Gigi's IXO Internship

Gigi at our office

IXO offers opportunities not only for study abroad, but also for employment and academic and professional career advancement. Aside from our many student employees, we have welcomed Visiting Guests-in-Residence to work at our office and gain experience relevant to their studies and careers. One such person was Jihan "Gigi" Elsayed, an American who interned at IXO throughout Fall 2019 to complete a graduate practicum. She has since landed a job in the UAE and hopes to stay here long-term.

Gigi's internship at IXO was the last requirement for her Master in International Education Management program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, USA. "One of the benefits of completing the practicum at IXO was the opportunity to learn about different areas in international education management. For example, some practicum sites will either focus only on international student services or only on study abroad. At IXO, I worked on projects that focused not only on these, but also on professional development, alumni outreach, marketing and recruitment, etc. I was able to see and learn how the office operated as a whole and everything that went into it."

At her IXO birthday/farewell party

Working at IXO also broadened Gigi's scope of knowledge in her field in another way. "Professionally, I am more knowledgeable about education in the UAE. Since I grew up and studied in the USA, a lot of my knowledge regarding international education was very USA-focused, or European-focused, since I studied abroad in France. Having worked at IXO, I learned about international education from a different perspective."

"Overall, this was a great learning experience, and I appreciate and thank IXO for welcoming me and allowing me to complete [my Master's program] at AUS," she said.

Gigi doesn't plan on leaving the UAE anytime soon. "Ever since I studied abroad during my undergraduate studies, I always knew that I wanted to go abroad again. Currently, I am still living and working in the UAE, specifically in education. Hopefully by next fall, I will go back to school to receive a teaching diploma, and I hope to stay here long-term."


Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist

Grace Morales, IXO Advisor and Newly Elected Member of ISEP Council of Advisors

Grace Morales

Our staff here at IXO are constantly looking for ways to promote study abroad and make it more accessible for both incoming and outgoing students at AUS. Grace Morales is one such staff member. She is our Advisor of International Exchange Programs, and in this capacity, she manages all of the incoming and outgoing study abroad programs at AUS. This year, Morales was elected to serve on the ISEP Council of Advisors for a three-year term. This position will give her the chance to contribute her ideas to improve aspects of ISEP, break down barriers to study abroad, represent AUS students and their challenges at ISEP, and more.

First of all, ISEP stands for International Student Exchange Program, and according to their website, they are "a non-profit educational community dedicated to helping students overcome the financial and academic barriers to study abroad." AUS has been an ISEP Member Institution since 2010. The ISEP Council of Advisors is the elected voice of the ISEP member community, where Morales will be representing ideas from regional and AUS perspectives. So what does she hope to bring to the Council? "I would love to serve the Council to contribute to ISEP’s continuous improvement efforts, including easing the application process," she said. "I often encounter concerns regarding the application from AUS applicants and have workable ideas for improving the system even more."

Morales also wants to focus on breaking down academic and other barriers to study abroad, because as she said, "[A]n important goal for AUS is to facilitate increased numbers of outbound students." Morales also wants to use her position at ISEP to encourage more students to come to the UAE and study at AUS: "I am very keen on meeting and working with ISEP and its constituents around the world. I will be able to convince ISEP members to send more students to AUS. Their students would not only learn academically here but rather they would also see how the UAE is a melting pot of different cultures and beliefs."

In this way, Morales said, her presence on the Council will benefit IXO and AUS. "I will also be able to represent AUS students well when it comes to the challenges they are facing when they apply to ISEP," she said. "I will ensure that they are brought to the attention of the Council so we could come up with feasible ideas to overcome them."

Why does Morales, and IXO at large, work with ISEP in particular? "By collaborating through the ISEP Exchange Program, studying abroad has become so ‘accessible’ and affordable – it opens the world up to our students," she said. "Our students pay the same tuition fee [that they pay] at AUS and get the benefit of studying abroad. We believe that ISEP is dedicated to helping students overcome financial and academic barriers to study abroad and will continue working hand-in-hand with them to achieve that goal."

Ultimately, Morales' work as an Advisor here at IXO and her upcoming term on the ISEP Council of Advisors come from a passion for giving students the experience of studying abroad. "I am interested in facilitating study abroad for students since I would like to let them know that there is a good return on investment when you study abroad. You broaden your professional network, learn a new language, become more independent and resilient, and a lot more. It also opens opportunities for graduate/master/doctorate studies. When students study abroad, they become a magnet to employers," she said.

"In addition, what could be more rewarding than when they come back elated and fulfilled, and partly because my team and I had made this happen for them?"


Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist