Written by Timmy Dillard, Communications Intern | September 28, 2023 | SHARE
Moments after arriving on campus, 25 first year students dove into the “global waters” as they began Lehigh’s three-day Global PreLUsion Program. Less than 24 hours later, they were sitting across the table with the second-most senior diplomat in the German Consulate in New York City.
In three days of programming, these students were encouraged to build upon their definition of “globalization” through group discussions, exposure to real-world examples, and reflection. They were also shown many of the initiatives the Office of International Affairs has to offer to students to take their global interests to the next level.
On day one, they met their PreLUsion coordinators, reflected on globalization, and took part in a United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) simulation. The simulation, which was recently debuted at the UN, tests the problem-solving ability of its participants as they create solutions to these pressing issues.
On day two, the group got up at 6 a.m. to meet the PreLUsion coordinators and board a bus to New York City. There, they toured the UN headquarters to get a first-hand view of the world’s largest diplomacy stage. Then, as a continuation of the longstanding friendship between Lehigh University and the German federal government, the students got to converse directly with the Deputy Consul General of the German Mission to the UN, Mr. Carsten Rüpke.
“I could not believe that on my second day at Lehigh, I was sitting right in front of a very important German diplomat,” said Harris Rosenthal, a first year student studying finance. The students enjoyed the chance to ask Rüpke about real-world issues and how Germany responds to them.
The group then split up for a scavenger hunt of Little Italy and Chinatown in search of examples of the concept of “globalization.” They returned with a myriad of photographs, each depicting different perspectives on this heavily contested term.
On the final day the students took a history and immigration tour of Bethlehem, expertly guided by Professor Seth Moglen. They completed the program with an “opportunities fair,” hearing about resources from offices such as Study Abroad, the Iacocca International Internship Program, ICAPE and the Global Union.