SALT LAKE CITY - This spring, Sara Demko, assistant provost for global learning at Westminster University, was awarded the prestigious Fulbright International Education Administrator Seminar award. Sara will visit Japan for two weeks in June 2024 with a cohort of higher education professionals from colleges and universities across the U.S. While abroad, Sara hopes to create more opportunities for Westminster students to visit and study in Japan and for Japanese students to study at Westminster University. This well-deserved award highlights Sara’s expertise and experience and will allow her to continue to expand opportunities for global engagement at Westminster University.
“This trip is a great opportunity for networking with professionals from colleges in the U.S. and learning about education standards and practices in Japan. It’s a country with a rich and deep history. To have the opportunity to go, not only as a tourist, but as a Fulbright group and learn from other professionals, is an exciting opportunity for professional development,” says Sara.
Sara’s upcoming trip isn’t the first time she will work with professionals from around the world. Since Westminster University acquired IPSL Global Engagement, Sara has worked closely with global partners to integrate the program into the Westminster experience.
Recently, she hosted a campus visit with Mr. Phuong Don, site director for the IPSL program in Vietnam and director of the NGO Center for Sustainable Development Studies in Hanoi. Phuong Don met with Westminster University faculty and students for two weeks to discuss opportunities for study and community engagement in Vietnam. Beginning in summer 2024, Westminster University students can earn academic credit, volunteer with a local community partner, and fulfill their Engaging the World experience with an IPSL program in Vietnam.
Sara is looking forward to her trip and to learning more about educational practices in Japan.
She says, “It’s a great honor to receive this award. I’m excited to promote cultural and educational exchanges between Japan and the U.S. as well as experience a baseball game at the Tokyo Dome, participate in a traditional tea ceremony and visit important historical sites including the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.”
Sara Demko
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