Klein College Global Opportunities

By Rafael Fontones

Brexit. It’s the most significant, prominent, and widely discussed political occurrence currently in Britain, and possibly the world (with the American presidential election in surprising close proximity). The idea of Great Britain leaving the European Union is monumental for Brits as well as the nations it’s waving goodbye to; but apart from the breaking news stories and the dialogue from politicians about Brexit, how do England’s authenticate citizens truly feel about the motion to leave?

 I asked two random locals for their honest and unadulterated opinion over a “pint” at an array of different pubs I stumbled upon during my exploration of London’s different Boroughs. (names have been altered)

 Borough: Soho

Bistro: Hix

Local: Barmen Alex

I pulled up a seat to the bar, and was immediately told it was last call. I ordered a drink and got straight to the point. “So what do you think about the brexit situation?”

Alex laughed, and said something along the lines as “Its crazy, but it's not as much as a circus as Trump in the states”. I followed with “Who do you like more, Trump or Hillary?”

Alex: “You are screwed either way”

Me: “Agreed. But did you vote to leave or to stay?”

Alex: “I absolutely voted to stay. I travel around Europe all the time, that's what makes living in London so great. A quick ride and you can be in a completely different country in a matter of hours, no hassle. Now I have no idea about what kind of visas i'll be needing to move about, and I might not even travel as much anymore.”

Borough: Temple

Bar: Walkabout

Local: Kelsey

Walkabout is an Australian chain bar that has various locations in London and the specialize in showing sporting events from different countries including American football. I came on a Sunday to watch the Giants and Cowboys play. I started talking to a girl wearing Cowboy team apparel, asking if she was American.

Kelsey: “No, I’m just a huge American football fan. I’m actually studying global politics at King’s College and everything that's going on with the election is amazing.”

Me: “Who do you think will win?”

Kelsey: “I hope Trump wins. America has been on the economic down for quite a bit, you need someone with a business mentality to straighten it all up. And Hilary couldn't even stand for 9/11. Really? Get the hell up, I don’t care how sick you think you are. That's just flat-out disrespectful.”

Me: “How do you feel about Brexit, and what’d you vote for?”

Kelsey: “I definitely voted to leave. Being in the EU has been doing terrible things to small business. Long term, it’s a great decision. Countries in the EU could just set up shop anywhere in Britain and profit. Italian fishermen would come in and take take away fish from English waters and then go back to Italy and sell there. We are too lenient with that kind of stuff and we need to get stricter with borders.”

 I was surprised to see how interested Britons were about American politics, given the tumultuous political climate already occurring in Britain. The first thing people wanted to discuss when they heard I was American was the election. English media outlets are constantly covering American politics side to side with topics around Brexit.

 The impact of the vote to leave the European Union still remains to be seen; many believe the action will make the United Kingdom a small and irrelevant country that disengaged from a European partnership, which in turn powered Britain's economic and societal standing among the world. The latter believe the long term effects of “declaring independence” from other nations will prevent a weakening of the UK’s economic prowess and make the borders more secure from potential dangerous threats.

  The vote was split into two supporting themes: connectedness and independence. Both carry valid reasoning, and both choices largely split the country. The similarities between Brexit and America’s two candidate’s policies are striking, and it will be compelling to see how the presidential election pans out relevant to UK leaving the EU; Will America choose a candidate that promises security and strengthening of borders, or a candidate that emphasizes remaining open and continuing connectedness?    

-Mariam Dembele

Read any article with the word “millennials” in the title; between the insults and criticisms you’ll see the positive traits of tolerance and open-mindedness ascribed to the 18 to 35 year-olds. That tolerance applies to key issues like immigration, gay rights and gender equality. This has led to a generation that studies have found is more socially and politically liberal than their older counterparts in both the U.S. and the U.K.

 These characteristics of tolerance and liberalism were likely what fueled the generational divide in the EU referendum vote. A debate that centered around immigration. The Brexiters wanted to leave the E.U. and close Britain’s borders in order to avoid an influx of immigration. Bremainers, while still platforming for some immigration regulation were in favor of staying in the E.U. and keeping their borders open.

 For many young brits they felt like neither party was ideal and that neither represented their views. Jonathan Smith, a young Scottish multimedia journalist who described the Bremain’s platform as creating “restrictions on freedom of movement and more powers to curb immigration,” wasn’t thrilled with either of his options. 

“If those are the two arguments then don’t expect our generation to sign up for either camp with much enthusiasm,” wrote Smith in an article for Huffington Post. “neither the In or Out Campaigns reflect our views.”

 However, Smith like the overwhelming majority young voters (75 percent) decided to cast their vote for the Bremain campaign because of its more lenient stance on immigration.

 It is not surprising that many young people are more accepting of immigration and tolerant of other races the older generation since many of them are people of color. Census data from both the U.S. and U.K. shows the younger generations are more racially diverse than the older ones. Thus, they have grown up under the principles of tolerance and acceptance, consequently they have less fear of immigrants. The fear that caused much of the older generation to vote leave.

 Since the referendum many British youths say they feel betrayed and embarrassed by the outcome.

MYTH – STUDYING ABROAD IS ONLY FOR WHITE STUDENTS

CALLING ALL OWLS!!

Have you studied abroad with us? Are you looking for a student job upon your dreadful arrival back to the states?  If so, then we have a great opportunity just for you. We are looking for a group of Study Away alumni that are always ready, willing, and able to share their experiences with prospective students.

California Dreaming. 

This past weekend I took a road trip to San Diego, a city only three hours south of Los Angeles. Right on the coast, the entire city had a great view of the Pacific Ocean. The first day we explored the many beaches and bay that had families and people of all ages riding jet skis, sail boats, and swimming in the warm water. That evening we watched the sunset at Sunset Cliffs, which was gorgeous and it reminded me of Italy. Yesterday my sister and I rented kayaks and paddled out into the ocean (which was quite difficult) and went into the caves that lined the coast. There were a ton of sea lions and seals all around the coves and it was cool to see the wild animals so free and up close in their natural habitat. 

The downtown area of San Diego reminded me of Philly in the summer with a lot of young people lining the streets and hopping from bars and restaurants. California has stolen my heart with another beautiful city. 

I only have two more weeks on the West Coast and am enjoying every minute!

-Emily 

Week 5 of 8 is coming to an end. I feel like I have been living in Los Angeles for months. I have been very busy balancing work, fun, travel, and professional development. 

In the past few weeks I have been working on the career development team helping to coach the students through their internship process throughout the summer. One of the workshops that I helped to plan and execute was ‘Network Like a Boss’. We mentored the students how, when, and why to network in different and all situations. We also focused strongly on elevator pitches and resources to expand our global network to develop meaningful and professional relationships.  

Another event that we planned for the interns was a career seminar with guest Frances Cole. She was an amazing speaker who taught us about using persuasive language, how to read body language, the art of selling yourself, how to catch an employer’s attention, and much more. 

Fun aspects of the Los Angeles program: 

Last weekend we went to VEGAS, one of the sponsored events that come with the program package. Our group was only there for about 24 hours, but it was an unforgettable experience. Many of the participants went to clubs and gambled. My coworkers and I went to a fancy, Japanese dinner and then went to a Comedy Show, followed by the water fountain show in front of the Bellagio. The 7 hour bus ride home from Vegas the next day was definitely worth it! 

Until next week, 

Enough about me, I want to share about some of our Temple students on the LA program.  

Brooke Storms is going to be a senior next year and it is her first time in Los Angeles. Her internship is at the Self Tape, where actors come to the studio and they provide them with coaching and scripts to work on. Brooke wants to be an actor and it is a great experience for her to see actors work through a script in front of her. She said that she plans to move to LA after graduation, so living here this summer and learning about the culture and neighborhoods has been super helpful for her future. 

Alissa Burns is also going to be a senior next year and she is an advertising major. It is her first time on the West Coast and says that she is meeting a ton of people and seeing a lot of things already in just the first few weeks in LA. Ali says that being able to adapt and move to a new city is beneficial and a good skill to learn. Ali is an intern at Allied Integrated Marketing and she is doing marketing and promotions work. She has been able to go to several events and talk to different clients already and network a lot. 

Jared Phillips is going to be a senior and is majoring in Broadcast Journalism. He says that Los Angeles is such a beautiful city and he already loves what he’s doing so far in his internship. Jared is interning at Primary Wave Entertainment which has a ton of great artists and actors in the industry. His company has a fun environment and he is learning a lot of new things he had no idea about before. Jared said that he has made a lot of contacts already and plans to make more in the media field in his next five weeks here. 

Ben McWilliams is ALSO going to be a senior at Temple. He is interning for Sportle, a startup company that does streaming for sporting events online and on their app. He says that he is having a lot of fun at his internship and is learning a lot. Though LA is very different from Philadelphia he is enjoying the weather and the lack of rain! Jared says that being in a professional environment this summer will be very beneficial for his future, especially working in the sports field that he’s interested in. 

Chaz Lutz  is going to be a senior as well at Temple. He is interning at Crowd Surf, a marketing company where he promotes musicians on social media. He is loving the experience and is already enjoying LA. Chaz says that this experience will really help him learn about what he likes to do and to see if he wants to move to Los Angeles after he graduates. 

-Emily