University of Massachusetts Boston – Glasgow Caledonian University Exchange 2014

1. Rihab Bayoussef Captain Having the opportunity to meet and work alongside students from Glasgow Caledonian University was such an amazing opportunity. As a member of the event planning team (EPT) I was responsible for coming up with fun meaningful events that were native to the city of Boston. EPT worked in close conjunction with the Hosting teams and made sure that we provided the Glasgow students as well as ourselves with some awesome memories! My favorite memory during the exchange was the Farewell Brunch. Although it was bittersweet saying goodbye to the Glasgow students, it was nice having a final event to send them off back to Glasgow. Overall I enjoyed getting to know the Glasgow students as well as comparing and contrasting our different learning styles and cultural aspects. University of Massachusetts Boston – Glasgow Caledonian University Exchange 2014 Event Planning Committee Pre-Med A: Captain Rihab Bayoussef, Co-captain Zara Khan, Eva Resto-Estrada, Marc Thebaud, Christine Latouff Marc Thebaud Our Role As part of the UMB-GCU Exchange from the Boston perspective, the event planning team played a vital role in the logistics and planning of every day activities. We were expected to work closely with all members of the event planning team between Pre-Med A, which is led by Dean Andrew Grosovsky, and Pre-Med B, which is led by Dr. William Hagar, as well as the members of the hosting team from both of the freshman success communities. This exchange couldn’t have been possible without the help from the student success staff. The ultimate goal of this exchange was to enrich each others respective universities with the learning tools and methods which we each employ. Eva Resto-Estrada • A great opportunity that I will never forget will be the 2014 Glasgow Exchange. As part of the event planning team I was able to help discover the beauty that is Boston in order to make sure that the Glasgow students really have as much fun as possible. Not only was this experience amazing to get to know the Glasgow students but it was also very nice being able to work alongside with my Pre-Med A & B classmates. Some of my favorite events started off with grabbing some pizza in the North End the night the Glasgow students arrived. Eventually, throughout the week getting to know the girls was amazing. Zara Khan, Co-captain Being in a freshman success community has offered so many priceless experiences as a student at UMASS Boston, and this exchange with Glasgow Caledonian University was an important one. As co-captain of event planning, I was able to experience a true role of leadership and trust. The ambassadors who came from Scotland taught me so much and helped me grasp the idea of true friendship within the week of the exchange – all of our efforts truly paid off. My favorite memory was the final dinner with the GCU ambassadors and both of the Pre-Med communities. Christine Lattouf One of the many opportunities the Freshmen Success Community has offered me was the being involved in the UMass Boston and Glasgow Caledonian University exchange. My role in the events committee was to plan fun events that the students from Glasgow could enjoy while immersing themselves in American culture as well as having the chance to explore the beautiful and historical city of Boston. There were so many great memories developed through this great experience. One of my favorite events during this exchange was the Celtics Game. As students we have high levels of stress throughout the semester, and I believe that this event was both a great for relaxation and a bonding event. This event allowed us to connect with the other communities, and for the Glasgow students to mingle, get to know the communities better in a casual environment, and experience a classic Boston sports event. Summary The Events Planning Team planned events that exposed the Glasgow students to events and sites that are unique to Boston. We showed them staples such as Mike's Pastry in the North End, the Freedom Trail, Harvard Square, and Faneuil Hall. As well as taking them to an inter-community Celtics basketball game at the Garden. At the beginning of the exchange we all were feeling a bit shy, but by the end of the exchange we felt like family when we said our tearful goodbyes at Logan airport.. It was such an exciting and amazing experience to be part of this exchange and we can safely say that all of us got something out of it.