I was fortunate enough to be selected as a 2025-2026 Global Education Ambassador for the Council on Foreign Relations. Run by CFR Education—the educational arm of the Council on Foreign Relations—the eight-month program brings together college faculty committed to elevating global affairs education across U.S. higher education. Ambassadors gain access to free, cutting-edge teaching resources, professional development opportunities, and a vibrant, like-minded network, all designed to help students better understand today’s most pressing global issues. 

This role matters deeply. It enables me to influence and refine globally informed teaching practices while amplifying CFR’s mission of advancing global literacy in the classroom. Through monthly meetings, resource feedback, and collaborative outreach, I look forward to championing effective, empirical approaches to global political education—enhancing both my teaching and student engagement in international affairs. 

Today’s interdependent global economy and geopolitical landscape connect America’s interests more than ever to the actions and interests of other countries and their citizens. To ensure students understand this interconnected world, they need to be globally literate.

Global literacy is the ability to understand and engage effectively in today’s interconnected world.

Global literacy consists of three pillars: knowledge, skills, and perspective.

Knowledge

Knowledge: A foundational understanding of the issues, forces, and actors that shape today’s world.

After using CFR Education resources, students will understand that

  • the world is increasingly connected and what happens in distant places often affects Americans’ everyday lives;
  • the actions and reactions of the people and government leaders in countries across the world shape global affairs;
  • global policy is formed through collaborative processes that engage diverse and sometimes competing interests, values, and perspectives;
  • history, geography, economics, politics, geopolitics, and culture shape the world;
  • local communities affect the world and the world affects local communities; and
  • global affairs knowledge encompasses topics including, but not limited to: contemporary global issues, forms of government, the relationship between domestic and foreign policy, the approaches and tools of foreign policy, and international institutions and global governance.

Skills

Skills: The ability to comprehend, communicate, and address complex international challenges collaboratively and effectively.

After using CFR Education resources, students will be able to

  • identify key global actors, policies, and issues, and explain their impact on global politics and events;
  • effectively read, write, speak, and listen about global challenges and opportunities;
  • communicate diverse positions and perspectives that populate today’s world;
  • use knowledge about global affairs to recognize and predict the impacts of a government’s actions;
  • analyze the historical, geographic, and political context behind global events and issues; and
  • collaborate with others to formulate practical responses to global challenges.

Perspective

Perspective: An understanding of and respect for differing viewpoints and priorities.

After using CFR Education resources, students will be able to

  • identify nuances in global issues;
  • understand global affairs from the point of view of others;
  • comprehend the global affairs policymaking process;
  • recognize how local, regional, and national policies affect global affairs and lives around the world; and
  • appreciate that they are part of a global community with a shared future. 

“Global Matters”

The Impact of Building Global Literacy With CFR Education

Global literacy

  • strengthens democracy and national security by curbing mis- and disinformation and polarization;
  • elucidates the connections between the global and the local;
  • equips students with the essential knowledge and skills to compete in a global workforce; and
  • informs students so that they can advocate for effective policies and vote for public officials who support those policies.