Who are the Global Ambassadors and Dukes?
The Global Ambassadors and Global Dukes are the student voice of JMU Study Abroad! As study abroad alum (returnees), we are passionate about sharing global opportunities with the JMU community! Study abroad changed our lives in significant ways, so this is a way for us to give back and encourage others to go abroad. If there is anything we can do to help you prepare to leave for study abroad or return to campus, let us know and we will be happy to help.
Presentation Request
Would you like a Study Abroad presentation for your classroom, residence hall, or organization? The Global Ambassadors and Dukes will be glad to assist you! Email studyabroad@jmu.edu to get started.
What do we do?
As a team, we represent and promote study abroad at JMU. We assist the Study Abroad staff with events and programs throughout the school year. In addition to connecting with the JMU community, we advise prospective study abroad students and families throughout the application process program help prepare for their departure. We also host returnee events designed to reconnect study abroad alumni with friends from their program and workshops to help students leverage their experience on resumes and interviews.
Global Dukes are student volunteers who contribute to study abroad recruitment efforts and help with the smooth running of JMU Study Abroad events. Global Dukes often support specific programs or program directors, and help promote, recruit and educate within their academic departments and learning communities. Global Dukes volunteer for 5 hours per semester.
Global Ambassadors serve as paid student leaders who work with the study abroad professional staff and hold a specific assistantship, assigned to them based on their skill set, experience, and interest. Global Ambassadors lead our student volunteers, the Global Dukes, and oversee peer advising.
We are not currently accepting applications for Global Ambassador positions. Applications for Fall 2025 - Spring 2026 positions will open mid-March.
Volunteer as a Global Duke!
Was your study abroad experience transformative? Are you interested in sharing your experience with other students, growing as a professional, and working with a passionate team of study abroad returnees?
Attend our Global Dukes Orientation session this January! The session will be held at the Center for Global Enagement, Room 2001, 2nd floor Holland Yates Hall.
- 1:00pm-1:45pm, Wednesday, January 22, 2025
If you missed our training, please email studyabroad@jmu.edu for more information about how to get involved.
2024-2025 Global Ambassadors
Hana Mahyoub
Global Leadership: Spanish Intellectuals Honors Abroad in Salamanca, Spain - Summer 2024
Represented the U.S. at the INU International Student Conference in Bandung, Indonesia - Winter 2024
"My name is Hana Mahyoub, and I'm a junior Psychology major with minors in Arabic, Middle Eastern Communities and Migrations, and Honors! In summer 2024, I participated in the "Global Leadership: Spanish Intellectuals" honors abroad program in Salamanca, Spain. In January 2024, I also went to Bandung, Indonesia to represent the United States at the INU (International Network of Universities) International Student Conference. My hometown is Fairfax, Virginia.
As cliche as it sounds, my studies abroad have absolutely defined my JMU experience! Since none of the countries I've been to are primarily English-speaking, they taught me first and foremost what it means to be open-minded, fully immersed, and fully independent. Further, in my experience, it's the small moments that make a study abroad experience so irreplaceable: the friends, the conversations, and the "side quests!" My most vivid memory of Indonesia, for example, is a conversation with another student about what it's like being a religious minority in our countries-- her being a Christian in Indonesia, me being a Muslim in the United States. The world really is small, and the feeling of connection that comes from studying abroad is indescribable; both incredibly grounding and freeing."
Email: mahyouhs@dukes.jmu.edu
Ioanna Astroulakis
Semester in Antwerp - Fall 2023
"My name is Ioanna Astroulakis, and I'm a Junior Business Management major from Chantilly, VA! I remember thinking this as my study abroad was ending, and I continue to feel this way; Going on this study abroad trip was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I'm never going to have an experience quite like this again - studying, living, and travelling with a group of people who I barely knew coming in, but can now call some of my best friends. We were able to experience so many new places, new foods, new everything... It was an eye-opening and truly amazing experience. There were some long days and rough patches, of course, but that is bound to happen. After all, this was a new experience for everyone, but I would not trade it for anything. I was able to cross so much off of my bucket list, and Antwerp became a home for me - I'm already trying to plan a trip back! A day does not go by where I don't think about my semester abroad; I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to experience such an amazing three months of my life again!"
Email: astrouix@dukes.jmu.edu
Theresa Carpinelli
Semester in London - Fall 2023
"My name's Theresa Carpinelli, and I'm a senior Art History major concentrating in museum studies, and minoring in theatre and British communication and media. I'm also from Richmond, VA! When I came into college, I knew that I wanted to study abroad. I have always been interested in studying the arts and I recognized that the best way to learn about art, museums, and theatre was to spend time in as many of them as I could all across the world! Even with these high expectations about studying abroad, I was unprepared for the impact it would have on me. I had the opportunity to truly experience the rich and vibrant cultural atmosphere of London; I spent a lot of my semester in museums, seeing theatre, and traveling elsewhere in Europe to encounter the culture in other new places. I got to stand in front of artwork I had only dreamed of seeing in person. Additionally, studying abroad in London gave me the unique opportunity to live on my own and grow as an individual. I’m an identical twin and, up until my semester abroad, my twin and I had never spent more than ten days away from one another. My semester in London was a challenging big step, but it showed me that I could try new things and see new places for myself! I am so grateful I took the leap to study abroad; it is such a rewarding and once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Email: carpintr@dukes.jmu.edu
Jesse Davis
Food and Culture of France - Summer 2023
Internship in Valencia, Spain - Summer 2024
"Hi, my name is Jesse Davis! I am a senior from New Hampshire studying communication with a concentration in public relations and a minor in WRTC. During my time at JMU, I have been fortunate enough to study abroad in France and Spain. Without a doubt, both of these programs changed my life. I have come back with new stories and perspectives that I am excited to take into my senior year and beyond! In the summer of 2023, I spent three weeks immersed in the culture and food of France. This experience gave me a taste of what it was like to go abroad and led me to want to explore more of JMU’s programs. In the summer of 2024, I went abroad again to Valencia, Spain. I spent six weeks living with a host family, practicing my Spanish and working as an intern for a golf course company. During those six weeks, I was able to create a home for myself thousands of miles away. Although it was difficult at times, I left Spain with a newfound confidence that I believe only studying abroad could bring. I not only became one of the best versions of myself abroad, but ended both programs with new, amazing friends."
Email: davis8jl@dukes.jmu.edu
Megan Frigerio
Semester in Scotland - Summer 2024
"Hi! My name's Megan Frigerio, and I'm a Sophomore Theatre Major with a concentration in Performance, and a Music Minor. I'm from Miami, FL! To say this was a summer to remember would be an understatement. Getting the chance to explore a brand-new country and immerse myself in the food, music, culture, and lifestyle of Scotland is something that I wouldn't take back. In addition to the faculty of The University of Edinburgh and St. Andrews being just fantastic, the friends I have made on this trip I still text regularly and eat lunch with on the quad. Being thrust into a foreign country was no easy feat. But doing it with people who I knew would match my level of adventure made it all the more rewarding. Getting lost is the best part. Going down that small alleyway because I smelled potatoes or getting off at the wrong bus stop in the middle of the Scottish Highlands because it felt right are the things I'll carry with me the most from this trip. Talking with locals at the corner pub and petting their adorable dogs as they dish about the Scottish election is special. Going into a local church to watch a Gaelic song concert at 9 pm is special. Doing a spontaneous hike up Arthur's Seat in the early morning is special. Walking to the very end of West Sands Beach is special. These special moments make Semester in Scotland, and I hope that people who do this program will experience just as many as I did."
Email: frigermm@dukes.jmu.edu
Anna Colonno
Healthcare in Tarragona, Spain - Summer 2023
"Hi everyone! My name is Anna Colonno and I am a senior nursing major, minoring in chronic illness. I am originally from Albany, New York, but my family and I recently moved to Daytona Beach, Florida! During the summer 2023 term, I traveled to Tarragona, Spain where I studied their healthcare system. Studying abroad not only gave me unforgettable experiences and friendships, but also a new insight into my potential work life after graduation. Following research of the healthcare system in a classroom, I had the opportunity to see, firsthand, the workflow of nurses in the local hospital. As one could guess, there were periods of high stress and grief, but alternatively, I witnessed the internal bonds made amongst nurses and their coworkers. Their bonds are ones I only hope to create after I take my final steps to becoming a nurse. Without others alongside us it would be tough to cope with the highs and lows of such challenging but rewarding jobs. Studying abroad solidified the fact that the people truly make the place, and I will forever be grateful for the memories."
Email: colonnac@dukes.jmu.edu
Abigail Garlock
Semester in Florence, Italy - Spring 2024
"My name is Abigail Garlock, and I'm a Senior Communications major from Alexandria, VA. My semester in Florence changed my life! I gained so much independence while also creating such close friendships with the people in my program. It was an adjustment to be so far away from home, but it gave me the opportunity to learn so much about myself and other cultures around the world. I was able to travel to 10 countries in 4 months as well as explore all of Italy. It was truly the best experience of my life and made me want to continue traveling in any way I can!"
Email: garlocae@dukes.jmu.edu
Sydney Stafford
Semester in Salamanca, Spain - Fall 2023
"Hi! My name is Syney Stafford, and I'm a Justice Studies and Spanish Major with a Humanitarian Affairs Minor. And I'm from Bristow, VA! It is very hard to describe my experience abroad in just a short testimonial. My time abroad was a time I will never, ever forget and was nothing short of life changing. I know that is very common to hear about study abroad, but being in Salamanca truly changed me in many ways. Salamanca is a beautiful city located on the west side of Spain. It has so much history yet still feels like such a small town. My friends and I, from both Spain and the US, would frequent many of the local shops and restaurants and became family with many of the owners. The friendly faces are limitless, and you truly feel at home. Now of course, there are challenges along the way. I remember being so nervous leading up to my flight there, that I didn’t think I would make it on the plane. And the language barrier took some getting used to, but if you truly take the time to engage in the culture and the language, I can promise you’ll make meaningful connections that will last a lifetime. These connections have followed me all the way back to JMU. I still speak regularly with my University of Salamanca friends and stay in touch with my professors (shoutout Jesus). Alongside the connections I made, the personal and professional growth will also follow you wherever you go. The level of independence I had abroad was something I wasn’t quite used to, but it changed me for the better and I left with a new appreciation of the world and all it has to offer. My motivation for school and involvement has grown, alongside my love for learning about different cultures, languages, and perspectives. This love is something so unique to studying abroad, especially in a city like Salamanca.
If there is one thing I would recommend to any student, I would say to study abroad. Although intimidating and challenging sometimes, it really is the most beneficial experience you could have here at JMU. I have many strong and positive words for my experiences, but it truly is something you have to experience yourself. Take this as your sign, the World is waiting for you!"
Email: staffosg@jmu.edu
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