Middlebury Institute graduates discuss where they are working today, how the Institute helped them get there, and what advice they’d give to current and future MIIS students.
My name is Robin Croy (Riebman) and I graduated with an MA in International Education Management from the Middlebury Institute in 2023. My language of study was French and I specialized in localization. I completed my practicum as a project coordinator with Team4Tech, and now I am the web and tech project manager at SAI Programs, an education abroad company based in Sebastopol, California.
I learned about this position when a classmate shared the company’s Handshake post for an associate role. I spoke to the hiring manager directly, and was offered that role. I was promoted to my current position last year.
In my remote role, I am responsible for facilitating the company’s transition to a new customer relationship management (CRM) platform, developing tech-based resources, managing website content with consideration for improved accessibility, coordinating security protocols, implementing inventory and personnel management procedures, and providing remote IT support.
Be open to new perspectives from professors and students outside of your degree program.
While I was at the Institute, it was beneficial to learn effective project management strategies, updated coding languages, and cross-cultural competencies in both my translation and localization management and international education management courses. My experiences gave me confidence in my responsibilities supporting a multinational staff.
My advice for current students is to branch out! I believe that what I learned from the translation and localization management department has at times been more integral to my success than some of my coursework in international education management, because I now have the ability to straddle different roles at my organization. Be open to new perspectives from professors and students outside of your degree program. They are interesting and exciting, too. If possible, make your practicum an opportunity to try something you wouldn’t get the chance to do otherwise.
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and JET alum, Morgan Keller shares how his International Education Management coursework and practicum helped him land this leadership role.
| by Kaitlin Decker MATESOL ’14
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