Connecting Indianapolis to the World: Forging Global Leaders at Ivy Tech
By Gerald Maki, English Professor & Coordinator of Global Education
We live in a deeply connected world and share the planet with over eight billion other people - each waking up, just like us, with dreams and goals and passions and a near-infinite sense of self.
In past years, Ivy Tech Community College, especially the Indianapolis campus, has been a leader in creating unique and meaningful global learning opportunities for students. Many of our faculty have been involved in helping students develop skills to not just thrive in a globally connected workforce - but to view themselves as leaders.
When one thinks of global learning, study abroad often comes to mind first, and Ivy Tech is no exception. Throughout the state, Ivy Tech faculty lead a number of study abroad programs where students can travel to another country and learn firsthand from experts around the globe. For example, our Culinary Arts program has a powerful annual trip that students are eligible for at the end of their program, and this year, students will travel to France to learn from some of the world’s leading culinary artists. Last year, Nursing students in Fort Wayne had the opportunity to develop and assist wellness clinics in villages in the Dominican Republic. These programs represent invaluable global leadership through experiential learning.
While traditional international travel may be difficult for many, colleges and universities around the world are witnessing an explosion of International Virtual Exchanges, which are transforming education. These experiences use already existing technology, such as Zoom, to connect classrooms and partner students from across the world in shared learning experiences. We have had classes at Ivy Tech work with partners from five continents – including colleges and universities in Chile, Germany, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Ukraine, Uzbekistan among others – all at no extra cost to students.
This past October, I had the privilege of representing Ivy Tech at the International Virtual Exchange Conference (IVEC) in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. IVEC is the premier global gathering dedicated to these very exchanges, and it brought together educators and researchers who see the power of virtual exchange as a high-impact practice. Attending alongside colleagues from the U.S. and abroad—including representatives from the Alamo District Colleges, Indiana University, and Ball State University—I was reminded how deeply Ivy Tech’s work already aligns with the international movement to equip students for the global workforce.
A highlight of the conference was an in-person meeting with Dr. Lyudmila Kruhlenko, an international collaborator from the University of Bamberg (Germany) and Pryazovskyi State University in Ukraine, who has been displaced from Mariupol due to the war. Our partnership began virtually two years ago when I invited Dr. Kruhlenko to speak at Ivy Tech’s statewide Communities of Care Virtual Symposium through LEAP Indiana. Since then, she has become an invaluable partner in virtual exchanges with my English 111 students—many of whom have now witnessed firsthand the resilience of Ukrainian students learning in the midst of conflict. Meeting her in person at IVEC underscored how virtual exchanges can lead to lasting professional and humanitarian connections that transcend borders and hardship.
Students who participate in an international virtual exchange often describe their experiences in personally transformative terms and develop new friends from around the world as part of the collaboration. Virtual exchanges also offer an opportunity for Ivy Tech students to become part of a wider world of global opportunities, such as Jo’siah, who was asked to share about his Ivy Tech work during a virtual reception hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent. We are discovering that many international businesses also have headquarters in some of our partner cities. The only limits to virtual exchange opportunities are our imaginations. Last year, a guest speaker shared about her work connecting high school vocational students to an international virtual exchange project on the International Space Station!
Last spring, we hosted Dr. Chien Yao Sun, a Fulbright Scholar from Taiwan, to speak to Ivy Tech Indy students about his path in healthcare. During his talk, he spoke extensively about the many failures he faced throughout his career, helping to humanize what it means to be a college student and inspire others to be resilient. For students to see a leading scholar travel halfway around the world to share his story and answer their questions is an experience that opens the imagination as to what is possible.
At Ivy Tech, we have many amazing faculty involved in enriching projects, and, in turn, they bring those insights to the classroom. Dr. Carmen Paniagua is a Math Professor and Fulbright Scholar herself, Christopher Cox was recently featured in the Ivy Indy for his work in South Sudan, Dr. Ann Whaley has spoken at The House of Lords and last spring hosted a guest speaker, Rita Payne - former Asia Editor of the BBC for a campus talk to allow our students to hear first-hand from an inspiring global leader. We also have a growing number of international institutions and organizations that are interested in partnering with Ivy Tech Community College and providing our students with additional opportunities for career and skills-related global learning. Dr. Emily Watson is another faculty member who has done amazing work in this area.
As for myself, I began as a community college student. I was born in Detroit, Michigan, but finished high school in Columbia, Tennessee. I did well in my classes, but there was much uncertainty surrounding family and finances when I graduated. I first enrolled at Columbia State Community College, where I met a number of deeply inspiring teachers. I eventually transferred to the University of Tennessee then came to Purdue for my graduate work. Since that time, I have had the good fortune to deliver presentations around the world, including events at the United Nations. I often share my story with my students to demonstrate what is possible with a little imagination and resilience - and the power of transformative global learning, which we are building here at Ivy Tech.
At Ivy Tech, we aim to help students not just develop skills for an increasingly interconnected workforce, but to hear from and be inspired by leaders who are making a difference today.
Professor Gerald Maki
Gerald Maki, a professor of English at Ivy Tech Indianapolis for over 14 years, currently serves as the coordinator of Global Education. Maki proudly started his higher education journey at a community college, eventually earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee and graduate degree from Purdue University. Maki has delivered numerous presentations worldwide, including at the United Nations. Over the years, Maki's classrooms have connected with students from colleges and universities in over seven countries – all at no extra cost to students.
Grace, Growth, and the Classroom That Changed My Life
By Tiana Bunnell-Mumford, Adjunct Instructor, Medical Assisting
Written by an Ivy Tech alumna who has since returned as faculty, this first-person reflection traces one powerful moment of grace that shaped a career in healthcare—and a calling to teach. In this piece, Adjunct Instructor Tiana Bunnell-Mumford shares her journey from overwhelmed student to compassionate educator, and how the lessons she learned inside an Ivy Tech classroom continue to guide the way she shows up for her own students today.
I was 19 years old, working night shifts as a pharmacy technician, and I overslept on clinical exam day. My classmates were calling nonstop, trying to wake me up. I was nervous, rushing, and praying the whole way to campus that I’d still be able to walk through the door.
Back then, being late could mean missing out completely. I was expecting rules. Consequences. Maybe even a locked door.
But when I arrived, my instructor, Lori Andrews, greeted me with a calm smile and simply said, “Good morning, sunshine.”
No lecture. No judgment. Just grace — and that moment stuck with me. It reminded me that in healthcare, and in life, how you show up for someone in their moment of panic can leave a lasting impact.
Now, over 20 years later, I stand in that same space — no longer as the student hoping for a chance, but as the educator offering it.
That grace I received? I carry it into every classroom today as an instructor myself.
THE TRANSFORMATION – FROM STUDENT TO SUPPORT SYSTEM
Back then, I had no idea where I’d end up. I didn’t see myself as a future professor. I was just doing my best to get through the semester, working nights and chasing a dream I hadn’t yet defined.
But what I didn’t realize was that I was being shaped — not just by textbooks and lab check-offs, but by the people who showed me what healthcare really looks like: presence, patience, and purpose.
Since graduating with an Associate of Applied Science in Medical Assisting, I’ve spent over 23 years in the field — from cardiology to pediatrics, family practice to internal medicine, primary care to GI. I’ve drawn blood, coached patients, trained new staff, and lived what I now teach.
And when I step in front of my students today, I don’t just bring knowledge — I bring the real. The lived experience. The “I’ve been where you are” confidence that lets them know they can do it too.
THE CLASSROOM TODAY – COMPASSION MEETS CLINICAL SKILLS
Teaching looks different than what it was 22 years ago.
The program I completed in 16 weeks is now an eight-week sprint. The pressure is real. The pace is fast. But the need is still the same — students want to be seen, supported, and prepared.
In my classroom, I create a space where students feel both challenged and championed. We work hard, but we laugh too. We use real stories, real scenarios, and real compassion.
I teach using the same tools that helped me thrive:
- Hands-on practice
- Heart-first instruction
- And an open-door policy that says, “You can always come talk to me.”
One student recently wrote:
“Thank you so much for your guidance and support this semester. I truly appreciated your thoughtful teaching and the encouraging learning environment you created. I learned a lot and feel grateful to have been in your class.”
That kind of feedback? That’s what keeps me coming back week after week — to be the coach, the cheerleader, the safe space someone else once was for me.
THE FULL-CIRCLE IMPACT – IVY TECH THEN AND NOW
When medical assisting program chair Lori Andrews — the same instructor who welcomed me with grace all those years ago – reached out to ask me to return to the Indianapolis campus as faculty, I didn’t hesitate. It wasn’t just a job opportunity; it was a calling.
Now, I have the honor of helping shape futures in the same program that helped launch mine. I know how important it is for students to see someone who’s walked the same halls, worn the same scrubs, and lived the same late-night hustle. That shared experience creates trust, and trust creates transformation.
FROM LOST IN THE SAUCE TO COOKING WITH CRISCO
I always tell my students, “Don’t get lost in the sauce, learn how to season it.”
It’s easy to drown in the pressure, the tests, the self-doubt. But I remind them we’re not just surviving here, we’re cooking with Crisco. We’re building confidence, critical thinking, and compassion. We’re learning how to show up for ourselves, our patients, and our futures.
My goal isn’t just to help them pass a class. It’s to help them walk into a clinic or hospital one day and know they belong there. To remind them that grace doesn’t make you weak, it makes you ready.
I walked into Ivy Tech all those years ago, unsure of my path, late for clinicals, and hoping someone would give me a shot. Now I walk into the same building to give others that same opportunity, but with a little more seasoning and a whole lot of purpose.
Because this isn’t just teaching. It’s a transformation. And I’m grateful to be part of it.
THE LASTING FLAME OF CHEF G LIVES ON AT IVY TECH
Built with Shorthand