Virtual exchange students meet IRL

By | January 22, 2019
Team EcoMENA finally meet in person and are named winners during the final event of the William Davidson Institute’s M2Gate. Photo: William Davidson Institute.

Last year, we reported on a “virtual exchange” program called M²GATE connecting U-M undergraduate students with students in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to create a meaningful, international experience.

After months of using BlueJeans videoconferencing and other collaborative technology to stay connected, they finally got to meet one another in real life.

“It’s amazing to finally get to meet all my teammates in person,” said Fatima Ezzahra El Mourabit of team Alters. “We had a lot of time meeting virtually on Skype and on BlueJeans, and we did a lot and often, actually. Finally getting to meet each other is pretty beautiful.”

Read more on the Engaged Michigan website.