How Stanford fellowship alumni are expanding global learning at community colleges nationwide

Stanford Global Studies’ EPIC fellowships are creating ripple effects nationwide, inspiring community college educators to expand global learning in their classrooms, campuses, and communities.

For alumni of Stanford’s Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) fellowships for community college educators, expanding global learning often begins not with sending students abroad, but with bringing international perspectives directly to campus.

That theme emerged during a virtual discussion hosted by the Community College Chapter of the Fulbright Association on April 28 in partnership with Stanford Global Studies. The event brought together three EPIC alumni to reflect on how their fellowship experience has shaped their work, strengthened institutional capacity for international education, and inspired broader change across their campuses and communities.

Moderated by current EPIC Leadership Fellow Vincent L. Briley, interim associate dean of student affairs at Montgomery College in Maryland, the conversation highlighted how Stanford’s EPIC fellowships have helped community college educators build more globally engaged campuses.

Since launching in 2014, EPIC fellowship programs have supported more than 130 faculty and administrators from community colleges across the country, equipping them with tools to internationalize curriculum, strengthen institutional strategy around global studies, and expand global learning opportunities for students.

Building community and capacity

For Nicole Trevena Flores, department chair for social sciences and global education coordinator at Southeast Community College in Nebraska, EPIC drove meaningful change both institutionally and personally.

“Through my EPIC opportunity, we internationalized our collegewide strategic plan, which was a huge step for us,” Flores said.

The fellowship’s mentorship and cohort model also encouraged her to pursue new opportunities, including a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award through the U.S.-Germany International Education Administrators program.

“I wouldn’t even have applied to Fulbright had I not had the mentoring that I had [through EPIC],” she said.

The sense of professional community was equally meaningful to Flores, who leads international education efforts at her college as “an office of one.”

Scaling global learning

At St. Philip’s College in Texas, EPIC alumni Andrew Hill and Irene Young described how the fellowship helped spark lasting institutional change, from hosting Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence to expanding international engagement across campus and into the broader community.

Young, a professor of psychology, described the fellowship as “invigorating” and said it inspired efforts to bring colleagues into the work of curriculum internationalization.

“Not only did I want my students to have a global experience, but also my colleagues,” she shared. “I wanted my colleagues to come along with me.”

Hill, a professor of philosophy, said that after completing their EPIC fellowships, he and Young began rethinking how to globalize their classes. They started with organizing a study abroad program in Northern Ireland, which was a great success but raised questions about access. 

“We realized this was a high-impact program,” Hill said. “But given the limitations of taking small groups, we thought, ‘How can we expand the impact to a larger number of our students here in Texas?’”

That question led them to bring international scholars to St. Philip’s through the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program, creating opportunities for classroom engagement, faculty development, and community programming. 

Showing students what’s possible

Throughout the discussion, the speakers reinforced a central takeaway: international education at community colleges can take many forms—from study abroad and faculty exchanges to strategic planning, curriculum innovation, and partnerships that bring global perspectives directly to students.

In closing, Briley emphasized the importance of educators modeling ambition and perseverance for their students by pursuing opportunities like EPIC and Fulbright.

“Our students have to see us successful,” Briley said. “They have to see us meet a challenge. They have to see us go after something.”

Watch the full discussion on the Stanford Global Studies YouTube channel or below.