Christian Study Abroad Podcast

Introducing Further Up: The Journal of Christian Study Abroad Today's guests, Anastasia Kingsley, and David Martinez, PhD, both have deep experience in study abroad and global education and serve as the Editors of Further Up: The Journal of Christian Study Abroad. This new academic journal is a peer-reviewed, annual publication dedicated to advancing thoughtful reflection, scholarship, and practice at the intersection of Christian faith and global education.  With the first edition of Further Up launching this spring, we're excited to give you an inside look on what you'll find in the journal on this episode. Listen now to hear Greg's conversation with Anastasia and David — you will not only be inspired and encouraged by the articles you'll read, but you can also learn how to be a part of future publications of the journal! Stay up to date by subscribing to our podcast on Youtube,  Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, or by connecting with us on LinkedIn. Want to be notified when Further Up: The Journal of Christian Study Abroad is available for download and order? Click here to be on the email list! Our guests today are Anastasia Kingsley, Associate Director of Study Abroad at Liberty University, and David Martinez, PhD, Director, Center for Study Abroad at George Fox University. You can connect with them on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasia-kingsley/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-martinez-7b5954393/  The Christian Study Abroad Podcast is hosted by Greg Belgum, Vice President of Living & Learning International.  This Podcast is produced by Greg Belgum, Eli Freeman, and the L&LI Team. Want to join the community? Register for the 2026 Christian Study Abroad Conference! Visit the podcast homepage here!  

Stay up to date by subscribing to our podcast on Youtube,  Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, or by connecting with us on LinkedIn. Get news, resources, and job opportunities in Christian Study Abroad in your inbox every month by subscribing to our newsletter. Our guest today is Dr. Amanda Kaminski.  The Christian Study Abroad Podcast is hosted by Greg Belgum, Vice President of Living & Learning International.  This Podcast is produced by Greg Belgum, Eli Freeman, and the L&LI Team. Want to join the community? Register for the 2026 Christian Study Abroad Conference! Visit the podcast homepage here!

Dr. Micah Hughes joined Greg Belgum on the Christian Study Abroad Podcast today to discuss the importance of experiential learning and how different steps along that cycle manifest through cross-cultural experience. Dr. Hughes, a study abroad alum himself, is the Director of the domestic study away program, Living & Learning East Coast at the Baltimore Urban Studies Center. The Art of Crossing Cultures by Craig Storti: https://www.craigstorti.com/the-art-of-crossing-cultures-craig-storti-book  The Experiential Learning Cycle or Action-Learning by Penso a Te APS: https://pensoate.org/en/experiential-learning/  Stay up to date by subscribing to our podcast on Youtube,  Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, or by connecting with us on LinkedIn. Get news, resources, and job opportunities in Christian Study Abroad in your inbox every month by subscribing to our newsletter. Our guest today is Dr. Micah Hughes. You can connect with him on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-s-hughes/  The Christian Study Abroad Podcast is hosted by Greg Belgum, Vice President of Living & Learning International.  This Podcast is produced by Greg Belgum, Eli Freeman, and the L&LI Team. Want to join the community? Register for the 2026 Christian Study Abroad Conference! Visit the podcast homepage here!  

We've "flipped the microphone" on today's episode with guest host, Rachel Roskoski. Rachel and Greg discuss the 50th CCCU International Forum in Dallas, Texas, focusing on the importance of Christian higher education as a transformative, rather than purely transactional, experience. They also explore themes from the conference like viewing higher education beyond career preparation, and how community and a faith-based culture are the most consistent and credible differentiators for Christian colleges. Visit the CCCU Conference website: https://cccu-forum.squarespace.com/ Measuring the Good Life article in Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/05/global-flourishing-study-good-life/   Market survey NACCAP https://www.naccap.org/2025-market-research-study  Stay up to date by subscribing to our podcast on Youtube,  Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, or by connecting with us on LinkedIn. Get news, resources, and job opportunities in Christian Study Abroad in your inbox every month by subscribing to our newsletter. Our guest host today is Rachel Roskoski, Living & Learning International, Director of Experiential Tours. You can connect with her on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-roskoski-946265114/  The Christian Study Abroad Podcast is hosted by Greg Belgum, Vice President of Living & Learning International. Connect with him on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-belgum/  This Podcast is produced by Greg Belgum, Eli Freeman, and the L&LI Team. Want to join the community? Register for the 2026 Christian Study Abroad Conference! Visit the podcast homepage here!

Dr. Rikki Brons serves as professor of language studies at Dordt University. She teaches Spanish at all levels, from Spanish 101 to upper levels of grammar and composition. She works with students interested in studying abroad. On today's episode, she shares about her earliest memory of travel and how it's impacted her. She sees language as a way to connect with others who are image bearers of God.  Stay up to date by subscribing to our podcast on Youtube,  Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, or by connecting with us on LinkedIn. Get news, resources, and job opportunities in Christian Study Abroad in your inbox every month by subscribing to our newsletter. The Christian Study Abroad Podcast is hosted by Greg Belgum, Vice President of Living & Learning International.  This Podcast is produced by Greg Belgum, Eli Freeman, and the L&LI Team. Want to join the community? Register for the 2026 Christian Study Abroad Conference! Visit the podcast homepage here!

Dr. Ryan Hartwig serves as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Vanguard University. On today's episode he shares his personal and professional connection to study abroad and global education as well as the challenges and benefits of global education through the lens of university leadership. Stay up to date by subscribing to our podcast on Youtube,  Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, or by connecting with us on LinkedIn. Get news, resources, and job opportunities in Christian Study Abroad in your inbox every month by subscribing to our newsletter. Our guest today is Ryan T. Hartwig, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Vanguard University. You can connect with him on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hartwigryan/  The Christian Study Abroad Podcast is hosted by Greg Belgum, Vice President of Living & Learning International.  This Podcast is produced by Greg Belgum, Eli Freeman, and the L&LI Team. Want to join the community? Register for the 2026 Christian Study Abroad Conference! Visit the podcast homepage here!

Cynthia Slagter serves as the Director of Off-Campus Programs at Calvin University, where she oversees semester and short-term global programs and supports faculty in creating transformative learning experiences. She has more than two decades of experience leading academic and cultural travel programs and has presented and published on the impact of study abroad on language acquisition; her recent work explores how global learning can shape students' faith formation and spiritual development. Stay up to date by subscribing to our podcast on Youtube,  Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, or by connecting with us on LinkedIn. Get news, resources, and job opportunities in Christian Study Abroad in your inbox every month by subscribing to our newsletter. Our guest today is Dr. Cynthia Slagter. You can connect with her on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-slagter-83a98b33/ Find Dr. Slagter's book recommendation, There and Back: Living and Learning Abroad by Donald Degraaf, here: https://www.amazon.com/There-Back-Living-Learning-Abroad/dp/193755502X  The Christian Study Abroad Podcast is hosted by Greg Belgum, Vice President of Living & Learning International.  This Podcast is produced by Greg Belgum, Eli Freeman, and the L&LI Team. Want to join the community? Register for the 2026 Christian Study Abroad Conference! Visit the podcast homepage here!  

We're excited to bring you Season 2 of the Christian Study Abroad Podcast. This season, we'll be journeying through interesting conversations and interviews as we dive deep into specific topics across the field of Christian Study Abroad. If you're a study abroad advisor, faculty or a leader at your institution, researcher, or study abroad practitioner, this podcast is for you. How does faith formation take place in a cross-cultural setting and impact academics and global experiences? We'll dive into this and so much more, so we invite you to join us this season! Stay up to date by subscribing to our podcast on Youtube,  Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, or by connecting with us on LinkedIn. Get news, resources, and job opportunities in Christian Study Abroad in your inbox every month by subscribing to our newsletter. The Christian Study Abroad Podcast is hosted by Greg Belgum, Vice President of Living & Learning International.  This Podcast is produced by Greg Belgum, Eli Freeman, and the L&LI Team. Want to join the community? Register for the 2026 Christian Study Abroad Conference! Visit the podcast homepage here!  

On the podcast, we're joined by Dr. David Martínez, Director for the Center for Study Abroad, Associate professor of Spanish, and Honors Faculty Fellow at George Fox University. David attended the 2025 multi-day Christian Study Abroad Conference in April presented by Living & Learning at hosted at Biola University. On this episode, Living & Learning VP, Greg Belgum and David shares their thoughts about the conference, what was discussed, why it's important, and a few exciting things that came out of a space where Christian study abroad senders and providers gather together to encourage and learn together. If you'd like to be involved with any initiatives that came out of 2025 CSAC, please email us at [email protected]  To learn when the next Christian Study Abroad Conference is, visit our website.

Bo has served within international education for over twenty years, creating opportunities for students to study, intern, research, or serve abroad. He has earned degrees from Central College, Covenant Theological Seminary, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Southern California. He has been a director at the University of Illinois and at Baylor University for education abroad most recently and has presented at the Forum on Education Abroad and NAFSA annual conferences in addition to regional events. He grew up in rural Illinois, has been married for 28 years and currently lives in Central Texas. To see more of Bo White's writings, follow his blog at bowhite.substack.com

During his undergraduate career, Dr. Langer studied abroad in Germany where he spent his entire junior year of college. Now, he is a Professor Emeritus at Biola University where he served for almost 20 years as the Director of the Office of Faith and Learning and a professor of Biblical Studies and Theology. Dr. Langer works as the co-director of the Winsome Conviction Project, teaching in the Doctorate of Ministry program at Talbot School of Theology. He has authored several books including Winsome Persuasion (2017) and Winsome Conviction (2020), which deal with discourse in the public square and within the church. Both received an Award of Merit from Christianity Today's Book Awards. In 2020 he helped launch the Winsome Conviction Project at Biola University, which seeks to help depolarize our discourse, in the church, in Christian universities, and in the public square. Prior to teaching at Biola, he served for over twenty years as a pastor at Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Redlands, California. He has also served on the boards of several Christian organizations and currently lives in Littleton Colorado with his wife Shari. Join us at the annual Christian Study Abroad Conference April 2-4, 2025 at Biola University in La Mirada, California to connect with other professionals in the field. 

Jennifer is the Director of Off-Campus Programs at Taylor University, where she has spent many years leading global engagement experiences, sending hundreds of students around the world for short-term, faculty-led trips, and serving as an on-site director for Taylor's study abroad program in Ireland. Trained as a counselor, Jennifer has worked in residence life and honors and currently teaches courses in intercultural learning. She is married to Scott, and they have 2 teenage boys, Ciarán and Rónán, who have also caught the travel bug and most recently enjoyed spending a semester in Belfast in 2023.  You can connect with Jennifer Moeschberger at [email protected] 

Kayleigh Sommerfeldt is the Global Operations Coordinator at Bethel University. She holds an MBA in Finance, as well as degrees in Spanish and International Relations from Bethel. In her current role, she supervises student workers, oversees various aspects of the faculty-led program lifecycle, and manages budgets, data, and application processes. She is passionate about supporting the transformative study abroad experiences that shape the next generation of students. You can reach Kayleigh at [email protected] 

Professor Victoria Malone has been at Union University  in Jackson, Tennessee since 1999. Professor Malone began as a French adjunct and then assistant professor. In 2005, she became Union University's first study abroad coordinator and established the Study Abroad office. In 2011, she began accompanying students to Angers, France for a 4-week summer semester program. She is now Director for Study Abroad and enjoys providing study abroad opportunities for her students. 

Dr. Stephanie Gomes has been at Liberty University for over four years. In her current roll as the Director of Global Programs in the study abroad office (LU Send), she serve on the university's Global Travel Advisory Committee to implement practical and effective international health and safety standards, policies, and guidelines for programs and activities for approximately 600 students in the academic year. In today's episode, Stephanie shares about retention rates in Higher Education and discusses "how many actual 'touches' it takes before someone actually 'buys' something."    You can connect with Dr. Stephanie Gomes at www.liberty.edu/osd/lu-send/

Elizabeth Patterson Roe, PhD, LISW-S is a professor of social work and the director of the Center for Intercultural Studies at Malone University, in Canton, OH. Her research and practice experience has focused on intercultural practice, including how study abroad experiences have impacted students beyond graduation. Prior to teaching, she lived and served abroad in Romania and she now lives in an urban context, working to live out principles of Christian Community Development. You can reach out to Dr. Roe at [email protected] 

Our guest on the podcast is Dr. Kayli Hillebrand, Dean of Student Success and Academic Services at Vanguard University in Southern California. Over the past decade, Kayli has had oversight of Global Education while serving in a variety of roles.  In our conversation today, we'll hear about Kayli's professional journey and current role, how Study Abroad is structured at Vanguard, and we'll discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of providing global education at a Hispanic Serving Institution.  To connect with Dr. Kayli Hillebrand, you can email her at [email protected]

Mark Barneche is the Executive Director for International Education and Study Abroad at Abilene Christian University. Before his role at Abilene, Mark was the Associate Director of Pepperdine University's Lausanne Program in Lausanne, Switzerland. While directing this program in Switzerland, Mark also served as the President of the Association of American Universities and Colleges in Switzerland and served as the Treasurer of the European Association of Study Abroad. Mark is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Global Education at SIT Graduate Institute.  You can reach out to Mark by sending an email to [email protected]

On the podcast, we're joined by Dr. David Martínez, Director for the Center for Study Abroad, Associate professor of Spanish, and Honors Faculty Fellow at George Fox University. David joined the university in 2017 as an assistant professor of Spanish. He completed his PhD at the University of Georgia (2017), where he focused his studies and wrote his dissertation on the representation of the Spanish transition to democracy (1969-1981). In our conversation today, we'll hear about David's professional journey and current role, how Study Abroad is structured at George Fox University, and discuss certain models David has interfaced with in Christian Study Abroad. To connect with Dr. David Martínez, you can email him at [email protected] 

Dr. Joshua Britt joined Southeastern University in 2019 as the Director of Global Education and Assistant Professor of History. He has very recently been promoted to the Chair of the Humanities Department. While still passionate about Christian study abroad and working closely with the incoming study abroad director, he is currently shifting out of the position to focus on his work in the Humanities Department.  In our conversation today, we'll hear about Josh's professional journey and current role, how Study Abroad is structured at SEU, and more.  To connect with Dr. Josh Britt, you can email him at [email protected]

Julie Johnston Hermann serves as the Director of Global Opportunities at Concordia University, Nebraska in Seward, Nebraska. Julie returned to her alma mater, Concordia, in 2001 to first work in student life and teach leadership classes. Since 2008 she has been directing the Global Opportunities Center where students can come to find out about experiences abroad – study, intern, international student teaching, service, vocations – that fit their programs and passions.  Julie is looking forward to 2025 and building up additional campus champions for study and service abroad. You can connect with Julie at [email protected]

Aubrianna (Aubrey) Pennington works as the Global Education Program Manager at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. After completing her Master's in Theological Studies at Regent College in Vancouver, BC, Aubrey was keen to find a position that would utilize her degree. Working in the world of study abroad allows her to combine her interests in intercultural learning, program development, and theology, while also supporting young adults at a pivotal time of life. In her free time, Aubrey loves to read, host themed movie nights, and practice yoga. Aubrey Pennington LinkedIn

VP of Living & Learning, Greg Belgum chats with Associate Director of Study Abroad at Biola University, Austin Burns-Robertson. Austin has worked at Biola for 5 years, and is able to serve students by connecting them to incredible study abroad opportunities. It has been the greatest joy of his 20+ years in higher education.  Hear from Austin as he shares more about his experiences, and why Biola is hosting the Christian Study Abroad Conference presented by Living & Learning. If you'd like to conect with Austin, you can reach him at [email protected]