On January 4, we launched the pilot program of Sparks USA for immigrant women at Alliant University in San Diego.
Using the signature Sparks Program in Turkiye as a model, Sparks USA was developed specifically for the needs of women international students who are tomorrow’s immigrant leaders.
Its aim is to provide leadership, organizational, cultural, and self-developmental skills that can enable international women to exercise unique values and perspectives in their academic, social, and work lives. This will also help them face the challenges unique to immigrants who are preparing for global careers.
The program was developed and is spearhead by Dr. Nurcan Ensari, Professor of Organizational Psychology at Alliant University and Dr. Ayca Altintig, Associate Professor of Finance at USC Marshall School of Business.
Provost Tracy Heller of Alliant International University and Dean David Stewart of California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant joined us at the launch to welcome the inaugural cohort and provide their support for the program.
The eight pilot participants are women from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Taiwan, and Mexico. Volunteer facilitators include an academic from Alliant University and two Alliant PhD students.