By Peggy McInerny, Director of Communications

Grants to the two programs by Alianza MX, a University of California program that promotes engagement with Mexico, will be used for student scholarships.

UCLA International Institute, February 24, 2025 — Two international summer programs of the UCLA International Education Office, or IEO, have received grants from Alianza MX, a program that promotes engagement with Mexico by University of California faculty and students across all ten UC campuses.

The grants for the UCLA IEO Global Internship Program, “Global Health in Oaxaca,” and the summer Travel Study program, “Spanish: Language & Culture in the Mexican Context,” will fund scholarships for Bruin students this coming summer. A third UCLA initiative, “Entre Amigos: Education Research Across the Border,” coordinated by Professor Jose Felipe Martinez of the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, also received an Alianza MX award.

Alianza MX was created in 2019 to strengthen the University of California in its role as Mexico’s primary institutional research and scientific partner. Among its many goals, the alliance seeks to mobilize talent and funding for collaborative U.S.-Mexico research teams; promote student and faculty exchanges; help educate future generations of researchers who understand the cultures of both countries, as well as a culturally competent binational workforce; and create collaborative action-research programs to address complex challenges facing both countries, such as climate change, water quality and migration.

“UCLA is thrilled that these two excellent IEO summer programs have received Alianza MX funding, making it possible for more students to participate in a global learning program that they might otherwise be unable to attend,” said Chris Hanscom, the IEO faculty director appointed by the International Institute and the UC lead faculty for the two programs. In addition to the scholarships funded by the Alianza MX grants, UCLA students can also apply for several other scholarships to defray the costs of the two summer programs.

“Not only do the awards broaden the access of our student body to critical international experience, they help Bruin graduates come away with Spanish-language skills and a deeper understanding of Mexican history and culture — valuable skills in today’s globalizing world,” he added.

The “Global Health in Oaxaca” internship is a demanding eight-week program focused on the social determinants of health and healthcare in Oaxaca; it is limited to 10 students per summer. An immersive professional development and cultural experience, the program was created with Dr. Ippolytos Kalofonos, chair of the UCLA International Institute’s global health minor, in 2024.

Dr. Kalofonos and IEO previously created the Global Internship Program, "Global Health in La Paz," which served as a model for the Oaxaca program. Both internships are coordinated by Andrew Bottom of IEO. The Oaxaca internship also received an Alianza MX grant in its first year, which was enthusiastically received by participants. Word of mouth from 2024 alumni resulted in a doubling of applications for this summer’s program.

"My study abroad experience in Oaxaca was truly transformative and unforgettable," said Alejandra Perez Chairez (UCLA 2025), a human biology and science major who attended the internship program last summer. "As a first-generation pre-med student, it strengthened my confidence in navigating unfamiliar spaces, deepened my understanding of healthcare in different cultural settings and reinforced my desire to bridge cultural and linguistic gaps in healthcare.

"It was a pivotal moment that reminded me why I chose this path and affirmed my goal of becoming a patient-centered and culturally sensitive physician," she added. 

The internship requires students to complete two UCLA courses (one in global health, another in global workplace communications) and to participate in observational clinical rotations in public clinics, hospitals and NGOs that work in primary care, hospital medicine and indigenous health. Organized by IEO partner Child Family Health International, or CFHI, the rotations are complemented by weekly lectures and case study presentations by the local CFHI medical team, classes in medical Spanish and cultural activities. Bruins who will attend the program this year include global health minors, as well as pre-med and public health majors.

Intermediate-level Spanish language skills are a requirement for the internship because all on-site content is delivered in Spanish. Students write weekly response papers, hold biweekly discussions with a graduate instructor and write a final research paper. Participants also live with local families in Oaxaca, giving them a chance to practice and improve their Spanish-language skills.

The Spanish-language Travel Study program, held in the Mexican city of Mérida, is a four-week summer program focused on intensive language study. In addition to taking daily language classes that earn credits for either one or two UCLA courses, students live with host families and participate in comprehensive cultural programming. Excursions explore many historic sites in the city of Mérida, its surroundings and Mexico’s Caribbean coastline with the goal of better acquainting students with Mexican and indigenous Mayan history and culture.

Summer 2025 marks the first time that the UCLA Travel Study summer program, which is coordinated by the IEO’s Maureen Atalla in collaboration with the UCLA Department of Spanish & Portuguese, will be offered since 2018. The program is thrilled to receive Alianza MX funding for the year of its re-launch, especially as it will enable more Bruins to travel to Mexico to study Spanish and the culture and history of our closest southern neighbor.

Published: Monday, February 24, 2025