The time I spent attending Lake Ecology at the Flathead Lake Biological Station (FLBS) has outlined my global theme and challenge very well while being a part of the Franke GLI program. My global theme, resources and sustainability has proven to be directly related to lake ecology and limnology on the basis of water being one of the most abundant resources on earth, but freshwater being one of the most scarce. This brings me to my chosen challenge of water availability, cleanliness, and overall ecosystem health. 

When I first arrived at the FLBS, the Elmo 2 fire was engulfing the West side of Flathead Lake. Fire retardant agents filled with nutrients were of immediate concern to me as I watched the purple and red hued gasses falling from planes darting quickly and close to the water’s edge. As my two weeks progressed I learned how nutrients filter through aquatic ecological systems based on the ecological efficiency of the area you are reviewing. Luckily there are many precautions in place to ensure very little runoff from fire retardants makes it into water bodies within close proximity. The Flathead lake is actually a very nutrient limited limnological system, which is apparent when one notices the crystal clear water quality. I feel lucky to have experienced first hand the beauty of the Flathead while at the same time witnessing a human induced disaster billowing across the horizon because of the perspective it gave me on the amount of change a single stochastic event could have on such systems whether they are resilient or not. Freshwater ecosystems are the home-base of much of the primary production of the West when you begin to look at the trophic food chain beginning with algal photosynthesis making it an incredibly important resource to maintain sustainable nutrient filtering and trophic efficiency. 

Regarding leadership, I have found that it is important when working out in the field to maintain a level of leadership for your own safety and productivity, as well as the groups. Being able to find the balance between speaking up and listening during preparing for a field trip, collecting samples, or sorting through data is indeed a leadership skill I have become more comfortable with. In my opinion everyone in my class was a leader in some form during the duration of this two week course, and once this dynamic became the norm, we all worked much more efficiently. 

One of the most memorable moments I had during my time at the FLBS was witnessing the first sediment core being taken from the Flathead. This core was somewhat difficult for the scientists to extract due to winds, lack of suction, and weight variances of the messenger which knocked the core into place. With this sample, we can possibly look five hundred years or more into the past and decipher the different events that contributed to differing sediment layering. FLBS offers incredible opportunities for students, interns, and the community. My only regret is not taking more credits on station this summer. I want to thank everyone who made this happen for me in the GLI program, especially Bill and Carolyn Franke and the whole Franke family. Hopefully I can come back and conduct some of my own research one day! 

I had the opportunity to complete my Beyond the Classroom experience in Preston England at the University of Central Lancashire. My time abroad greatly contributed to my understanding of my global theme and potential capstone project. The global theme I choose is culture and politics. A prospective challenge that my group and I want to explore is the differences in pay and experiences of women compared to their male counterparts in the University of Montana faculty system. Through my Beyond the Classroom experience I was able to take two courses that relate to my theme and challenge. The course I took that related to my theme was Cultural Communications which covered content relating to the different aspects of culture and how culture can vary from place to place. This course reviewed the ins and outs of culture and specifically how to analyze and better understand new cultures. The course I took that related to the prospective challenge was Diversity, Crime, and Justice. While this may not seem like it relates to the challenge in the grand scheme of things it actually does. I was able to learn about different diversities, especially how being someone who identifies as a woman, can unfortunately enhance someone’s interaction with crime and injustice. Learning the background of various diversities individuals face in life has better equipped me to contribute knowledge to our group for our capstone. Outside of coursework I was able to gain insight into my theme and challenge through my experience by immersing myself into the English culture and visiting different countries to learn firsthand about their cultures. 

I definitely have a better understanding of the diverse perspectives relating to my theme and challenge of culture and politics. I have gone abroad before and experienced different cultures but never with the knowledge I have gained from FGLI and its related courses. Through the various courses I have taken for FLGI along with the course I took while abroad, Cultural Communications, I have been able to utilize this knowledge so that I can better understand diverse perspectives and cultures. Living in and traveling around Europe has taught me that just because the countries are close together geographically does not mean that their cultures are in any way similar. Each and every country that I had the privilege of visiting was completely different from one another. From the laid-back lifestyle of the United Kingdom to the socially busy and interactive lifestyle of Portugal I have experienced a wide variety of cultures. My Beyond the Classroom experience was exactly what I needed to have a real-life example of the variety of cultures in the world and how understanding these cultures is highly important to finding the solutions to the world’s problems. 

Studying and traveling abroad by yourself is a great test for anyone`s leadership skills and it definitely put mine to the test. Being alone in a new country is a huge challenge and one that I found to be fun to tackle. While at times being alone was scary it also provided me with the great opportunity to use my leadership and problem-solving skills. I was able to utilize what I have learned from the FGLI retreat and other courses about my leadership style to interact with new people from other cultures with minimal stress. While in the states I usually have no problem taking the lead in situations things are different in other countries, so I worked hard on being the same person who can take charge in a challenging situation. I encountered many travel hiccups during my time in the United Kingdom and by utilizing my leadership skills I was able to navigate and find solutions to many of my travel issues.  

A non-profit organization in South Africa found that the youth in their programs had experienced 8 highly traumatic events each year in comparison to the UK/US average of 4.8 per lifetime. Childhood trauma is something that can alter the trajectory of your life leading to mental and physical health concerns. My global theme is Public Health, and as a social work student, childhood trauma has been an interest of mine. Here in Cape Town I was exposed to more than I could have ever imagined – with this, I also met some of the strongest children ever.

I work in communities 30 minutes away from Cape Town called Hangberg and Imizamo Yethu. They are communities nestled in between the beautiful mountains of Hout Bay. Hout Bay is a bustling fishing community. Hangberg is a coloured community and IY is a black community referred to as a “township.” Both are largely informal settlements made of aluminum, brick, earth, and any other scraps. Both are in the same locations (and many of the same conditions) as they were during Apartheid.

I have been working at the James House, an organization that provides support for children, their families, and the community. I am working closely with a Social Worker named Jana. Her focus is mainly with the children in the Hangberg schools. For a while I had the opportunity to shadow her as she had sessions with children and parents who were struggling with various issues. The communities are suffering with high levels of school dropouts, gang activity, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, neglect, hunger and malnutrition, sexual and physical abuse, and more. I also assisted Jana with organization, filing, paperwork in the office, created a couple lessons for teachers, and sat in on some group sessions.

This last month I was able to begin doing my first real individual sessions! The sessions were with high school students identified as “high risk” and in need of support. The sessions ranged from 10 minutes (with the more shy kids) to 45 minutes with others. Since this was the first interactions most of them had had with the James House, my focus was on discussing things they enjoyed, strengths of theirs, dreams they had, and more positive things. These kids are often bombarded with what is wrong about them and their lives, rarely to they get the chance to consider the good.

In Hout Bay, trauma is often generational and sometimes never addressed. Children experience pain that no human should ever have to endure. And in communities as tight knit as Hangberg and IY, trauma never touches just one person. But despite all the pain, this community remains the most resilient group of people I have ever met. When I first stepped foot into the school in Hout Bay, I was struck by how lively and joyous the children were. They played together and laughed, some of them running up to me (a clear new person) asking me questions about America. During some of the sessions I was honored that some children would share serious things with me – many were very open and honest. I was also impressed with their ability to find the silver lining in the bleakest of circumstances.

In fact, it is often the hardship and frustrations caused by the government that can tie people here together (and trust me there are many frustrations). For instance, while here I experienced “loadshedding” which is when the electricity gets shut off from 2-16 hours a day. Everyone shares the misery and helps each other out how they can.

When people search South Africa online, they get flooded with articles about violence and inequality. Headlines never address the extreme resilience people here have. The vast majority of people here are giving, supportive, and welcoming. I feel it is easy for first world countries (like the US) to look down at South Africa and criticize. When in fact our country too leaves its people out on the streets and suffers from gross displays of racial prejudice.

Coming to this country in a place of privilege, I had the opportunity to see and do the things that only the top 1% usually get to experience. Working at James House gave me a window into what the rest of the country’s experience is and the hardship they face. I feel so incredibly honored to have been able to learn from the people of South Africa.

My time in Ireland was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. My global theme is “Culture and Politics.” My time in Ireland better informed me on this topic because of the tense relations with the UK, and immigration in Europe. I also learned more about the most powerful political systems other than the US living in Europe, and close to the UK.

My experience taught me more about life in the USA through the people I met, and through my experiences in and outside the classroom. I had one roommate who grew up in Russia, and another from China. Those superpowers are often at odds with the US, so it was interesting to hear their perspectives of my home country, and learn about how they grew up and how they hoped to live in the future. In the classroom, I took a class called Politics of Northern Ireland which was so insightful and sparked my interest in the normalization of otherism in a community and how it can make that overall community less prosperous and accepting. I also took multiple non-required Irish Culture classes such as Irish archeology.

My time in Ireland also helped me to develop as a leader. It was an interesting social landscape to navigate. I went straight from Ireland to an internship in DC and was able to transfer my knowledge to a very different situation. I learned to be sure of myself and to know when to bend and when to assert myself. I also learned to find my people and empower them and myself rather than changing to fit in with the larger group.

Some questions I have now are mostly related to what it would take to live full-time in the UK or Europe, and what my future education looks like as far as a master’s degree or working.

Unlike many members of the GLI family who go abroad, I chose to complete an internship locally (Polson, MT). For my internship, I shadowed Erika Weber, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). Erika works with her clients using various forms of therapy, but one form that especially caught my interest was art therapy. Before I reached out to Erika, I already had a small interest in art therapy and little knowledge on how it worked and what benefits came with it. However, being that I major in psychology and minor in art, art therapy has been on my radar for potential career options. Before knowing what I wanted to do for my internship I knew I wanted to complete it locally and shadow someone who specializes in therapy for mental health. This is where I came across Erika and Boule Sophia LLC. Through Psychology Today, I found a description of Erika’s work and that she practices independent from an agency. While working privately, Erika created Boule Sophia LLC, which translates to ‘Counsel Wisdom.’

During my internship, I sat in on a few therapy sessions with Erika’s clients. Because of how private therapy is in nature, Erika had clients who felt comfortable with an intern sitting in sign a consent form and additionally give Erika verbal consent. If a client ever felt uncomfortable with me present, I would leave. In addition to the consent form, I was forbidden to discuss any specific details about clients, such as age, name, or place of work, etc. Basically any identifying factors that could potentially out a client. This is all protected under HIPAA. This is also why I won’t be posting any photos. While sitting in on therapy sessions, I was permitted to take notes. Erika taught me how she, as a LCSW, takes notes. When taking notes, I would write about body language (crossed arms, shaking, touching or messing with nearby objects, etc.), mood and affect (affect being that a client’s mood matches their expression. For example, a client expressing they’re sad and crying. Affect and mood don’t always match. A client can say they’re sad but be smiling, affect does not match mood), memory (if they can retain past events), and orientation (this includes awareness of where they are, awareness of the situation they are in or why they’re in therapy, and diagnosis). Other than taking notes, Erika and I worked on creating a therapy group which focused on self-care and the betterment of women while using art therapy and exercise. Each week had a different exercise along with an art therapy activity that fit with the exercise and theme of the week. For example, one week would be focusing on mindfulness. The exercise for that week would be yoga and the art therapy activity would be a soul collage. Another week would be self-care, which would be creating an inside me outside me mask (how we perceive ourselves inside the mask vs how others perceive us on the outside) and cardio. In some sessions, Erika utilized art therapy. For example, a client was in distress. Erika introduced them to sandtray therapy, which is a form of art therapy. The client would run their finger through the sand, or mold it into shapes while continuing on with the session. This was proven to work for the client as it began to calm them down. Another client created a collage using images and text that resonated with how they felt towards their spouse. The client would then create another collage of their spouse at a later time. The two collages were starkly different, one even containing bitter words such as control.

As previously noted, Erika practices privately. I learned that there are many steps to begin practicing privately. Firstly, it is important to have your degree as well as a business license. After that, signing up for multiple health insurances is important. Not every client has Medicare or BlueCross. Some health insurances are easy to sign up for; however, some require additional information and specifics of what therapy you’ll be providing for your client. After sessions, health insurance is important because this is how you’ll bill the client and receive payment unless the client pays themselves. It’s also important to have plenty of money saved up once you begin to practice privately. Some health insurances take months to mail or fax you your payment. Additionally, they may even take a few dollars off your payment depending on what type of payment they give you (typically when given cards). Lastly, getting your name and services out there. This could be placing an online ad or making cards and handing them to hospitals and other therapists. Additionally, developing relationships with hospitals and other therapists helps you gain clientele as they can refer clients to you. Practicing independent from an agency comes with its pros and cons. Firstly, the pros. Pros include creating your own schedule, taking on clients when it best works for the client and you, having flexible hours in case a client has an emergency session, and deciding whether you want to rent a space or work from home. While there are pros, there are also cons. Cons include no internet connection. Erika provides therapy in person and also online through Zoom, BetterHelp, and Telehealth. If Erika or a client cannot connect to the internet, then the session cannot be held. More cons include privacy. Erika works from home and often has clients that visit her house for sessions. Occasionally her family is home as well which raises concerns for privacy. Practicing from home raises questions about safety. If a client is known to be harmful to themselves or others, meeting with them in-person can be dangerous. Recently, there has been a report where a therapist was tortured and beaten by their client during a session which took place in their own home. Clients who know where Erika lives could potentially visit her at any time, even during her off hours present problems and conflicting with the safety of her family. Unlike working for an agency, Erika does not have resources or materials for specific problems. For example, a client was struggling with alcohol addiction; however, Erika does not have the authority or resources to help out that client other than make a referral to an addiction specialist or place the client on a waitlist for rehab. Agencies on the other hand have those resources.

During my internship, I was presented with some challenges. The biggest challenge was actually the therapy sessions themselves. Clients who felt uncomfortable having an intern sit in on their session would have me leave, clients would often no call no show, and occasionally clients cancelled minutes before their session began. Some clients would run late, making their therapy session run slim if another client was booked afterwards. Erika has described having days where all but one or two clientele cancel, resulting in a major loss of income. Another challenge is how small of a town Polson is. The population is relatively small and you’re bound to run into a client outside of work. One thing I noticed was how there was a lack of mental health providers in Montana. Some of Erika’s in-person clients traveled hours just to meet with her once a week. Another issue I noticed were mental health stigmas. A client had been prescribed with Seroquel, which is often used as a mood stabilizer in low dosages. The client’s spouse had done some research and learned that Seroquel is also used as medication for individuals displaying psychopathy. The client’s spouse then came to the conclusion that the client was a psycho hence why she was taking Seroquel, not to stabilize their mood. This lack of knowledge or misconception spreads misinformation about mental health and further enlarges stigmas around mental health. Another stigma I noticed was that Erika’s clients were white and native women with a few exceptions. Generally, women report experiencing more mental distress than men; however, men do not always seek help for mental disorders. This could be deeply rooted in the old belief that men should not display emotions or seek help. Unrealistic gender norms create stigmas towards mental health.

Despite the challenges I faced, I learned a lot more about therapy. I learned how to deal with a client who has suicidal intentions, especially when in a rural area and / or when practicing privately. I also learned how to file and fill out a medical request relief form for a client who needs time off of work for mental reasons, so long as the client continues therapy. This is the first internship where I was able to sit in on sessions, as I had not done that prior. It was a lot more different than I expected. Some clients were difficult to get a response out of whereas some belittled or ridiculed Erika during a heated conversation. Towards the end of my internship I used some art therapy activities on my younger siblings. I utilized an art therapy card deck, which is used when dealing with clients who shut down, refuse to speak, or are overall difficult. The cards contain four subcategories, 1. control 2. responsibility 3. safety and 4. relationships and connectedness. Each card has a different art activity centered around topics such as mindfulness or how to better control anger / rage. Overall, my internship went well and I had connected with Erika and her clients. This internship was an opportunity for me to get an early look into what a potential career would look like for my interests and major. I would recommend my experience to anyone else interested in art therapy or learning the basics of practicing therapy privately.

This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to complete a three month physical therapy internship in Costa Rica. I volunteered in two locations, the first being a day center for elderly adults and the second being a more traditional physical therapy clinic. The mornings is when I would volunteer at the day center helping the seniors with whatever they needed, giving an informational talk about a certain health topics that seniors face, leading group exercises, and shadowing the physical therapist that would come once a week. At the second clinic, I would shadow the same therapist every day, helping to set up and take down the treatment room, running therapy machines, and just generally doing anything the therapist needed. This internship matched very well with my global theme and challenge. The theme I chose was public and global health and the challenge was to witness the impact of physical therapy and whole body wellness on kids with disabilities in areas other than the United States. Unfortunately, because of the recent pandemic, the project I originally signed on to did not happen, but I was able to work in a therapy clinic instead. In this way, I was able to both see how physical therapy impacted people of all ages in Costa Rica and compared it to the US. The thing is, this internship was way past global themes and challenges. It was a time of personal growth, specifically in the realm of the phrase “pura vida”.

The first thing you learn about Costa Rica and the people who live there is that going with the flow is their way of life. There is no strict schedule, and stress appears to be very low. This was completely different from what I came from in the US. My anxiety was at an all time high, as I was stepping into a completely new country alone, but after staying three months, my view on life has completely shifted. I realize now it is because Costa Ricans recognize humanity and they place it above most other things. Everything from bus schedules to doctors appointments are almost never on time because peoples experiences are placed above. This actually played a big role in how the clinic conducted their business. Although the therapist was often late to his appointments (the patients never cared), he would always ensure the full time was spent with them. Also, if the patient complained of another injury during the appointment, he would treat that injury. I saw the balance between humanity and professionalism, something that I hope to incorporate in my life as a future physical therapist.

I think that “pura vida” can be applied to both my global them and challenge along with my day-to-day life. To me, “pura vida” reminds me to look for the humanity in situations. Arguably, humanity is what has formed the theme public and global health. As a member of this theme, we are trying to find answers to health problems around the globe, hence helping humanity. My challenge was already humanity based, just specifically in physical therapy. It does raise questions about how different physical therapy is across the globe, and if it is humanity based as it seems to be in Costa Rica. I know I will consistently use “pura vida” in my day to day life because it means so much more than go with the flow.

For my Beyond the Classroom Experience, I spent the Spring semester of 2022 in Vigo, Spain, a small but lively town in the autonomous community of Galicia where I attend the Universidad de Vigo. I am a senior studying in Environmental Science and Sustainability and minoring in Climate Change Studies with a certificate in Global Leadership. During my time here in Vigo I have been able to study and experience these interests in a completely different way and grow in even more areas, like my Spanish language skills. In the Global Leadership Initiative, I am focusing on the Resource and Sustainability theme where I have chosen to study challenges related to the ocean and the people that depend on it for their livelihood.

The town of Vigo is situated on the northwest coast of Spain, protected from the harsh waters of the Atlantic Ocean by the Cíes Islands. Due to its proximity to the ocean and Galicia’s dependence on the aquaculture industry, the Universidad de Vigo was the perfect place for me to explore my global theme and challenge. In school, I was able to take a Marine Zoology and Spanish course as well as participate in an intensive internship with one of my marine science professors and her research team. In this internship, I spent the semester studying the effects of global change on commercially important intertidal clams of Galicia and the effects of a seagrass (Zostera Noltii) as a refuge for those clams. Throughout the semester I have worked both inside my professor’s lab and outside, doing field work in the neighboring towns of Cambados and Combarro. Participating in this internship has allowed me to learn about the fragility of the ocean and its importance to communities like Vigo. It has also made me realize the value of concentrated areas of research in the larger scheme of creating a world more environmentally conscious.

My life in Vigo extended beyond just studying the ocean, more profoundly, I was able to live and experience an entirely different culture and language. Life in Spain is a complete 180 from life in the United States. People aren’t in a rush; they enjoy their time and the people they are with. Taking breaks for a coffee or a chat during school or work is more than a suggestion, it’s scheduled into your day. In Vigo, the people’s connection to each other, food, land, and sea is strong. Slowing down and taking the time to appreciate life and the connections I was making was a hard but important lesson I had to learn coming from the U.S. where the mindset is, “your work is your worth.”

In Vigo I have also had the opportunity to grow my Spanish language skills. At school, I took a Spanish language course and in my everyday life I was able to speak and practice Spanish. One leadership skill that I would not have been able to grow without this experience of learning a new language is communication. Living in Spain and not speaking fluent Spanish is difficult, communication was a challenge. To add to this challenge, there were over 300 other exchange students from different countries who I interacted with during my time abroad. Suddenly the way in which I spoke and the words I used, in Spanish and English, were my most important tool. I learned that the way one communicates is one of the most important skills to have as a leader because if you are not understood you cannot lead or support others in a common goal.

Living in Vigo, Spain was everything I wanted, never expected, and more. This place and the people that live here will always have a special place in my heart. Vigo, gracias por enseñarme a vivir más despacio.

My name is Hailey Powell and I am a graduating senior double majoring in Psychology and Communication Studies. My Global Theme was Social Inequality and Human Rights and my Global Challenge centered around Women’s Right and mental health advocacy. For my Beyond the Classroom experience, I interned at the YWCA GUTS! (Girls Using Their Strengths) program here in Missoula, Montana. I facilitated three after-school groups, made and delivered activity kits for our virtual groups, and created a mental health curriculum to work into the GUTS! program. GUTS! focuses on building strong leadership skills within young girls (or those who identify differently but believe the program will be benefit them) and teaches and discusses important topics like friendship, diversity, body image, goals, and strengths. The goal of GUTS! is to cultivate a safe and welcoming environment to help give children the tools and discourse they need to acquire new and strengthen existing characteristics. My theme relates to my experience because I worked with kids who came from all different backgrounds. GUTS! is a trauma-informed program and tries to tackle, or at least open the conversation, about important issues surrounding race, equality, and gender differences. My theme also relates to my experience because of the mental health curriculum I created. It’s important to start the conversation about mental health early, so the signs and symptoms are easy to spot, while also providing local resources in case the participants needed it. It was age appropriate material that talked about depression and anxiety, and had an activity that gave them coping mechanisms.

My experience has strengthened my leadership skills vastly. Not only was I able to lead three groups of ten children or more, but I was able to be flexible in our sessions depending on the group needs. Some days my plans would not follow through and I would have to switch everything at the last minute. As a leader, it’s crucial to be adaptable. It also helped me learn how to interact with different types of people at that age level. Some kids were really closed off, while some were full of energy. My experience gave me experience on how to help kids come out of their shell and refocus those who needed it.

Some questions that were raised during my experience was how a program like GUTS! could be implemented at a larger scale. I’m sure other places around the United States have similar programs, but if something was held in public schools, I think it would change not only how women may view themselves as they grow up.

I am so thankful for my internship experience and the lessons it has taught me.