Where Are the Feisty Women of International Education? with Samantha Cooper

You know what I love most about Sam Cooper? She's a visionary and she takes risks even when there's a chance she'll ruffle some feathers or push our standard boundaries. I also love that she hired me with very little professional experience and encouraged even my most off the wall ideas. Because of her, I kept thinking big, kept pushing my own boundaries, and kept taking risks. Enjoy the interview below!

If you don't know Sam, well, you're missing out. Not only is she an incredibly intelligent and creative International Educator, but she's one of the most fun and sassy thought leaders in IE.

Currently, she's in the last leg of her graduate program at Portland State University where she's also been working with several IEOs, both with inbound and outbound students. Previously she was a study abroad coordinator at Babson College, led the Babson BRIC program, and was the Director of University Relations at EUSA Academic Internships (where our paths originally crossed). At EUSA, she grew the organization from just a handful of university partnerships to nearly 100 strong campus relationships nationwide. Boom! What a rock star!

But like me, Sam is feisty, empowered, and has an attitude that says "who cares if we ruffle some feathers if we're finding innovative ways to advance the field, improve educational opportunities abroad, and help more students go global."

If you like game changers and people who think beyond "traditional" approaches to study abroad, then you're going to love meeting Samantha Cooper!

Here's what you'll learn:

• How having parents with their own case of the travel bug inspired Sam to explore
• How she first started learning French (Spoiler: It involved her dad, taxis, and wine! Oh my!)
• What Sam did to go from peer advisor to working abroad, to study abroad advisor, to running university relations for a growing intern abroad org
• Why being a dual passport holder is the coolest thing ever (and why I'm so jealous of Sam!)
• Where all the feisty women of study abroad are working
• We tackle the question: Is our field ready for true game-changers?
• And so much more!

You can connect with Sam on Twitter and LinkedIn here.

Thank you Sam for spending an evening with me on Skype! I'm ready for more feisty international women of mystery to be on the show!

Have an amazing day everyone! And get after that global life!