Why Become a Global Scholar?
Starting your first semester at Pacific, the Global Scholars Program prepares you to find your place in the world and to serve the global community.
Are you curious about the world and your place in it? The Global Scholars Program invites you to explore global perspectives starting with international travel your very first year at Pacific. Whether you're passionate about anime in Japan, kinesiology in England, social work in Uganda, or biology in Ireland, this program is your gateway to transformative learning experiences across cultures.
As a Global Scholar, you’ll explore how culture shapes human experience and learn to navigate the global community, preparing you to work effectively across borders and cultures. This program is ideal for students eager to combine classroom learning with real-world travel and immersive experiences that build global awareness and cultural empathy.
Global Scholars are open-minded, compassionate, and curious. We believe all students — regardless of background — deserve access to global learning. You don’t need to have international experience to begin. You just need curiosity and a willingness to grow. Your lived experiences matter — if you speak another language or come from a diverse cultural or economic background, this pathway helps you build on those strengths.
What Can You Do with a Global Scholars Specialization?
Turn your passion for global travel and intercultural connection into a career that makes a difference.
The Global Scholars concentration internationalizes any major—whether you're studying business, biology, education, health sciences, the arts, or the humanities. A Global Scholar concentration prepares you for careers where intercultural skills and international experience are in high demand. By completing the Global Scholars pathway, you signal to employers, graduate programs, and communities that you’re equipped to work effectively across cultures, at home and abroad.
You’ll build practical skills in intercultural communication, global problem-solving, and effective leadership. Our graduates go on to work in fields like physical therapy, nuclear chemistry, international business, public health, diplomacy, social work, education, nonprofit leadership, healthcare, sustainable development, and beyond.
As a Global Scholar, you won’t just leave with a degree — you’ll leave with the confidence, experience, and perspective to make a difference in any career.
First-Year Study Abroad in Tahiti
Launch your college journey in true global fashion! Join the Fall 2026 Global Scholars First-Year Community at Pacific, and then travel to Tahiti in January for an immersive cultural adventure.
Explore Polynesia through Culture, Ecology & Community
In the fall semester, explore the biology, spirituality, art, and history of French Polynesia through an interdisciplinary lens. Together, we’ll examine Indigenous knowledge, and the powerful connections between culture and environment—all while building your intercultural skills and beginning your study of French and Tahitian.
Experience Tahiti & Moorea in Person
In January, we’ll take our learning across the Pacific—snorkeling vibrant coral reefs, participating in reef restoration, and witnessing the symbiosis that sustains island ecosystems. You’ll paddle a traditional va’a, visit sacred marae, hike lush volcanic landscapes, and learn directly from local elders and cultural leaders. What begins in the classroom comes alive in lagoons, mountains, and community spaces.
Cross Oceans. Find your Community.
From day one, you’ll be part of a close-knit community of Global Scholars—ready to explore, grow, and support one another. Don’t wait until later in your college career to go abroad. Seize this opportunity to immerse yourself in island life, deepen your global perspective, and form friendships that span oceans.
Let the ocean be your classroom. Begin your Pacific journey in French Polynesia.
The Global Scholars Program makes international education safe and affordable. Travel with your first-year seminar faculty and classmates. Pacific pays most of the cost. You pay only $500.
Only 20 spots are available, so apply soon.
Jann Purdy | Chair of International Studies, Professor of French, Co-founder of Global Scholars Program
Carnegie 101-B | 503-352-1564 | purd6219@pacificu.edu
Melissa Vieira | Global Scholars Advisor, Associate Director of Academic and Career Advising
AuCoin 129 | 503-352-3126 | melissav@pacificu.edu
