“font-family: Verdana;”>“Malcolm X said ‘Education your passport to the future. Tomorrow is for those who prepared for it today,’” said LaShone Gibson, associate dean of Global Relations for the
Saint Louis University School
“font-family: Verdana;”>for Professional Studies. “I live by that and I really love that ‘passport’ spin on it.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She should. Her passport has been the key to her success – and an astounding career in international business and international education that has taken her around the world.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Gibson realized the impact of acting, thinking and living globally can have on an individual early on. She credits her parents – who enrolled her in Spanish classes at the tender age of eight – for cultivating her curiosity as it relates to academics and exploring other cultures. She’s been traveling abroad since her parents allowed her to attend high school in Spain.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I went over there, and that did it,” Gibson, a Chicago native, said. “Once I realized I could speak Spanish and the doors that it opened. I said, ‘I need to create my education and my career where I can be in places like this on a regular basis and get paid for it.’”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>And that’s exactly what she did. She eventually learned three languages through extensive study abroad programs that continued through undergrad at UNC-Charlotte and North Carolina State University and positions with Kellogg Latin America Embassy of Canada in Washington D.C., Honorary Mexican Consulate in Charlotte and most recently University of Evansville.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>As she settles into her new position at Saint Louis University, her knowledge is a gift that she hopes to pay forward to an untapped group of students. And Gibson felt SLU was the perfect environment to do it.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She’s been charged with the task of internationalizing the school of professional studies. One of her key responsibilities is to bring that component of global learning and international experience to the adult student.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Because study abroad programs are usually a semester long and it’s hard for a working professional to take that time off of work or to pay that price or be involved with those type of international experiences or learning opportunities. So what we are doing now to take some of those traditional components of international education and tweak them to fit the lifestyle of the busy adult.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Gibson believes it’s essential for students –adult learners included – to educate themselves while keeping in mind that they must live and think beyond the confines of the U.S. to give themselves a competitive edge in the workforce.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“You need to start your foreign language training in Spanish and Chinese,” Gibson said. “If you are talking about conducting business on any level – be it technology, business, criminal justice – whatever, you will need Spanish and Chinese.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She also suggests finding opportunities in the U.S. and abroad and with a multinational company.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Whether it’s a corporation or a non-profit organization you need to get that hands on experience and training visibility and exposure and give you networking opportunities,” Gibson said. “You’ve got to get out of the country for an expanded period of time – a two week trip to Cancun doesn’t count.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>As one of the lone black faces among those who work as world travelers, Gibson hopes that her own journey will serve as inspiration for others who may have the desire to follow her footsteps.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Being the only one so to speak, I am at a stage in my life where it doesn’t faze me,” Gibson said. “But I’m also at a point where I can work to help other young black students if they have an interest in international business and education.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>LaShone loves STL
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>And as excited as she is to be sending SLU students out of the country, she is just as thrilled to be in St. Louis – a city that she has came to absolutely adore almost instantly after arriving here four months ago.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I love it. Love it. Love it. Love it,” Gibson said. “This city feeds your international flavor – you can maintain such a lifestyle living here on a day to day basis.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She should know, she’s lived all over. Her experience in St. Louis is also one she’s looking to provide to others.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I’m working right now on this proposal to Fulbright for a visiting program for Iraqi scholars and I’m trying to get this program where seven Iraqi scholars in computer science and technology come to St. Louis and stay with us for 10 weeks,” Gibson said. “St. Louis has everything my multicultural heart desires. The shopping, the boutiques – two Nordstrom’s…come on now.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“And I want to be with Saint Louis University for a very long time,” Gibson said.
