Glocal at Iowa Me – Iowa – the World

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY, UI INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS, AND UI INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION MONTH COMMITTEE ​
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To celebrate International Education Month, this program features students speaking about their most meaningful “glocal” (where/how the global and the local intersect) experiences while at the University of Iowa.

Using the unique presentation style of Pecha Kucha, meaning “chit-chat” in Japanese, presenters will have six minutes to share 20 timed slides. Their stories and images focus on culture and curiosity from diverse perspectives–and the lessons they’ve learned about life as students in a wide world. A panel discussion with Q&A will follow the presentations.

Nhelia Alemo is a third-year university of Iowa student pursuing a bachelor’s in political science and master’s in public affairs. She is a Congolese American born in Kinshasa and raised in the Midwest. Her global experiences have been grounded on my identity and navigating cultural differences from her upbringing and the outside world. She has taken initiative through policy writing and college extracurriculars to continue expanding her global competency, including being part of the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council intern program.

Ellie Godsoe is a fourth year student from Buffalo, New York, studying English and Creative Writing and Screenwriting with a minor in International Studies. She participated in the Irish Writing Program in Dublin, Ireland, in the summer of 2024. This past summer, she returned to Dublin to complete an internship with Fishamble, an internationally acclaimed Irish theatre company. After graduating, Ellie intends to pursue an MFA in writing to continue interacting and connecting with unique perspectives from across the world.

Sean Keene is a fourth-year student from Columbia, Missouri, majoring in political science, journalism, and Spanish, with a focus on Latin American politics. Sean has participated in four unique programs during his time at Iowa, studying in Spain, Chile, and Paris, and interning in Rome. After graduating, he plans to attend grad school to earn a Ph.D. in political science and international relations. As of this moment Sean has been to 25 countries and wants to try and get to 30 before graduating in May.

Andrés Restrepo-Sánchez is a PhD candidate in Sociocultural Anthropology, whose research explores the connections between reproductive justice, obstetric violence, and birth reform in Medellín, Colombia. He earned a BS in Nursing and an MA in Cultural Studies in Bogotá, Colombia, and then moved to Iowa in 2021 to pursue his PhD with the support of a Fulbright scholarship. Andrés is also a birth doula, tarot reader, crochet and puzzle enthusiast, and RPG and fantasy fan.

Harry Siraj is a first-year law student at the University of Iowa College of Law and a recent University of Iowa graduate, where he studied Political Science and graduated with high distinction and Phi Beta Kappa honors. Originally from Kerala, India, Harry is passionate about exploring the different facets of the legal field as he begins his law school journey. Outside the classroom, his interests include art and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.