Global Affairs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Internship

In September 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by UN Member States. Central to the Agenda is the set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which define a plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity to be undertaken by all countries until the year 2030.

In June 2020, Universitas 21 (U21) named UC Davis among the winners of its inaugural Global Education Enhancement Fund. Through this grant, UC Davis partnered with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China and Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico to create a framework for teaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Global Classroom modules.

Meet the six Critical Language Scholarship winners (the most ever!) mastering Arabic, Urdu, Punjabi, Japanese, and Chinese this summer—and the two Donald A. Strauss scholarship recipients whose projects address systemic health inequities through community development.

Aligning with the campus goal and Provost’s Priority of Global Education for All UC Davis students, Global Affairs has launched two new courses starting this June through Undergraduate Education’s Summer Sessions and is starting the launch of a revamped Global Studies minor in fall 2021.

Civil and environmental engineering student Chidubem Nnaji has been named a 2021 Donald A. Strauss Foundation Scholar for his project titled “Using Solar Power to Empower.” The annual scholarship was established as a memorial to the late Don Strauss—a successful business executive who had a lifelong interest in education and public service—and awards $15,000 to up to fifteen college sophomores or juniors from pre-selected institutions in California. Nnaji’s project is focused on bringing accessible, clean water to his village in Nigeria and to educate residents on the importance of sustainable water practices. The goal of this project is to install a solar-powered, self-sustaining water pump that will alleviate the shortage of clean water in the community.

Tiven Buggy, a 2020 graduate of the UC Davis College of Engineering's civil and environmental engineering master’s program, now serves as director of water and sanitation for the nonprofit Puente, based in Constanza, La Vega, Dominican Republic. In this role, Buggy relies on data collection and analysis technology to help solve water crises in remote parts of the region. His passion for improving access to clean water ignited during his time in the Peace Corps and continued to be fueled by his global experiences while at UC Davis.

The Peru Project is an ongoing endeavor of UC Davis’ Engineers Without Borders chapter, a student-run, non-profit organization focused on providing engineering expertise and help to developing areas in need. The project, which began in 2016, seeks to provide a reliable source of potable water to a community in La Huaylla, Cajamarca, Peru.

Alumni engagement is one of the most powerful tools the field of international education has, but it is an often-overlooked piece of the education abroad experience. University of California-Davis (UC Davis) recently expanded the traditional returnee conference model and created the Global Learning Conference, which was open to all students interested in solving global issues—whether they had done a formal study abroad program or not. By actively bringing together study abroad participants, international students, first-generation college students, and students who have navigated intercultural spaces, the conference expanded each attendees’ network and knowledge in myriad ways. The conference launched in 2020 with more than 150 attendees, and participation is expected to double this year.  

The UC Davis College of Letters and Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and the Global Learning Hub within Global Affairs, have over $40,000 in funding for students to cover partial-to-full cost of participation on virtual global learning projects this summer.

By virtually attending the 2021 Global Learning Conference: Preparing for Your Global Future in an Evolving World, participants will further advance their global perspectives in today’s interconnected world. Now open to all students and alumni, the conference aims to help them learn to articulate and market global leadership skills, further their personal and professional goals, and interact with global leaders in their fields of interest.