Throughout the day, small pockets of joy appear. Yet sometimes they go unnoticed among a packed calendar and back to back meetings. How can you incorporate more joy into your day? Where and how can you find everyday poetry?
Influential Woman · International Education
Megan Bennett
Education Abroad Advisor, Senior, Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ
1Article published
6Awards received
Her Story
About Megan
I've been working with international education projects for 8 years. I began in Canada, and since then I've traveled to over 40 countries. I currently work with students from the U.S. who are studying abroad, mainly in Greece and Italy. My own international education journey started when I studied abroad six times as an undergraduate student, and then I did a year-long travel fellowship to 12 different countries for a project on connecting with women in science communities with the Thomas J Watson Fellowship. In my day-to-day work, I focus on advising students and developing global partnerships. I spend a few hours meeting with students to go over their goals and the application process for programs in Central and Southern Europe and then I work on developing partnerships in places such as Croatia or Kosovo. My work involves a lot of meetings, partnership building, grant writing, and event coordination. One of my most notable professional achievements has been receiving the Gilman Pioneering Institutions Grant, which funded $10,000 for our faculty-led program to Japan on student career readiness with a hybrid internship option. It was rewarding for my colleague Amanda Williamson and I to write it, so that the students and the faculty could be more supported with the grant.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Megan
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the community that has supported me: including the intelligent, adventurous, and bold women I have met, such as the women in science communities I connected with during the course of the Thomas J Watson Fellowship to Rwanda, Oman, Vietnam, Australia, Malaysia, South Korea, Cambodia, Argentina, Chile, and other countries. I also attribute the path to my success to my warm and ambitious workplace, comprised of so many inspiring and accomplished women who are passionate about education abroad and interdisciplinary global studies. To achieve my goals takes significant planning, hope, and determination. Not to mention several cups of coffee.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Among the best career advice I've received sounds simple but it has produced significant results: go for a walk. This activity can refresh your mind and bring you back to your desk with a greater sense of creativity. Don't forget to take breaks to reduce the chances of burnout. The other best piece of career advice I've received is: write everything down and don't delete anything.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to travel as often as possible to expand your perspective of the world. Be curious and open-minded and always ask questions. Uplift others and take care of yourself. For young women entering the field of international education, I would encourage you to take risks and believe that anything is possible. And also, your calendar is a key tool. You own it, it does not own you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Some of the biggest opportunities in education abroad right now are creating and building accessible programming for underserved students such as first-generation students. Creating pathways for students of all backgrounds to participate in a program that will build their career and character is very rewarding. Another opportunity is expanding the destinations students study abroad to, particularly to non-European locations. Out of Central and Southern Europe, I help send the most students to Greece, Germany, and Italy. However, as a student, my favorite places to study abroad were Taiwan and Tanzania. There are many opportunities to study abroad in Asia and Africa that keep students on track to graduate, are affordable, provide cultural immersion, and are built upon reciprocal relationships. There are opportunities, and challenges, to helping students study abroad more than once in different continents.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Creativity, consideration, and care. As a writer and poet, I am often in need of refilling my creative well. I find inspiration everywhere that seeps into my work and personal life. With an interdisciplinary background, I am curious about many things. When I do work that I care about, from writing to advising to strengthening relationships, then the outcomes are often extraordinary. I consider, "What is that best that could happen?"
Her Content Hub
Articles by Megan
Finding Poetry in the Every Day
Look Around You and Notice
The steam rising from freshly brewed coffee. The sunrise entering your living room at just the right angle. A flower blooming on your balcony. A friend calling to say hello. Our days are filled with small pockets of joy and beauty. Yet, in a fast-paced culture where schedules leave no room to breathe, it is often difficult to notice them. They pass by quietly, but poetry is everywhere—if we simply slow down long enough to look.
How do you feel about your job right now? Is something missing in your career? What is one thing you could do today to improve your circumstances and move closer to the life you envision for yourself? Breathe in. Breathe out. Go for a walk. See what answers begin to take shape.
It is not easy to live and work in the present moment. We often get caught up ruminating over a minor mistake from the past or worrying about the risks that could affect a future project. Yet the present moment is where our lives actually unfold. Look around you right now and notice three things that bring you joy and three things you are grateful for. How do you feel afterward?
There is poetry in a co-worker telling you good morning, in the optimistic email you just sent, in your team meeting, and even in your three-year goals. Poetry inspires. Poetry acknowledges. Poetry brings you back to the present and welcomes you with open arms. Being afraid to show your authentic self at work erases the poetry found in everyday life.
Show up. Do the work. Give and receive poetry.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Arizona
Chief Executive Officer
Scottsdale
Senior Vice President
Phoenix
Chief-Executive Officer and Healthcare Administrator
Apache Junction
Risk and Underwriting Senior Analyst
Mesa
Engagement Manager
Peoria
Talent Acquisition Advisor
Mesa
Senior Project Change Integration Manager
Phoenix
Regional Supervisor
Gilbert
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.