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Andrea Paras: Towards interculturally competent humanitarianism

Heart-to-heart connections, an openness to differences, and busting myths are all part of being interculturally competent. Dr. Andrea Paras, Associate Professor at the University of Guelph, believes intercultural competence is learned, not instinctive. In other words, it must be taught…and she's committed to helping it flourish.

Mark Spagnolo: A performance halfway around the world

For travelers, India is a site of curiosity.

For international students, it's a destination likely to reveal new knowledge.

And for multi-instrumentalist Mark Spagnolo, India was the site of a gig that reverberated like no other.

Manjusri Misra: A sustainability pioneer with timely expertise

Sustainability has reached its tipping point. With climate change and global warming causing worldwide environmental degradation – and disproportionately affecting marginalized peoples and regions – an increased push is occurring for products, packaging, and industrial practices to become more sustainable and to create less waste.

That’s where researchers such as born-and-raised in India Dr. Manjusri Misra come in. She’s providing cutting-edge training and opportunities for our world to become much more environmentally conscious, moving forward.

Enabling an Open Mind: Conducting Disability Research in India


Research usually begins with a quest to learn something about others. But in my case, I learned something about myself at the same time. In 2019, I was fortunate to spend a month talking to people with disabilities (PWD) in Delhi and Lucknow. This was part of a larger research project conducted by two think tanks, LIRNEasia in Sri Lanka and Vihara Innovation Network in India that were keen to understand how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can improve the life conditions of PWD.

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