WIVA
Want to Gain International Experience? Why not Work, Intern, or Volunteer Abroad?!
The WIVA program provides Sonoma State students and recent graduates support to start their search for overseas opportunities. Whether you’re interested in working, interning, volunteering, teaching, researching, or attending graduate school abroad, we can help you find the perfect program for you! In doing so, we can help you navigate the available program options, provide you resources, review your resume or essays, and assist you with the application process.
Benefits
Returning students cite countless benefits to going abroad, including:
- Gaining real-world skills and international competency
- Making a difference in the global community
- Building your resume and enhancing your employability
- Establishing new contacts and forging new friendships
- Experiencing a new culture
- Earning credit towards degree requirements
- Making some extra money
- Personal growth, and more!
WIVA Information Meetings
Your first step to going abroad is to attend one of the WIVA information meetings. These are generally conducted in a 1-on-1 format. Please stop by the Global Engagement Office in International Hall 107 or call our front desk at (707) 664-2582 to sign up over the phone. You can also contact the WIVA advisor directly, Hope Ortiz, at hope.ortiz@sonoma.edu.
Program Highlights
Fulbright Student Programs Competition is Now Open!
The U.S. Fulbright Programs offers students opportunities to pursue graduate or professional study, as well as English teaching internships in elementary and secondary schools or universities. Each year, approximately 1,500 Americans traveling to more than 130 countries receive support from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
To apply for a Fulbright Scholarship, students must apply through Sonoma State University’s Global Engagement Office. The SSU Fulbright Program Advisor, Hope Ortiz, will evaluate your application and conduct an interview with you prior to submitting the final application. Please contact us for more information on the programs, dates, and deadlines.
Application Components
- Basic Personal Data
- Essays: Statement of Purpose & Personal Statement
- Foreign Language Report
- Three Reference Letters
- Transcripts
To begin the process, you need to start the online application: Getting Started. Given that you may only apply to one country per competition year, your first step is to determine where you want to go and then start your essays. Fulbright also has several online resources to help you navigate the application process, including live webinars!
To get started, contact the WIVA advisor directly, Hope Ortiz, at hope.ortiz@sonoma.edu.
Ready to Launch Your International Career? Want to Make a Difference in the World?
Join the Peace Corps! The Peace Corps has been a leader in international development and citizen diplomacy for more than 50 years across more than 139 countries. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, you work directly with communities on their most pressing issues while gaining a competitive advantage in today's global economy with international experience, cross-cultural understanding, and fluency in a foreign language. Peace Corps experience can springboard careers in the government, nonprofit, academic, and private sectors.
The length of service with Peace Corps is generally 27 months – 2 years of service plus 3 months of training. It is recommended that you apply nine months to one year in advance of your desired departure date.
To be eligible for service, you must be:
- At least 18 years old
- A U.S. citizen
Benefits
- Student loan assistance
- A “readjustment” allowance of $7,425 (pre-tax) upon completion of service
- Language, cross-cultural, and technical training
- Travel to and from country of service
- A monthly living and housing allowance
- Medical and dental care
- 48 paid vacation days
- Leave for family emergencies
- Graduate school opportunities, such as scholarships, credit for service, fellowships and internships
- Transition and job support and social-networking after service
- Advantages in federal employment
To learn more about Peace Corps and how to apply, check out their website!
| GoAbroad.com is the leading international education and experiential travel resource. Its search engine contains tens of thousands of opportunities abroad - updated daily - including study abroad, work, internships, volunteer opportunities, teach abroad, language schools and much more. |
| IIE Grant Opportunites lists multiple opportunities for students to apply for grants, particularly in relation to graduate school or research abroad. |
| Goinglobal.com provides country-specific career and employment information, including world-wide internship and job postings, H1B employer listings, corporate profiles, and career resources for 30 countries that are updated daily. To get full access to this database, please login using your Seawolf account. |
| StudyAbroad.com is the leading source of information on educational opportunities for students to study in other countries. It is also a comprehensive directory of study abroad programs, including summer study abroad, internship, service learning, volunteer abroad, and intensive language programs, all of which are organized by subject or country of interest. |
| Idealist.org is the best resource to find volunteer opportunities, nonprofit jobs, and internships with organizations working to change the world. |
| Gooverseas.com is an online directory of opportunities to teach, study, volunteer, and intern abroad, including reviews and interviews with past participants. |
| Globalplacement.com provides a directory of thousands of foreign internships across the world in various sectors. Through its large business network, Globalplacement.com brings students and companies together by matching individual interests and skills to specific employment opportunities. |
| DiversityAbroad.com is a comprehensive and diverse portal that connects students, recent graduates and young professionals with international study, intern, teach, volunteer, and job opportunities. |
| TransitionsAbroad.com is a travel guide that provides a wealth of information and resources for those interested in living, working, studying, or volunteering abroad. |
Student Testimonials
Serving in the Peace Corps was an exceptional opportunity and adventure! Never ever will I forget this amazing experience. Doors have opened wide for me. The mere mention of serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer gets people super excited!
– Lily Woll, Master of Arts in Education
I interned at the U.S. Consulate in Milan, Italy through the U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program. I was assigned to the Regional Security Office, but I also had the opportunity to work with Consular Affairs and within the Public Affairs Section. I learned valuable skills which I can apply to future job opportunities and was exposed to life as a Foreign Service Officer. I highly recommend this internship for anyone interested in an international career!
– Kaia Adams, Global Studies Major
Peace Corps was an enormously positive experience. I learned a lot about the world, and a lot about myself. I developed a deep appreciation for another culture, and a connection to my host country that will be with me for the rest of my life. And on the way, I met the most amazing people I could ever hope to meet, and they have become lifelong friends. It’s a great way to jump start a career, and it will change your life!
– Nicole Voorhees, Master of Arts in Organization Development
Living and working abroad was one of the greatest experiences of my life. You will meet amazing people and see things that are totally different from your home country. We have such long lives, why not spend a couple of those years doing something challenging and inspiring? I'm so grateful I did.
– Jana Kania, Master of Arts in Education
After graduating from Sonoma State with a degree in Liberal Studies and Spanish, I moved to Madrid, Spain to work as an English conversational teacher in primary schools. This will now be my 3rd year teaching and I’m living now in the beautiful Andalusian city of Seville. It’s been a wild adventure, and I owe it all to my study abroad in experience which gave me the courage and confidence to not only live abroad but to chase my dreams.
– Elisabeth Corley, BA in Liberal Studies (Hutchins) and Spanish