International opportunities highlighted in February

To celebrate February as International Opportunities Month, 21 UW–Madison campus organizations are offering a full range of programs to help students learn about working, studying, volunteering and traveling abroad.

The events are being coordinated by the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) located in the School of Business. Events include career planning seminars, Peace Corps presentations, African dance demonstrations, craft events, international coffees, potluck suppers and seminars on employment strategies.

Events begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5 in 4151 Grainger Hall when a panel of professionals will share their paths to international careers during an International Business Career Panel. Panelists, working both internationally and for global companies, will share their backgrounds, career paths, and thoughts on what it takes to work internationally and how to best secure a global job. Scheduled participants include Leslie Wells, licensed custom house broker at M. E. Dey & Co., Inc. Milwaukee; Teri Anderson, channel marketing manager – international, Promega Corporation, Madison, and Mark Rhoda, manager of international sales, Springs Window Fashions, Madison.

Another key event will be the International Career Spotlight: An Inside Look at Harley-Davidson. It’s set from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Morgridge Auditorium (1100 Grainger Hall) on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Guest speaker Steve Wasser, director of Asia sales and market development, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Milwaukee, will outline his international career, give students advice on how best to prepare for global careers and offer an insider’s view of Harley-Davidson’s international strategy.

The Office of International Studies and Programs is sponsoring a brown bag lunch at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 12 on international careers with non-governmental organizations. Speakers are Don Schramm from the UW–Madison Center for Disaster Management, Paul Thompson of InterWorks, a Madison consulting company that works with NGOs, and Diana Manastiri from the American Red Cross. The event will be held at Memorial Union (check TITU).

For students interested in a career in the Foreign Service, there will be a special panel on that topic from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25 in 1100 Grainger Hall. Bruce Donahue, special advisor in the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Readiness Task Force address Foreign Service career opportunities, trends in recruitment and lifestyle issues.

He will be joined by panelists Shannon Farrell and Karin Gleisner, who will provide insights into preparing for the written Foreign Service exam and share impressions on what it takes to pass the oral exam. Both passed the exam in 2002, and are awaiting security and medical clearances for their assignments as U.S. Foreign Service officers.