Introduction and Mission

Greetings all, and welcome to Breaking into the Field of International Education! My name is Zack Wright, and as you may have guessed from the title of this blog, I am seeking to enter into the career of international education. Unfortunately, this is not a blog (yet) about how to enter into the field. Hopefully it will be one day, but right now it is about the process- it is about the journey, the trials and tribulations, of finding a position within an international office at a university. There will be some heartache, and hopefully some success, but perhaps this blog will serve as a tool for others as they, too, search for a job within the field, or any field for that matter!


First, a little about myself. I have a B.A. in History from the University of Alabama, and an M.A. in Social Change and Resistance from the University of Leicester in England. In the fall of 2008, my sophomore year, I had an experience that shaped my life. I studied abroad in Leicester, England- the first time that I had truly been away, completely on my own, without any friends or family for support, in a culture that was surprisingly much different to the one that I was accustomed to. To sum it up, never had I had so much fun! From studying abroad, I discovered an independence and a resilience in me that I never knew I had. From studying abroad, I gained self-confidence and self-awareness, finally understanding my place within the world. From studying abroad, I was no longer just a citizen of Alabama or even the United States- I became a global citizen, expanding my once narrow view of society and culture. 


Like so many people I have talked to or heard speak about their study abroad experience, I became hooked. After my semester abroad, I knew that I had to return to Leicester, a city that I fell in love with, and to my friends in England, whom I also fell in love with. Indeed, during my short stay in 2008, I would meet my best man at my wedding, and my wife, Sabrina, the East Anglian girl who lived upstairs from me in Shirley House. 


I returned to Leicester in the fall of 2011 to pursue my Master's. After living nine months in a tiny studio flat in the bustling city center, we moved in with Sabrina's parents in Hellesdon, a village just outside of Norwich. There, I finished up my dissertation, and experienced life in East Anglia, developing a perfectly healthy obsession with Norwich City football (soccer to you Americans), British television, and exploring the surrounding villages and coastal towns. 


Now, we are here in sleepy Birmingham (Alabama, not England), newlyweds as of April 7, 2012, and seeking to begin our lives together. First priority- find a job! With a certain amount of luck and ingenuity, I will soon be able to apply my passion for expanding our cultural interaction with other countries to one lucky university international office. But until then, I will be doing anything but waiting. 


When living abroad, in order to truly appreciate and enjoy a foreign culture, you must be proactive and open-minded. 


Rule #1 of Breaking into the Field of International Education- Be proactive!


My LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/zack-wright/49/b26/265