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The sixth annual Run the World 5K run/walk to sponsor 5X����’s study abroad scholarships is going virtual this year. For the first time, fans of Run the World from all over the world can participate remotely in this event designed to support student participation in international education.

Registration is available at www.kent.edu/RunTheWorld and opened on Nov. 1 and will run through Nov. 23. Runners are asked to complete their 5K between Nov. 24 and Dec. 24, 2020. The entire Kent State community is encouraged to participate. All participants will receive a square spinner medal and a Kent State Flash gaiter. Participants will complete the 5K on their own time and at their own pace. Organizers invite participants to show their Kent State pride by wearing blue and gold during their run/walk and then using the hashtag #runtheworldKSU to share their photos from all over the world with the Run the World community.

If you’re not a runner, don’t worry. Run The World is for everyone. You can run, walk or trot. The main focus of the race is not athletics.

“This event is designed for the entire KSU community as a way to highlight Kent State’s commitment to international education and the many ways in which students, both American and foreign, are enriching their education through an intercultural experience outside of their home country,” said Kristin Stasiowski, Ph.D., director of International Programs and Education Abroad for the College of Arts and Sciences and assistant professor of Italian Language and Literature in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages.

The Run the World team is led by two of its founders: Stasiowski and Ed Butch, senior director of academic recruitment and retention in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“There wasn’t a real scholarship for students that wanted to study abroad, so we came up with the idea of doing a 5K,” Butch said. “It took a couple of years to launch, but when it finally did, we got a great deal of members, topping out at 500 registrants.”

Any full-time, degree-seeking Kent State student is eligible to apply for a Run the World scholarship, all of which are awarded in increments of $1,000.

“It’s a great way to create community around our students,” Butch said. “Getting them experiences to leave the country sometimes for the very first time.”

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, study abroad programs are finding it more important than ever to educate students about the outside world.

“Our current inability to offer travel options in study abroad to our students does not mean that we are suspending our commitment to helping students understand the world in a more globalized sense and integrated way,” Stasiowski said. “Even if they are not able to travel this year, that does not mean that students are not able to learn about intercultural competencies, be exposed to different mindsets and adopt a cultural humility that will allow them to be better citizens of the world.”

Most study abroad programs were suspended or not offered this Fall semester due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic, however select Spring 2021 exchange programs and a hybrid semester in Florence, Italy are still being planned (circumstances permitting). Scholarships from the 5K can still be applied to any of these or future programs.

“A lot of people will tell you that they were more fearful about running a 5K for the first time than they were about any other future distances because once you know you can run, you just multiply the distances and do it for longer and longer,” Stasiowski said. “A person who has finished a 5K usually feels this tremendous sense of accomplishment and has a reinvigorated sense of self that comes from their ability to master their own fears and dedicate themselves to something that seemed like an impossible challenge.”

Stasiowski is convinced of the thematic connection between completing a race and studying abroad.

“The task of studying abroad at first seems impossible to our students,” Stasiowski said. “They need encouragement, tools and support networks to be able to put one foot in front of another and effectively get to the finish line of their experience. Whether it is crossing a border or a finish line in a 5K, our students are committed to going beyond barriers and to stretching themselves in ways they never imagined. Participating in Run the World is a great way to support them in their aspirations.”

For more information or to register, visit www.kent.edu/RunTheWorld or email runtheworld@kent.edu.