By 2025, 54% of graduating public high school students will be people of color, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. And, as they take their next steps toward adulthood, those increasingly diverse teenagers will be filling up college dorms and lecture halls—and becoming the primary pool of students for study abroad programs.

But, despite this growing diversity on college campuses, most study abroad students represent the very same demographic from decades ago. During the 2019-20 school year, 67% were women and 70% were white, according to the 2021 Open Doors Report.

For sure, study abroad programs have made some important strides toward diversifying their outbound students in recent years. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic also leveled a serious blow to global education programs, canceling travel for more than a year and forcing layoffs and department restructurings.