Recently, during the month of July 2014 I attended the Doshisha University American Studies Summer Seminar (DASSS) in Kyoto, Japan. The picture above is the group of professors, administrators, graduate students, and children of professors and administrators who were in attendance.
At the conference, I presented an unfinished paper on the narratives of African American students in study abroad programs. My paper/presentation at the DASSS allowed me to enter into a larger conversation with scholars from other nation-states and academic discipline about the narratives of African American students studying abroad and possibly how those narratives they can shape university policies, black student empowerment, and even U.S. policies.
The 2014 DASSS was a terrific experience for me as an aspiring scholar and border crosser. While the presentation was meaningful, the faculty mentorship, scholarly dialogue, and networking provided us with a good platform to leap into the academy.
Thank you to both Miami University Global Initiatives Office and the Doshisha University American Studies Department for helping fund my experience in Kyoto, Japan.
#blackboyabroad: black and wandering the world 