. . . and Off We Go!
By Kimberly Griffin and Paulina Guzman
October 15, 2016
The bios of the the Young Leaders and Program Directors traveling to China for #YLFPChina can be found here: http://international.gsu.edu/YLFPChina2016
All of the participants from the Young Leaders Fellowship Program in China made their way to the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday, October 14 to begin the day long journey across the world to Shanghai, China. The participants traveled on numerous flights at separate times which were most convenient to their personal schedules. However, the largest group flew on Delta Airlines from Atlanta to Detroit to make their connecting flight to Shanghai.
Everything was running smoothly, until the captain informed the passengers that there was an error message in the cockpit which the mechanical team needed to remedy before take off. The larger group of 8 spent 18 hours on their flight from Detroit to Shanghai, 14 of which were in the air.
All participants had arrived safely in Shanghai by the end of the day Saturday October 15th. However, due to the 12 hour time change, a day was lost in traveling. After checking into the Shanghai International Studies University Guesthouse Hotel, some participants went out to dinner, but many went to sleep after their long journey as Sunday’s activities are to begin in the early morning.
Stay tuned for more! The Opening Ceremony and Shanghai Urban Planning Lecture at the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) is up next!
Kimberly Griffin serves as Deputy Director of the Confucius Institute at Georgia State University. Her interests are in foreign language teaching, learning methodologies, cultural edification, and collaborative intercultural communication. Understanding the importance of language, she studies and can speak English, French, Mandarin, and American Sign Language.
She holds a Master of Arts degree in International Studies with an emphasis in Education, and a Bachelor of Science degree in International Affairs. Kimberly has been certified twice to teach English as a foreign language to both adults and children, and was certified by the Walt Disney Company to be an official Disney Trainer.
Previously, Kimberly worked in Shanghai and Beijing, China developing, launching, and promoting The Walt Disney Company’s English training school for children, Disney English. She has also been the Academic Director for an intensive English program for teens and adults at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Paulina Guzman serves as the Membership Manager at the World Affairs Council of Atlanta, where she is responsible for membership development, expanding the Council’s presence among Atlanta’s business and international community, and ensuring the satisfaction of its contributing members. She first joined the World Affairs Council in 2012 as an intern to assist with social media expansion and membership related projects, and now oversees a membership constituency of over 1,200 individual members and 50 corporate and non-profit members.
Paulina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in International Affairs and minor in Economics from Georgia State University. She was a member of the Latino Student Services and Outreach program, and co-founded the Young Americans for Liberty Chapter at Georgia State. In 2007, Paulina was a recipient of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.
Paulina’s interest in global affairs stems from her extensive travels abroad as well as her ethic background. Although a native of Atlanta, she has Cuban, Venezuelan, and Colombian descent and is fluent in Spanish.
Instagram: @pauguz29
YLFPChina Web
http://international.gsu.edu/ylfpchina
Homma Rafi | YLFPChina Media Contact
Office of International Initiatives, Georgia State University
hrafi1@gsu.edu
Paulina Guzman | YLFPChina Program Co-Director
World Affairs Council of Atlanta
pguzman1@gsu.edu
Kimberly Griffin | YLFPChina Program Co-Director
Confucius Institute, Georgia State University
kgriffin25@gsu.edu