Editor’s note: This is part one of a two-part series on the New Seasons International Scholars Program that recruits high-achieving international students to UAPB.
To prepare the next generation of global leaders, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff works to guarantee its students have transformational experiences studying abroad, according to Pamela Moore, Ph.D, associate dean for global engagement at UAPB.
The other half of the equation is ensuring international students receive similarly transformational experiences through “study abroad” in the U.S. Supporting the educational experience of students from all over the world is one of the top priorities of UAPB’s Office of International Programs and Studies, which Moore oversees.
“Our office assists faculty, staff and even external organizations in their efforts to recruit and retain international students with the goal of enhancing global awareness and understanding, while preparing the next generation of global leaders,” Moore said. “As OIPS is responsible for ensuing compliance with immigration regulations, we play a key role in helping international students achieve their academic and career goals while adhering to the terms of their visas.”
One organization OIPS has assisted in recent years is New Seasons Youth Program, headquartered in Atlanta.
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“In addition to working with our office, New Seasons also works closely with the Offices of Recruitment and Admissions,” she said. “Thanks to this ongoing collaboration, UAPB has experienced a significant increase in undergraduate international students from countries such as Jamaica, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zambia and Ghana. Last year, for the first time since my tenure at UAPB, international student enrollment exceeded 70 students.”
Moore said UAPB benefits from the partnership with New Seasons Youth Program by gaining high-achieving international students who bring rich and unique perspectives to the academic experience, thus contributing to cross-cultural understanding on campus. The mission of New Seasons Youth Program is one closely aligned with the values of OIPS and UAPB as a whole, she said.
“The relationship is authentic, not driven by economic interests as would be the case with a paid recruitment firm,” she said.
Ray Jackson is the founder and director of the New Seasons Youth Program.
“Our goal is to provide educational opportunities for youth from communities in Africa, the Caribbean and beyond. We aim to help those who cannot help themselves,” Jackson said.
Jackson’s passion for providing opportunities for international youth goes back about 26 years when he started attending Cross Culture Church (formerly Abundant Life Church) in Lithonia, Ga.
He credits the church with playing a significant role in his work and life. He appreciates how the pastor encourages church members to go beyond borders to positively impact other nations in addition to their own communities.
“At the church, I became exposed to people who were active in missions abroad,” he said. “I quickly realized I was not called to the mission field per se. It’s not that the idea of going abroad and teaching the gospel didn’t appeal to me. I just knew that if I was to go abroad, I would want to be out among the people and trying to understand the culture.”
Jackson prayed about ways he could make a difference. The answer to his prayers came in the form of a question: “Why don’t you help young people?”
“Churches always take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations, but what do we do to help them rise above their poverty, I asked myself,” Jackson said. “The best way to teach a man to fish — to be self-sustaining — is to give them an education. If you combine education with the word of God, you can make a tremendous difference.”
Jackson and his wife, De’Adrianne, started laying the foundation for an organization that would recruit students from Africa and the Caribbean to historically Black universities and colleges.
They had just recruited their first three students when tragedy suddenly struck.
“We had taken our newly recruited students to Philander Smith College, my alma mater, and when we returned home, my wife said she felt sick,” Jackson said. “It turned out that she had leukemia.”
De’Adrianne Jackson passed away a mere six months after her diagnosis.
“There I was trying to assist three foreign students and raise a 3-year-old child with special needs,” he said. “I had to make a decision. Was I going to follow the plan God gave me? Or was I going to use my tragedy to call it quits? I chose to continue on.”
Jackson’s organization gradually grew as did the number of international students he could help year-to-year. Though at the beginning he could only recruit three international students a year, last year he helped over 100 students find places at 17 HBCUs, six of whom enrolled at UAPB.
“When it comes to recruitment, we reach out to different schools and organizations in the countries we work with,” Jackson said. “Government agencies often reach out because they know we take very good care of our students. We receive other applicants simply thanks to word of mouth. When students know peers who joined our program, they reach out to us too.”
After meeting initial program requirements, applicants to New Seasons undergo a rigorous interview process that involves writing an essay, acquiring letters of recommendation and creating a video explaining their intentions to pursue higher education in the U.S. Finally, a selection committee determines the students who are chosen for the program.
“At UAPB, we have been very successful in getting most of the students full-ride chancellor’s scholarships,” he said. “We have to remember where these students are from and meet them where they are. That’s why most students have all costs covered, including airfare, Student and Exchange Visitor Program fees, clothing, supplies and housing.”
Moore said these additional costs, many of which are not included in university or institutional scholarships, are covered through New Seasons Youth Program.
“The additional support, including host families assigned to students here in the U.S., is tremendously important,” she said. “Institutional scholarships are certainly great, but students must cover a range of personal expenses as well as government fees required to obtain off-campus employment clearance as students or following their graduation. They must also pay for health insurance that includes certain provisions that are not essential for U.S. students.”
Jackson said the program participants thrive at HBCUs. Graduates have gone on to get jobs with Google, Apple, Microsoft and Uber. One currently works as a vice president at Goldman Sachs. Others go on to continue their studies at Ivy League institutions such as Harvard.
He feels inspired when he sees New Seasons program participants become ambassadors for change in their home countries.
After graduation, some New Seasons alumni have built homes for their families. Some have helped nieces and nephews get their educations. Others built a platform that assists students preparing for the SAT.
“One group has built dormitories so students in their home country can have affordable living,” Jackson said. “They do podcasts and engage in motivational speaking at their schools. They give back the best way they can. And most importantly, they teach others that you don’t have to be content if you feel stuck in a certain situation — there is always a chance to rise above your circumstances, seek opportunities and strive for excellence.”
Will Hehemann is an Extension Specialist for Communications with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences.