4.11 The Long Walk // Tonija Hope

Today we are walking with a trilingual professional, international education leader, and doctoral student. A District of Columbia native, Tonija moved to St. Paul (MN) where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies and Spanish from Macalester College. After graduating, she moved to South Africa where she worked alongside University of Cape Town faculty to develop strategies that would encourage exchange among international and South African students. She later returned to DC and earned her master’s degree in Tourism Administration with a focus on International Education from George Washington University. She currently carries out this mission in her role as the Director of the Ralph J. Bunch International Affairs Center at Howard University. As director, provides guidance and direction towards comprehensive internationalization. She also administers four programs dedicated to increasing the representation of systemically marginalized and historically underrepresented communities in foreign service and development. When she’s not working as the director, she is completing her doctoral coursework in the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies program at Howard. A quick google search will reveal that she is THE leader in preparing students of color for global leadership and is an active in addressing racism in international education. Her social media will remind you of #HowardForward, #StudyAbroadSoBlack, #WorldDomination. But she always leave us with one question: If HBCUs were born out of a movement towards justice, what should international education look like at HBCUs? Let's walk and talk about it!  Tonija's LinkedIn Profile Ralph J. Bunch International Affairs Center at Howard University Podcast Twitter and IG: @WalkWithTFB