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Global UGRAD students: Building skills and strengthening communities through service
October 7, 2025
The United States is known worldwide for its focus on individual volunteerism. Giving freely of one’s time to support community organizations is part of the fabric of our country. Students who participate in the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD) come to understand these values first-hand during their semester-long programs at U.S. colleges and universities. Community service is woven into the program experience, offering students meaningful opportunities to build professional skills, expand their networks, and apply their academic expertise while making tangible contributions to American communities.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by World Learning, the Global UGRAD Program partners with U.S. two- and four-year colleges and universities in America’s Midwest, Deep South, Appalachian region, Great Plains, and Rocky Mountain/West. At these institutions, international students develop an appreciation of American culture and values, enhance their academic knowledge, and improve their American English. Through hands-on community service projects, students cultivate leadership skills and entrepreneurial approaches to real-world challenges while gaining sector-specific experience and building networks with American professionals and organizations. At the same time, the community organizations benefit from the students’ technical skills, knowledge, and enthusiastic commitment.
Annually, Global UGRAD students log more than 6,800 community service hours in cities and towns across the United States.
Read on to learn about the impact these volunteer experiences have had on both the Global UGRAD students and the communities they served. (Editor’s note: Quotes have been edited for length and clarity only.)
“One of my community service experiences was chemical monitoring at Tanyard Creek in my host community. This was, by far, the volunteer activity I enjoyed the most as a STEM student, and I’m glad I could give something back to my community in Milledgeville.”
Ilianne R.; Georgia College State University; Milledgeville, GA, spring 2025
“Campus Kitchens is a program aimed at addressing food insecurity in Troy University’s community. Each Thursday, excess food from the dining hall is donated and packaged; on Fridays, packaged food is delivered to youth-serving community agencies in the Troy community. One initiative of Campus Kitchens called Backpack for Kids provides backpacks filled with supplemental (donated) food for children in need.
Through this volunteering experience, I learned how I can positively impact my community in Mozambique by providing unused or excess food to children in rural areas. This experience also allowed me to connect a concept I have learned in my Human Nutrition class called “estimated average requirement.” In Mozambique, I can apply this concept, as well as the experiences I had with Campus Kitchens.”
Alice M.; Troy University; Troy, AL; spring 2025
“Who would have thought that tagging sharks would be part of my community service hours? Certainly not me! It all started in my Humanities and Social Issues class. A classmate spoke about his previous experience tagging sharks, and from that moment on, I knew I wanted to be part of that project. Our work has an important purpose: to collect data on sharks, such as their migratory and population patterns, which benefits both maintaining balance in marine ecosystems and the fishing economy. In this process, I have learned a lot about the care and proper handling of sharks. And it has positively impacted me, I have been able to help the community with something I really enjoy, and it has professional benefits for my career as a marine biologist and aquaculturist.”
Jesslyn S.; Florida Gulf Coast University; Fort Myers, FL; spring 2024
“I volunteered at the Baptist Community Ministry because I wanted to know more about Christianity. The people I volunteered with were the kindest people I met in the U.S. We played games, traveled, and had conversations about religion, and helped so many people through various community service projects. I am still in touch with most of them!”
Mohamed K.; University of Montevallo; Montevallo, AL; spring 2023
“I volunteered as a dance instructor in the Eppson Center for Seniors in Laramie. I taught an aerobics/dance class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’ve been a dancer my whole life and always loved how dancing made me feel. It was an honor to share the activity I love the most with a class filled with lovely ladies with lots of stories to tell. In the same center, in my free time before my class, I got to help their Home Delivered Meals Department, sealing meals for seniors across the city who couldn’t cook for themselves. Everyone in the kitchen and the delivery process was amazing and from them I learned so much.”
Maria G.; University of Wyoming; Laramie, WY, spring 2025