District VII Highlights: Southwest student selected for Salzburg Global Seminar

Jun 26, 2014

Dean Betty Fortune, Saira Zaman and Professor John Speer

HCC Southwest International Student Services in conjunction with the Study Abroad Program selected Saira Zaman, a Southwest College Computer Science major, to attend the Salzburg Global Seminar in Salzburg, Austria this summer.

Prior to departure, 19-year-old Zaman participated in class instruction to prepare her for the one-week academic program abroad. The study abroad portion of the program was June 2 through June 9, 2014 where she p the Community College International Study Program (ISP).

Zaman applied for the chance to go to the seminar because she wanted to a part of the atmosphere of Global Citizenship. She says it is exciting and important to meet new people who have a similar perspective and yet come from different backgrounds. She wanted to participate because, she says, “Despite people’s differences, they have the same goal and strive for it.”

Study Abroad Scholarship is funded by HCC, which covered the costs of airfare, tuition, meals and accommodations. The program featured more than 25 distinctive sessions and workshops inspired by three interdependent values: imagination, sustainability and justice.

Discussions evolved around economics, politics and social aspects of countries, and how it is significant to come together and accept everyone’s uniqueness. Zaman adds that even though there were so many people and each of them was their own person, they had their own unique views. She expressed the reservations of the participants in that the idea of peace is very fragile because it involves developed countries letting go of imperialistic policies and providing developing countries the opportunity to flourish. The flaws in U.S. policies were also discussed and compared to other countries, and she realized that our country was not perfect. She says the experience was introspective and enlightening.

The Salzburg Global Seminar’s mission is to break down barriers separating people and ideas. It spans the world's regions and challenges countries at all stages of development and institutions across all sectors to rethink their relationships and identify shared interests and goals.

Zaman returned from the seminar with a new perspective, “I definitely have a broader spectrum of thought than before. I think it was significant that all the participants where from the States, but we were in another country where we could freely discuss our thoughts and ideas without fear of being shunned as “un-American.” I definitely got to see how the rest of the world saw the U.S. and slowly realized how an action by one super-power could reverberate through the entire world and cause some serious damage. Everything is connected, and it is imperative to understand that. It’s similar to the domino effect. One country’s actions are not just for itself; it affects others. I also learned how important it is to accept and respect other languages, cultures and religions.”

Zaman will share her findings and the knowledge she gained with her classes next fall. Today’s world demands international experience, global contacts and universal understanding to compete.  Houston Community College is ensuring its students have the skills to participate on the world stage.