Profiles from the Pack: Stephanie Belmas

Some people are lucky enough to turn a passion into a career. Stephanie Belmas caught the travel bug at a young age and now, as Director/Associate Dean of Madison College’s Center for International Education (CIE), helps students benefit from experiences abroad. 

Tell us about the study abroad experiences that sparked your interest in the field. 
As a high school freshman, I took German which was the only option offered at my school. That summer, my teacher nominated me for a Madison-Freiburg Sister City exchange program, which involved an international youth conference with representatives from Freiburg’s Sister City partners.

It was my first time abroad and I spent two weeks interacting with students from South Korea, Austria, France, Israel, and other countries.

It was an incredible, life-changing experience that got me craving more. My family later served as a short-term host family for an exchange student from Germany and the following year her family hosted me. After I graduated, I served as a chaperone for that exchange program. In college, I did internships abroad--in Switzerland and Mexico. I also studied for one semester in Australia. 

Why is international education so important? 
We are living in a globally interconnected world, fueled by technological advances and social media. Through supply chains, trade agreements, global migration, and social networks, there is increased interaction and interdependence between nations, making it important that students learn to engage with others from different backgrounds and cultures, professionally and personally. Creating opportunities for students to engage with people from different backgrounds is a key element in developing cultural humility and gaining a broader world perspective.

What advice do you have for a student considering studying abroad? 
Get started right away. It typically takes about a year for a student to be fully prepared to go abroad. If we can talk with a student in their first or second semester, that’s ideal. 

The Center for International Education offers several options to get involved and has worked to make programs accessible by running programs at cost, offering scholarships, and collaborating with Financial Aid. We offer short-term programs over spring or summer break for about 10 days. There are also mid-length opportunities during the summer and full-semester opportunities each fall and spring.  

We understand that not everyone can leave their family or jobs for a whole semester, which is why CIE also offers virtual exchange opportunities, in addition to short-term programs abroad. Virtual exchange experiences include classes that incorporate group discussions or projects completed virtually with students at institutions abroad. These programs create accessible yet valuable alternatives to physically traveling abroad and have proven to be a stepping stone for students to gain confidence and interest in traveling abroad.

What accomplishment at Madison College are you most proud of? 
The growth of the international student program and the far-reaching network of individuals whose lives have been positively impacted by access to Madison College. Today, we serve approximately 200 international students from over 60 countries and are poised for growth with an increasing understanding of the value of community college education. 

My role has grown over the past 16 years as well, and it is now my honor to support an incredible team as the Director of the CIE. I remain connected with many students we have supported over the years. I still think fondly of people who showed me kindness when I was abroad, and I feel an immense sense of completeness when former students reminisce about their positive experiences here. I feel it’s all coming full circle and that I’m paying it forward. To be able to do so as part of my career? Well, that makes me feel like I’m one of the luckiest people in the world!