Pre-Travel Excitement!

The Institute for Women's Leadership at the College of Saint Beendict has caught the travel bug yet again, and this time we are going a little out of our confort zone, to the United Arab Emirates! The IWL will be leading a trip to the 4th Women as Global Leaders Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. We will be spending three days before the conference in the town of Sharjah, 20 minutes North of Dubai, where an alum of CSB works at the American University of Sharjah. They have graciously offered to let us stay on campus, as well as take us around Sharjah and Dubai to show us the marvels and wonders of the UAE, as well as helping us to experience true Emiratie culture. After that, we will travel to Abu Dhabi to attend the WAGL conference at the Zayed University. More information about the conference can be found here:http://www.zu.ac.ae/main/en/wagl2012/about.aspx



We have had a lot of planning an preparation go into this trip. This included an application process, in which we selected 13 delegates based on their leadership skills and interest in the conference and its theme. Over Winter Break, students were asked to read a book on Islam, in order to further their knowledge of the religion and its customs, and to better prepare us for the culture. Since stating Spring semester, we have had 2 orientation sessions, in which various groups have presented on different aspects of the country. We are now a little more than a month out from the trip and are all getting very excited!

Here is a list of our delegates:




Anna Krieger                       Sophomore
Rhebekkah Westre              Senior
Colleen Kennedy                 Sophomore
Song Her                             Junior
Abby Hansen                      Senior
Marissa Loch                      Sophomore
Chelsea Parker                   Senior
Mackenzie Lecy                  Sophomore
Jenna Maus                        First-Year
Rebecca Scholz                  Junior
Lindesy Gideon                  Junior
Nikki Orth                           Sophomore
Lauren Witt                        Senior
Liz Beaty                            Junior - Student Director of Institute for Women's Leadership
Carrie Vandelac                 2011 Alum, Executive Assistant - Office of
                                          Institutional Advancement
Heather Nicole Saladino     Resident Director -Lottie Hall, and
                                          Coordinator of Hynes Scholars Cohort
Judy Purman                      Director - Office of Sustainability
Lindsay Wimmer               2011 Alum, Sustainability Fellow - Office of Sustainability


In addition, five of our members will be presenting at the conference: Rhebekkah Westre, Judy Purman and Lindsay Wimmer, and Liz Beaty and Carrie Vandelac! We wish them the best of luck!

Here is a copy of the in-country itenerary:


Itinerary


Friday, March 9th: Arrive in Dubai, drive to Sharjah, overnight on Sharjah campus
Saturday, March 10th: Explore Dubai with Alina Balonuskova, CSB alum
Sunday, March 11th: Tour the American University of Sharjah,


Monday, March 12th: Travel to Abu Dhabi. Check into Housing/Hotels for Conference. Visit the Women’s Handicraft Center, either the Abu Dhabi Heritage Village or the Qasr Al Hosn (a palace), and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Tuesday, March 13th – Thursday, March 15th: Attend Women As Global Leaders Conference
Friday, March 16th: Depart Abu Dhabi










Friday, March 9th
After landing in Dubai, we will start our journey at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), where CSB alum Alina Balonuskova works and where MaryAnn Baenninger is a Board member—one of only two female board members! We will take the remainder of the travel day to rest, and we will spend the night in apartments on the AUS campus.



Saturday, March 10th
Alina Balonuskova will accompany us to Dubai, where we will sightsee.



Sunday, March 11th
Today, we will take a tour of the AUS campus. We will sit in on classes, eat at the Student Center for lunch, and meet students. Later in the evening, we will have an “authentic” Arabic dinner in the city of Sharjah with faculty from AUS.



Monday, March 12th
We will travel to Abu Dhabi in the morning, settle into our hotels, and decide what activities we want to do as a group. Our options include visiting the Women’s Handicraft Center, the Abu Dhabi Heritage Village or the Qasr Al Hosn (a palace), and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.



Tuesday, March 13th — Thursday, March 15th
The “Women as Global Leaders” conference officially begins, and we will immerse ourselves in the conference program until Thursday night.


Friday, March 16th
Depart for the United States.






Check back for updates from our delegates! We will be posting on all of our experiences before, during, and after the trip!

Peace,
-Liz :)