News

Zena Meighan ‘24 didn’t even have a passport when she first enrolled at Lehigh University. The idea of studying abroad always appealed to her, but coming from a low-income background, she initially believed the idea was out of reach.

Today, Meighan is living and working in Kumamoto, a city on the island of Kyushu in Japan, where she works as an assistant teacher providing English language lessons to elementary and middle school-age students.

“Without the experiences I had at Lehigh University and the Office of International Affairs, I never would have even thought of doing something like this,” said Meighan, who majored in Asian Studies at Lehigh. “They gave me the opportunities and the confidence to follow this path.”

Meighan is an Assistant Language Teacher working in Japan through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, which recruits native English speakers to work in Japan and assist Japanese teachers in teaching English and promoting cultural exchange.

During her time at Lehigh, Meighan spent a full school year studying abroad in Osaka, Japan, with support from OIA’s Study Abroad office. That opportunity was made possible after Meighan participated in the Passport to Success program.

Passport to Success offers first-year students guidance on the various ways to pursue global educational opportunities at Lehigh, including study abroad, international internships, research opportunities, and more. It also allows students to renew their passport, or obtain a free passport if they don’t have one.

“They gave me the entire rundown about how the application works and the entire process,” Meighan said. “They made it seem very simple. [The program] fully paid for my passport. They made me feel like I really could do these things.”

Below is a video released last year featuring Meighan discussing the Passport to Success program.

Meighan, who also interned at the OIA office, said she also received particular guidance and encouragement from Antonio Ellison, Assistant Director of Study Abroad Diversity Initiatives at Lehigh. Ellison first connected her with Passport to Success when she was a freshman, and provided her help along every step of her study abroad experience.

“He was a big supporter of me from the start,” Meighan said. “He spent a lot of time talking to me about my potential and the kind of things I wanted to study. I would never have even thought of doing any of this if not for that.”

"Whatever role I had in helping Zena find her wings and take flight was a privilege," Ellison said. "She's an exceptional individual, and I can't wait to see her future accomplishments."

The JET Program has sent more than 79,000 participants from around the globe – including more than 36,800 Americans – to work in schools, boards of education, and government offices throughout Japan.

More than 80 countries around the world are currently participating in the JET Program, which was founded in 1987. It is the only teaching exchange program managed by the government of Japan.

The Study Abroad office provides more than 250 study abroad programs in over 60 countries, from shorter programs led by Lehigh faculty or staff to semester or year-long programs offered by academic and institutional partners.

During the 2023-24 academic year, 789 Lehigh students had a combined total of 825 study abroad experiences, and 42% of Lehigh students had at least one international experience by graduation. Lehigh University ranked #22 nationally in terms of the number of students who go abroad, according to the Open Doors 2024 Report.

These study abroad opportunities are part of OIA’s strategic initiatives to ensure all students have access to international education experiences, as well as to prepare Lehigh community members to be global learners, citizens, and leaders.