35th Annual Conference

Conference Activities and Sessions

Our 35th Annual Conference, Culture, Sustainability, and Environment in Latin America, will take place February 21-24, 2024, in Cali, Colombia. AAPLAC is grateful to our host organization, CET Academic Programs, for their support of the conference.

*All times are shown in US Central Standard Time (CST).

This schedule is subject to change and will be updated as needed.

Wednesday, February 21
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM	Registration NH Hotel Lobby
3:00 PM	Transportation to Universidad del Valle NH Hotel Lobby
3:30 - 6:00 PM	Popular Education Workshop "Talking Maps" (optional) Universidad del Valle, Open Air During this interactive workshop, members of the Popular Education department at Universidad del Valle will lead AAPLAC participants and local university students through the creation of “Talking Maps." This method empowers members of local communities to learn about their environments, noting safe spaces, high-risk areas, public services, etc. By engaging in this practice, workshop participants will learn how the method contributes to broader pedagogical approaches in Popular Education. The fee for this optional activity is $45.
7:00 - 7:30 PM	Keynote Address Libia Díaz Ulibares, Co-Founder MINE Conference Room, NH Hotel
7:30 - 9:00 PM	Welcome Reception NH Hotel Poolside
Thursday, February 22 All Thursday sessions will be held in Xepia Auditorium, Universidad del Occidente
8:30 AM	Transportation to Universidad Autónoma del Occidente NH Hotel Lobby
9:00 - 10:15 AM	Conference Opening and Welcome
10:15 - 11:15 AM	Session 1 Moderator: I. Carolina Caballero, Tulane University Black Girl Abroad: How Black Girls and Women Experience Microaggressions and Racism While Studying Abroad Chassidy Simmons, Tulane University From Diversity to Full Participation: Global Scholars and Social Justice at Albright College Adam John, Albright College Sandy Bravo, CEDEI Foundation Elicia Aponte, Albright College Jocelyn McLaughlin, Albright College
11:15 - 11:30 AM	Coffee Break Sponsored by CEDEI Foundation - International Programs
11:30 PM - 12:30 PM	Session 2 Moderator: Kathleen McInerney, St. Xavier University Cross-disciplinary Teaching & the Cultural Sustainability of Indigenous Boruca in Costa Rica David T. Osgood, Albright College Kristen T. Woodward, Albright College Bridging Cultures and Classrooms: Experiential Learning of US Preservice Teachers in Costa Rica Katya Koubek, James Madison University Olman Vargas Rojas, Green Forest School HBCU Encounters with the Afro-Latin American Diaspora Shearon Roberts, Xavier University of Louisiana
12:30 - 2:00 PM	Lunch, self-pay (cash required) Campus Restaurant
2:00 - 3:00 PM	Session 3: Panel Discussion Perspectivas decoloniales en educación internacional: desde la teoría a las prácticas Héctor Cruz Feliciano, CET Academic Programs Andrea A. Rizzotti, FLACSO Argentina
3:00 - 3:15 PM	Coffee Break Sponsored by Natik
3:15 - 4:15 PM	Session 4 Moderator: Valerie McGinley, Tulane University It's All About the Partnership: How to Create and Fund Inclusive, Cross-Disciplinary, and Collaborative Projects for Global Education Colleen Ebacher, Towson University Making Global Learning Accessible for All Irina Golubeva, University of Maryland, Baltimore County - UMBC Adam Holden, University of Maryland, Baltimore County - UMBC Katherine Heird, University of Maryland, Baltimore County – UMBC Transforming Teacher Education through Intercultural Efforts Across the Curriculum Steven Gardner, Illinois College
4:15 - 4:30 PM	Coffee Break Sponsored by Albright College
4:30 - 5:30 PM	Session 5 Moderator: Hannah Palmer, Tulane University African Art in the City: Looking Beyond State Narratives Cynthia Becker, Boston University The RobotArts Initiative: Strengthening Relations between Engineering and Arts in Colombia and the US Victor Rodriguez-Toro, Georgia Institute of Technology
5:45 PM	Transportation to NH Hotel
Friday, February 23 All Friday sessions will take place in the Germán Colmenares Auditorium, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad del Valle
8:30 AM	Group Departure for Universidad del Valle (walking) NH Hotel Lobby
9:00 - 9:30 AM	Welcome from Universidad del Valle
9:30 - 10:30 AM	Session 6 Moderator: Annie Gibson, Tulane University Experiencias de movilidad internacional por razones de estudio de jóvenes profesionales étnicos colombianos. Acción afirmativa y justicia racial Rosa Emilia Bermúdez Rico, Universidad del Valle Latin America's Potential to Create Pan-African Global Citizens Through Study Abroad Nyasha Franklin, World 2 the Whyze Developing Study Abroad and Exchange Programs with a Focus on the African Diaspora in Latin America: Possibilities and Challenges for a Small College Daniel Cozart, Utica University
10:30 - 10:45 AM	Coffee Break Sponsored by Tulane University Stone Center for Latin American Studies
10:45 - 11:45 AM	Session 7 Moderator: Stephanie Athey, Lasell University Challenging Traditional Service-Learning in Education Abroad: Toward a Critical Model of Community-Engaged Learning in the Yucatán, Mexico Casey Love, Tulane University Keona Patel, Tulane University Desafiando las tendencias colonialistas en el contexto de programas de estudio en el extranjero mediante la focalización de las narrativas de las comunidades afrocolombianas Cyntoya McCall, Tulane University/CET Academic Programs Diego Lugo-Vivas, CET Academic Programs Los docentes universitarios y la internacionalización desde casa: COIL como recurso para el desarrollo de la competencia intercultural Migdalia E. Rodríguez Rosales, Universidad de Sonora, México Marisol Delgado Torres, Universidad de Sonora, México
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM	Session 8: Poster Session Gallery Walk Outside of Germán Colmenares Auditorium Análisis de asentamientos irregulares en Cali, Colombia Gina Coque Alarcón, Yale University Desarrollo de la capacidad argumentativa: Una estrategia para alcanzar el pensamiento crítico Jaime Rodríguez Anguiano, Universidad de Guanajuato 3-Inter: Internacional-Intercultural-Interdisciplinario Romina Fabiola Ríos Hernández, Universidad de Guanajuato Estrategias metodológicas que incentivan al capital cultural en niños, niñas y adolescents Marco Antonio Sierra Quezada, Universidad de Guanajuato Post-COVID Data and Advising-Centered Strategies for Addressing Decline in Study Abroad in Latin America Hannah Palmer, Tulane University Annie Gibson, Tulane University Siena Farrar, Tulane University Global Fluency: The Impact of Language Learning in Study Abroad Catie Mae Carey, Tulane University Resplandor international: un model en el desarrollo humano y aprendizaje en un centro comunitario intercultural en México Todd Fletcher, Resplandor International/University of Arizona Changing Narratives by Building Community: The Case of Haiti's Pockets of Hope Amy Bracken, W.K. Kellogg Foundation Experiencias de aprendizaje de estudiantes con discapacidad de visual de la DAEA con la plataforma educativa TEAMS Gladys del Carmen Medina Morales, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco Fundación Paraguaya and Experiential Learning Sophia Young, Tulane University Vesna Yuki Kesić, Tulane University Sophie Potter, Tulane University Decolonizing Global Health: Moving from Theory to Praxis through a Pre-departure Program - Results of Pilot Launch Setareh Alavi, Tulane University Sensibilidad intercultural en estudiantes de movilidad internacional Dania Abigail Acosta Ramírez, Universidad de Guanajuato
1:00 - 2:00 PM	Lunch on your own
2:00 - 3:00 PM	Session 9 Moderator: Malcolm Miguel Botto, Brigham Young University Saúde e Bom-Viver: tentativas dialógicas de interculturalidade Maria de Lourdes Beldi de Alcantara, Faculdade de Medicina-LIM-50, Universidade de São Paulo ALICUMAPE: Escuela de Alfabetización e Interculturalidad para el cuidado materno perinatal desde la perspectiva de comunidades nativas Claudia Patricia Motta León, Daniela Herrera Grajales, Fundación Universitaria Juan N Corpas
3:00 - 3:15 PM	Coffee Break Sponsored by BYU Kennedy Center for International Studies
3:15 - 4:00 PM	Session 10 Moderator: Siena Farrar, Tulane University Short Term Travel as a Springboard to Change: Strategies for Developing Decolonial Courses that Transform Student Experience Abroad Bridgette W. Gunnels, Oxford College of Emory University Carolina Caballero, Tulane University Rising from the Ruins: Reviving Global Learning Outcomes in Health Science, Humanities, and Education Stephanie Athey, Lasell University Charlotte Frazier, Lasell University
4:00 - 4:15 PM	Introducing AAPLAC 2025
4:15 - 4:30 PM	Coffee Break
4:15 - 5:00 PM	Business Meeting All conference attendees have voting rights
5:15 PM	Transportation to NH Hotel
6:30 PM	Transportation to Happy Hour NH Lobby
7:00 - 8:00 PM	CET Happy Hour
7:00 - 10:00 PM	Conference Dinner
Saturday, February 24
9:30 AM	Transportation to Excursion Locations (optional) NH Lobby
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM	La Esgrima de Machete y Bordón La esgrima de machete y bordón is a stick fighting tradition utilized by Afro-Colombians during the War of Independence. The practice has been maintained by Afro-Colombians in el Valle de Cauca as a symbol of pride and resistance. Participants in this workshop will travel to Puerto Tejada to learn about its history from masters of the art and community leaders before engaging in the practice themselves. The fee for this optional activity is $50, which includes transport, equipment, and lunch. NOTE: This workshop takes place at the same time as the tour of Alameda Market and San Antonio neighborhood.
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM	Tour of Alameda Market and San Antonio Neighborhood Take time for shopping and trying local treats in Alameda Market, admire city views from San Antonio neighborhood, and have a group lunch on a beautiful terraza. The fee for this optional activity is $40, which includes transport and lunch. NOTE: This tour takes place at the same time as the Esgrima de Machete y Bordón workshop.
9:30 PM	Mulato Cabaret Arrive independently between 9:30-10:00 PM. Check in with your name at the door to receive your bracelet and be escorted to the reserved AAPLAC tables in the VIP section. Shows at 11:30 PM and 1:30 AM. Enjoy an interactive Cali-style salsa dancing performance and dinner to close out the conference. The fee for this optional activity is $80, which includes entrance, performance, full dinner, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.