lot of great online resources, including individual classes online. While I was in Jerusalem and in DC, I learned Italian through Skype classes with a teacher based in Italy, years before I ended up moving to Rome. Watching TV and movies in a foreign language is another popular option; I have a few favorite TV shows that are either originally in French or I'll watch them dubbed in French with English subtitles.

Tonija Hope Navas '93 attended Macalester College where she double majored in Spanish/Latin American Studies. She studied abroad in the Dominican Republic and soon after graduation moved to South Africa where she worked at the University of Cape Town. After returning to the US, Tonija helped develep ThinkFoodGroup. Taking a turn, she left the restaurant industry to commit herself full time to international education and completed a master’s degree at George Washington University in Tourism Administration with a concentration in International Education. She joined the Phelps Stokes Fund working on the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program and then served as its Director of Latin American Programs & Special Projects. Since 2015 she has served as the Director of the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University where she leads the university’s comprehensive internationalization process, oversees study abroad and the day-to-day operations of the Charles B. Rangel, Thomas R. Pickering, and Donald M. Payne Fellowship Programs. Tonija has two children, lives in Washington, DC and is working towards her PhD in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies at Howard University.

What has drawn you to global work and living?

A genuine curiosity to learn more about people, their communities, their traditions, etc.  I've always looked for ways to connect to people.

How did Stone Ridge help you think globally? 

In my relatively small class (53) at Stone Ridge, I was one of only three Black girls, but despite that low number our class was quite diverse.  My best friend was Mexican-American, we had two girls who were of Pakistani descent, Indian descent, Hungarian descent, Puerto Rican, two girls of Peruvian descent, three girls of Filipino descent, Chinese-American, Greek-American, Korean-American...when I sit here and reflect it was quite remarkable how much diversity we squeezed into such a small class. One year we also hosted an exchange student from Spain, Lucrecia and that was very exciting for me because I was a committed Spanish student. I reconnected with her two summers ago in Portugal!

Why is it important that students today learn and understand what it means to be a global citizen?  

It's important to be comfortable being uncomfortable. It's also key to be able to navigate places and spaces that are different from what you are used to and to do so in a respectful way. The world is only getting smaller so there will be increased interaction and not everyone does things the way we do things in the US, and that's a good thing. We need to be open to receive that because we will learn a lot...about ourselves and the world.

What role did your studies at Stone Ridge have in determining your career path?  

Spanish has been a mainstay in my life since I was 6...before I arrived at Stone Ridge and well after I left. But Stone Ridge is where I became comfortable speaking it and where I determined that it would be a central part of my life moving forward. I also greatly enjoyed world history class and the opportunity to look back...I ended up majoring in Spanish and History in college.  

What is your opinion about the study of world languages and how would you encourage current students?

I am the biggest champion of foreign language learning! EVERYONE should learn a language...this is my motto! At the end of the day, life is about connections and one of the greatest ways to connect is through language. When you can speak to someone in their language it demonstrates that you are genuinely interested in connecting, getting to know them...that you are making an effort is important. Not having intermediaries to interpret makes the exchange so much more interesting and meaningful. I cannot emphasize enough how essential learning another language is.  

Clancy Broxton '95 has worked in global health and international development since she graduated from college in 1999. She is currently the Private Sector Health Team Lead in the Global Health Bureau at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The team that she leads focuses on expanding and improving private sector delivery of healthcare for women and children in low-income countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In previous roles at USAID, Clancy was a Branch Chief for the Behavioral and Structural Interventions Branch in the Office of HIV/AIDS. In that role, she oversaw a team of behavioral scientists providing USAID leadership in social and behavioral aspects of disease prevention and treatment. Prior to joining USAID in 2009, Clancy worked on global health and infectious disease prevention at Population Services International and Doctors Without Borders. During her career in global health, she has worked in twenty-four countries around the world. Clancy holds a BA from Dartmouth College in History and master's degrees in public health and international relations, both from Johns Hopkins University. She attended Stone Ridge from 1981 to 1995. 

What has drawn you to Global work and living?

I was drawn to Global work because of several early events during my time as a 'lifer' at Stone Ridge. Initially, I first grew interested in other countries when I was the Guardian Angel to Ana Paola Hernandez, who joined our class in second grade. Because Ana had moved directly from Mexico to the US, she did not speak any English and she initially engaged with me through a mix of hand gestures and facial expressions. As a second grader, I was suddenly fascinated by the concept of other countries that spoke entirely different languages and had different customs and ways of life. This was a concept that I had not considered previously. Ana's family was also different from my own, warmer in a way, and very kind to me. I was captivated! My interest in other cultures only grew as I rose through the grades in Stone Ridge, started learning Spanish, and made more friends whose parents were from other cultures. 

After the United States was hit by the AIDS epidemic in the late '80s and '90s, I became interested in disease transmission and the global nature of disease transmission. Stone Ridge nurtured this interest by providing volunteer opportunities in this area through the Social Action program. After college, my interests in disease transmission and foreign cultures came together when I had the opportunity to work in China with Doctors Without Borders. 

How did Stone Ridge help you think globally? 

One of the parts of the SR curriculum that played a key role in helping me to think globally was Middle School social studies with Mr. O'Hare. Mr. O'Hare was one the greatest teachers I have ever had. I remember him standing in front of the giant, wall-sized map of Europe on the wall (that our grade had built ourselves) and pointing to Eastern Europe focusing on Czechoslovakia, Poland, and other Communist states. He was explaining the history of the cold war that had shaped our nation for the prior 35-40 years. He also discussed the ways in which Eastern Europe was starting to come unwound, with protests and internal strife. He predicted that countries would soon break off from the Eastern bloc and that Moscow would not be able to stop it. This was 1988. During the next two years, we journeyed with Mr. O'Hare through the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the opening of borders in Eastern Europe, and the movements that ousted Communist regimes in those countries. I couldn't believe that my social studies teacher had predicted it! I was also hooked by the idea of studying trends in the world and learning more about global problems. 

Why is it important that students today learn and understand what it means to be a global citizen?

Being a global citizen means recognizing that events beyond our own borders have an impact on our lives. It means knowing that "A Social Awareness which Impels to Action" applies not just to those who live near us but also to those who have significant needs and suffering around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic is an excellent illustration of why global citizenship is important. The pandemic could have been stopped in the beginning if greater attention had been paid by the citizens and governments of major nations to the importance of emerging infectious diseases - and to the potential for a global pandemic of this proportion. In the era of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, global citizenship continues to be important. This is because if we don't eventually vaccinate the whole world, there will be a continual reservoir of new infections and emerging COVID-19 variants in low- and middle-income countries. Those emerging variants can threaten the effectiveness of our vaccines and draw out the timeline of the epidemic. In short, without an understanding of how our world is inter-related, today's students will not be prepared for the problems that we will face in the future. 

What role did your studies at Stone Ridge have in determining your career path?

There were three important ways that my studies at SR influenced my career path. Most importantly, the SR environment introduced me to classmates whose parents were from Mexico, Bolivia, Columbia, Pakistan, Belgium, and other nations. These classmates introduced me to different ways of viewing the world and the excitement of learning about other cultures. Second, the language study that I carried out at Stone Ridge (through AP Spanish) has served me well throughout my career. Currently, the two foreign languages that I speak most fluently are Chinese and Spanish, and my Spanish language skills were built primarily at Stone Ridge. In a global career, knowledge of foreign languages is a necessity. Finally, the Social Action program encouraged me to think about a life and career that would focus on service. I gained enormous insights and grace from my regular Social Action assignments and I wanted to experience those types of interactions in an ongoing way. A career in global health and international development has allowed me to combine a service orientation with a global career. 

What is your opinion about the study of world languages and how would you encourage current students?

I would encourage students to think about the study of world languages as the opportunity to communicate with other people. While language study can include some memorization and drudgery, it all pays off when you can have those first conversations with individuals in other countries. It pays off even more when you realize that you are chatting and laughing naturally with people in another language, which is bringing its different point of view and culture into your ways of thinking. Since language study can feel like tedious sometimes, I would encourage all students to find a zoom tutor or language partner in a country that speaks the language they are studying. Speaking just once a week with a friend/language partner from another country can provide the motivation you need to get through the assignments, dialogue practice, and test/quizzes. High school is a great time to build foreign language capacity!