The Sultanate of Oman, bordered by Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE for you geographically challenged folks, apparently has an abundance of Gamecock pride.
The first international alumni association was recently created in Oman, which is awesome, if entirely unexpected, for a myriad of reasons.
The first is that this is reflective of the international scope that the university is gaining. As the university has the number one ranked international business program, we should strive to form these types of strong bonds with foreign countries, and international students and alumni are an untapped resource for forming those bonds.
This type of network is valuable for students trying to work internationally in the future with the first study abroad opportunity in Oman being held this year.
Bridges like this can be the connections that students need to have the opportunities that structure their post-grad lives.
Straying from personal benefits, this formation also speaks to the home that can be found in the Carolina community, even if home is thousands of miles away.
We think of Carolina as a pillar in Southern, down-home charm. We think of ourselves as all-American as it gets, but in reality we underestimate the international presence we have here.
We commend these students for bringing home to here. It is difficult to go so far out of one's comfort zone and find a piece of one's self there that they feel the need to bring back across the Atlantic with them. They took this large university and found a community within it, albeit a small one.
It speaks to the power of the Carolina experience, how one can change continents and still feel the need to come together with other Gamecocks. We hope we can see more communities like this pop up all over the world in the future.