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The TCK and Cross Culture Community 2013 Year in Review

by TCKid 

[The first year in review for the TCK  and Cross Cultural Community]

Since the coining of the term “third culture kids” (TCK’s), credited to Dr. Ruth Hill Useem “in the 1950s while a member of the Sociology Department at (Michigan State University),” there have been many more developments in the study of, insights on,  discussions on,  and resources for  TCK’s.  Throughout the decades, TCK’s have created a distinct voice as a community.  What was once a marginalized field of study or population identity has slowly been emerging out of the shadows with continued pioneering work.  Early pioneers include researcher Dr. Ann Baker Cottrell who worked with Dr. Ruth Useem and Families in Global Transitions co-founder Ruth Van Reken, who in addition to other publications, co-authored “Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds” with the late co-author David C. Pollock.  It was through Ruth and David’s work that the definition of  “third culture kid” began to have more consistency that the rest of the world began to widely use.   The work of people like filmmaker Donna Musil and her film BRATS, which was featured on CNN, NPR and 178 countries worldwide on the Armed Forces Network Television have brought the TCK identity closer to mainstream attention.

With TCK’s described as the “prototype citizens of the future” in 1984 by Ted Ward, then a sociologist at Michigan State University, it is worth noting not only how prominent TCK’s such as US President Barack Obama, as referred to by Ruth Van Reken in a 2008 Daily Beast article, have impacted the world, but also how the field of TCK studies and the community of organizations and service providers that cater to the TCK or expat community have evolved.  As such, significant milestones have occurred with the passing of each year.

TCKid reviews some significant milestones for the cross cultural, TCK, or expat community from 2013.  Here are some of them:

TCK JT McInnis, while watching a film at a cinema, makes a connection between his teen years and the film he was watching, Argo, which won multiple awards.  JT McInnis realizes there was a part of the story the world did not know and writes about his involvement with the hostage situation in Tehran 1979 in his blog.  A central Texas television network journalist takes the opportunity to interview him in February.

(Please click here for the full KVUE interview)

Families in Global Transition (FIGT) introduces “IGNITE Sessions” in its annual conference program and in March of 2013, FIGT  offers seven engaging IGNITE Sessions.  With the concept, “enlighten us but make it quick,” the six-minute-forty-second maximum sessions are designed to generate awareness and stimulate discussion.  Check out the topics of the 2013 FIGT Conference IGNITE Sessions and be sure to register for the 2014 conference, The Global Family: Redefined!

Aga Alegria decides to expand on the stories shared in her short film, “Les Passagers” which led to the vision behind “Where is Home?,” a documentary examining the experiences of TCKs and their search for “home.”  Aga and her production team — Producer Paul Saltzman, an Emmy Award-winning film and television producer and director, and Production Assistant, Alethea Wang, also a TCK – start a successful campaign that ended in March 2013 to gain support for “Where is Home?”   Their campaign was featured in a TCKid interview with TCKid Executive Assistant Erin Sinogba .  The “Where is Home?” campaign and Aga’s work was also referred to by the International New York Times in “Where is Home for a Third Culture Kid?”

With timeless value, here is her short film again:

Paula Vexlir , a psychologist who has been counseling since 2002, launches Expat Psi, an online psychology resource for Spanish speaking expats.  Paula also embarks on the elaborate task of translating psychology and counseling resources and materials into Spanish, opening up more avenues for the TCK community, expat families and those who serve TCK’s.  Find out more about Paula’s work, which she wrote about in France-based Expatriates Magazine, and be sure to go on their Facebook page for announcements, such as a Spanish blog for expats that Paula will start in 2014!

 

Elizabeth (Lisa) Liang opens the Stage Left Women at Work Festival in NYC on September 24 & 25 after a successful 5-week run in May at the Asylum Lab in Hollywood, CA with Alien Citizen: an earth odyssey, a funny and poignant one-woman show about growing up as a dual citizen of mixed heritage in Central America, North Africa, the Middle East, and New England.  Lisa, a writer and award-winning bilingual actress who has worked in theatre, television, and film for more than 25 years, including a recurring role on ” The West Wing,” co-hosts the podcast “Hapa Happy Hour” and is published in Writing Out of Limbo.

Al Jazeera streams an episode on June 5 on  “Cultural Chameleons,” pushing TCKs further into mainstream consciousness.  A TCKid Washington DC Group Leader, John Liang, a contributing author of anthology Writing Out of Limbo, shares a comment to the streaming episode  (you may still access the page, but the video is no longer viewable in certain countries).

Pico Iyer, author of “Global Soul” and other books about global travel, tackles the question challenging for all global nomads, “Where is Home?” at Ted Global on June 13.  In his Ted Talk, Pico estimates that the number of people living in countries not their own is now around 220 million. Pico Iyer also points out that this “great floating tribe” or those who “live outside the old nation-state categories is increasing so quickly, by 64 million just in the last 12 years, that soon there will more of us than Americans.  Already, we represent the fifth-largest nation on Earth.” (Please click option on video to read full transcript from Ted)

Pico Iyer was also notably FIGT’s 2013 conference welcome keynote speaker in March.

Linda A. Janssen publishes The Emotionally Resilient Expat – Engage, Adapt and Thrive Across Cultures (Summertime Publishing, July 1, 2013), which helps readers understand how the key to successful transitions and beyond “lies in emotional resilience to adapt, adjust or simply accept.  Linda combines candid personal stories from experienced expats and cross-culturals, with a wealth of practical tools, techniques and best practices from emotional, social and cultural intelligence, positive psychology, mindfulness, stress management, self-care and related areas.”  Expat Arrivals wrote a book review.

Ema Ryan Yamazaki, documentary filmmaker follows ups her earlier film “Neither Here Nor There” with “Monk by Blood,” a film about a young TCK  that juggles his many worlds as the next in line to take over his family’s 800-year-old temple.  Al Jazeera streams her new film “Monk by Blood” in July.

Alaine Handa, founder and artist director of A.H. Dance Company, brings her dancing and choreography talent to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August with Habitat Project.   Alaine, TCKid Singapore’s Group Leader who was also active in the New York group, was interviewed by The Thread in November.

James R. Mitchener, speaker and author of The Illusive Home, contributes to the understanding of TCK’s by offering this illustration and definition of a TCK on his site, Third Culture Kid Life, on Sept 5.  Read the definition and other interesting topics, such as his perspective on TCK’s and relationships, the importance of having TCK’s in leadership, etc. at Third Culture Kid Life.

Source: http://thirdculturekidlife.com/2013/09/05/defining-a-third-culture-kid/

Erin Vignali eloquently addresses the topic of race and her experiences as a TCK, the perspective of which many TCKs can relate to. She writes on Cecilia Haynes Sept 20 blog page, Unsettled TCK, “It’s a bizarre twist of the TCK life that the racism experienced overseas will never make you feel quite as lonely as not fitting in in your supposed home country. For me, growing up as a white TCK, no matter how long I dealt with the discrimination, I always held out hope for people to see me like I see myself – no race, no accent, no nationality.”

Rahul Gandotra officially releases his Academy Award shortlisted film The Road Home on Sept 20.  Rahul invites everyone to watch his film and receive goodies by staying in touch with him, as he continues his work and starts preparing for other film projects.

Lois J. Bushong publishes what may be the first book specifically written for therapists and counselors who work with TCK’s, Belonging Everywhere and Nowhere: Insights into Counseling the Globally Mobile (Mango Tree Intercultural Services, September 23, 2013). A licensed marriage and family therapist, Lois delves into this previously, unexplored world of how to effectively counsel clients raised outside of their parents’ home culture.   Expat Book Shop wrote a review of her book.

Dr. Paulette Bethel, international speaker, breakthrough coach and international adjustment expert launches the Lost in Transition Global Telesummit with Havilah Malone, TV celebrity and media spokesperson, in October.  Together, they host live interviews with  visionaries such as bestselling author of Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds, Ruth Van Reken, Academy Award Shortlisted Director, Rahul Gandotra, renowned Etiquette Maven and International Protocol Consultant, Cynthia Lett, Tina Quick, Jo Parfitt, Julia Simens, Joseph Tomeo, Donna Musil, Byron Rodgers, Dr. Michiyo Ambrosius, Gary Loper, Dr. Katrina Burris,  and others.  On the second day of the live interview series, TCKid Executive Director Myra Dumapias, also social work professor, discusses her vision and plans for the future direction of TCKid.  Please contact Dr. Paulette Bethelif you are interested in the full line of speakers and how to get a hold of any available replays.

TCKid: A Home for Third Culture Kids launches TCKid Talks: An Interview Series Featuring Movers and Shakers from the Third Culture and Cross Culture Community on October 26 with an interview with FIGT co-founder and author Ruth Van Reken and Michael Pollock, director of Daraja and son of the late author David C. Pollock.  The interview is landmark event, the first time both were ever interviewed together.  They discuss how the field was like prior to the publication of The Third Culture Kid Experience: Growing Up Among Worlds published in 1999 and later retitled Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds (as of the latest edition), as well as helpful information for both TCK’s and non-TCK’s from the book.  A few other highlights: Ruth dives into the importance of telling your story and her grief journey in her book Letters Never Sent and Michael, who will be interviewed about his work with Daraja later, discusses where we are now after the work of his father and the vision he had. You can find the full interview on TCKid.com.

Sea Change Mentoring, founded by its CEO Ellen Mahoney, provides valuable presentations for students and parents in the Hague, Brussels and London in October.  Sea Change provides short-term guidance and professional mentors to third culture, global nomad and expat students in high school and university through evidence-based mentoring.

Quenby Wilcox, founder of Global Expats, recognizes Third Culture Adults, a term Dr.Paulette Bethel coined at a FIGT conference, as Unsung Heroes in a Huffington Post article in November. Quenby writes, “The trailing spouse of today needs to be given a voice, as well as an active role, in producing and delivering solutions to what everyone in the global mobility industry agree is their number one challenge; the adaptation and integration of the expat family.” She refers to the work of Robin Pascoe, or the Expat Expert, to refer to as a voice of spouses who follow their partners with foreign assignments, or expat homemakers.

TCKid receives its IRS letter of determination in November, grant it a 501(C)(3) public charity status. All donations to TCKid since Dec 2011 can now be claimed as tax deductible. Please email execdirector@tckid.com if you need a more formal receipt for your donation to TCKid. TCKid can now apply to be fiscal agent/ lead organization in collaborative projects with other organizations sharing a similar mission/vision and submit grants and applications for corporate sponsorships.  Find TCKid’s nonprofit report and upcoming programs on Guidestar!   You can still make a last minute tax-deductible donation to TCKid at our old donations page before we  update it.  All staff are voluntary, with the exception of our contracted web developer.

The Journal of Cross-Cultural Family Studies, announces its first call for papers in December.  The goals and objectives of the journal are to promote and publish research centered on cross-cultural families for the expansion of understanding and practical application.  The Journal of Cross-Cultural Family Studies, with Dr. Emily Hervey as the chief editor, is the first known academic, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to cross cultural family studies that is multi-disciplinary in nature, involving psychology & mental health, sociology & anthropology, and education & communication.  Find out more about the journal at Worldwide Writings and be sure to spread the word about their call for papers.

Written by Myra Dumapias, MSW

If you would like to send a story for TCKid’s Annual Year in Review, please send a message to TCKYearinReview@tckid.com

No portion of this article may be republished without permission by TCKid or author.  All copyrights reserved to their respective owners.

TCKid is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity and does not advertise for for-profit business purposes. Mention of any entrepreneurs and small businesses in the context of this 2013 Year in Review is for educational purposes and serves to depict TCK’s in leadership positions and relationships TCKid has with supporters that contribute to TCKid’s mission.  

Posted November 25, 2013

The Person Behind TCKid’s Organizational Development: Dr. Paulette Bethel Interviews TCKid Executive Director Myra Dumapias for the Lost in Transition Global Telesummit

TCKid Executive Director Myra Dumapias, MSW was one of the experts interviewed by Dr. Paulette M. Bethel on October 23, 2013 for the Lost in Transition Global Telesummit.

Dr. Paulette M. Bethel has brought together 28 world class authors, entrepreneurs, mentors, visionaries, and global life experts from around the globe share their insights and offer solutions for the Lost in Transition  Global Telesummit, running from Oct 22-26, Nov 11-14, and Dec 2-6.  This Telesummit includes visionaries such as bestselling author of Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds, Ruth Van Reken, Academy Award Shortlisted Director, Rahul Gandotra, renowned Etiquette Maven and International Protocol Consultant, Cynthia Lett, Tina Quick, Jo Parfitt, Julia Simens, Joseph Tomeo, Donna Musil, Byron Rodgers, Dr. Michiyo Ambrosius, Gary Loper, Dr. Katrina Burris,  and many more.  Click here for the Lost in Transition Global Telesummit

The TCKid Executive Director accepted the torch of leadership from Founder Brice Royer in 2011 and has since been developing TCKid’s organizational structure and sustainability to strengthen its impact on the world’s understanding and appreciation of Third Culture Kids.  Daughter of a second generation Foreign Service Diplomat and Third Culture Adult mother born with itchy feet, her developmental years are colored with memories of walking on water in an imperial garden in Beijing, eating freshly made Roti for breakfast on Sundays in Kuala Lumpur, observing the human spirit of Romanian gypsies and revolutionaries in Bucharest, and the smell of bakeries in Hamburg.   She also lived in Korea, Philippines and Bahrain, where her son, also a TCK, spent part of his developmental years.  As a Social Work professor, she integrates global awareness into cultural competency standards.

In the interview with Dr. Bethel, Ms. Dumapias shares her personal stories and advice as a TCK, insights from the Social Work field and her vision for TCKid.  Please visit TCKid at TCKid.com

Click here to listen to Dr. Bethel’s interview TCKid Executive Director Myra Dumapias, MSW - https://soundcloud.com/tckid_tv_radio/the-person-behind-tckids

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date released:  October16, 2013

Contact:  Myra Dumapias, Executive Director, TCKid  MyraDumapias@tckid.com

Or Erin Sinogba, Executive Assistant, TCKid ErinSinogba@tckid.com

[For radio, please note: “TCKid” is pronounced “Tee See Kid”]

 

TCKid Kicks Off Interview Series with Ruth Van Reken

(International) – TCKid: A Home for Third Culture Kids, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase and support the individual and general awareness of the TCK experience and unique gifts by facilitating connection and community engagement, will kick off its new interview series with Ruth Van Reken, co-author with the late Dave C. Pollock of international bestseller Third Culture Kid: Growing Up Among Worlds.

The interview will be broadcast live on http://TCKid.com on Saturday, Oct 26, 2013 at 1500 GMT (10am CDT).  Audience of the live broadcast will have the chance to submit questions on our community forum until Oct. 22, or during the Question and Answer session of the interview.  Not all questions will be selected but may be combined under a general theme. A recording of the broadcast will remain on TCKid’s page.

[Please click here to submit questions before Oct 22 and please look out for an option to submit questions to the right of the screen during the live broadcast]

Third Culture Kid: Growing Up Among Worlds has remained one of the main resources of knowledge and help for TCK’s and the cross cultural population.  “Third Culture Kid was the first book I read and immediately I felt validated. So much of what I’ve experienced since I graduated from my last international school to try and try but failed to fit in as another Filipino-American all of a sudden found the missing piece of the puzzle,” says Myra Dumapias, MSW,  TCKid Executive Director who accepted the torch of leadership when Founder Brice Royer searched for a leader who could continue the legacy he created.

“Through conversations I’ve had with countless TCKid members and staff and our discussion boards, I know this book has helped so many other people on that interpersonal level. And professionally, the book also provides substantial information that can be used as a resource for social workers, school counselors and mental health practitioners, as well as other professions,” added Myra, has a background in social work, research and teaching.

Both Ruth*and Myra, who grew up as a daughter of a second generation foreign service diplomat, grew up in five countries, moved a dozen times and attended three high schools before graduating from high school, are part of a global telesummit featuring 28 interview series (Ruth will be interviewed on Oct 22, and Myra will be interviewed on Oct 23) with International Speaker, former USAF Officer, Breakthrough Coach and Transition Expert, Dr. Paulette M. Bethel (Please click here to register for this free global telesummit ASAP).

TCKid will be featuring four types of guests in its series of interviews: 1) Education: authors, researchers, lecturers, etc. 2) Art: filmmakers, visual artists, musicians, performance artists,  3) Leadership: TCK’s/CCK’s in leadership positions, and 4) History: TCK’s /CCK’s who were somehow involved in a historical event.

At this time, TCKid is open to working with corporate sponsors and partners who have a heart for this community interested in expanding its international network.  TCKid is also in need of more volunteers interested in gaining experience in public relations, grant writing, marketing, social networking, community development, special events planning,  fundraising, media and just having fun meeting diverse people around the world.  Please click here more information on how corporations and businesses, how organizations, and how individuals interesting in volunteering can be involved, or email manager@tckid.com with any specific questions you have.

*More about the author –

RuthVan Reken is a US citizen who grew up in Nigeria as a second generation third culture kid (TCK)* and raised her three daughters in Liberia. Ruth is co-author of Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds and author ofLetters Never Sent, her personal journaling written as she sought to understand the long-term impact of her cross-cultural childhood. For nearly thirty years Ruth has traveled extensively both nationally and internationally speaking about issues related to global family lifestyles. Currently, she is seeking to understand how lessons learned from the TCK experience can transfer to others raised among many cultural worlds for various reasons.She is co-founder and past chairperson of the annual Families in Global Transition conference. In addition to her two books, she has written, a chapter in Strangers at Home, Unrooted Childhoods, and Writing Out of Limbo  plus various other writings.

No matter where you are in the world and what traditions you and your loved ones hold dear, we wish you HAPPY HOLIDAYS and BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR!

As we wrap up another awesome year, we hope that TCKid was there for you, as a resource or as a community.  We are thankful that we could play a part in your journey by providing opportunities to share stories, meet new friends, and learn more about our identities.

We want to make your experience with TCKid even better!  But, we cannot do it without your help.  Without your active participation, there is no TCKid.  We hope you continue to walk with us and add your voice to the community.

Currently, the TCKid team is made up of hard-working volunteers, who are dedicated to helping TCKs and CCKs, but otherwise are unable to financially support our operations, including our web presence.  If you believe in our TCKid community or if you or someone you know has benefited from the community and resources we have cultivated for over 4 years, we would like to ask for your help in fulfilling our one holiday wish: to sustain this community and make it even better for you and other TCKs and CCKs in the future.

If you are willing and able, please click on the Donate button below and help us to continue making TCKid an awesome community for TCKs and CCKs everywhere.  Thank you for your contributions to our community!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 29, 2011
Contact: Myra Dumapias, Executive Director, TCKid at Manager@tckid.com, ExecDirector@tckid.com,
or Erin Sinogba, Executive Assistant, TCKid at Erinsinogba@tckid.com

TCKid Broadcasts Live Panel Discussion of First TCK Film Screenings

(International) – TCKid, a non-profit organization that serves as an active global community of third culture kid (TCK) adults and youth across geographical boundaries, will broadcast live on its community forum website the panel discussions for the First TCK Film Screenings. Coordinated by Alaine Handa’s Dance Company, the First TCK Film Screenings and Panel Discussion will be held at No One Writes to the Colonel, 460 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Saturday, July 9, 2011 4:00-7:00pm Eastern Time. TCKid welcomes those who are not able to attend to view selected film segments of the three TCK films that will be shown as well as view and participate in the panel discussion with each film maker following each segment.

There are several TCK films that have been created in the last decade. The film screenings will share three films, including:

Alaine Handa’s “I am a TCK”, 30 min.
Rahul Gandotra’s “The Road Home”, 21 min.
Aga Magdolen’s “Les Passagers”, 8 min. trailer

TCKid invites its members to participate in the event and discussions by logging onto the http://my.tckid.com community forum website on Saturday July 9, 4:00pm Eastern Time. The live broadcast can also be accessed by clicking: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tckid
Non-members are encouraged to register to become a TCKid member for free at http://my.tckid.com to participate in discussions about the films after the July 9th panel discussion and continue to interact with other TCK’s in various forum groups. The panel discussion after each segment will accept comments and questions from the live broadcast audience through a chat feature that will coincide the live broadcast.

Following the film screenings and panel discussion, TCKid welcomes continued dialogue about the films and topics covered during the panel discussion at its community forum on http://my.tckid.com, as well its facebook group, “TCKid: Third Culture Kids”

A.H. Dance Company is a multicultural modern dance company based in New York City and performs work that reflects the diversity of the cast and various collaborators. Founded in December 2007, A.H. Dance Company has performed in various theaters, studios, community centers, conferences, and festivals in the United States. A.H. Dance Company’s mission is to present and support independent contemporary artists and companies in New York and worldwide. Through collaborations with local dancers and artists of other mediums, A.H. Dance Company strives to share modern dance with communities that lack exposure to it. Through the work of Ms. Handa and the company members, A.H. Dance Company aims to present work that is engaging to a vast range of audiences. For more information visit www.ahdancecompany.com

TCKid’s mission is to increase and support the individual and general awareness of the TCK experience and unique gifts by facilitating connection and community engagement. In existence now for over four years, TCKid has grown to include local chapters around the world in addition to its central virtual community. We have been featured on the BBC, ABC News, The Telegraph, the U.S Department of Defense and Education Week.

TCKid encompasses its home page at http://tckid.com, its community forum http://my.tckid.com (for members registered on the home page), TCKid Counseling referral database, followers on Twitter (@tckid), and over 50 local chapters around the world. TCKid also has a joint venture with http://TCKAcademy.com to offer more resources that increase the understanding about the TCK experience. For more information, please contact Myra Dumapias at manager@tckid.com or see http://tckid.com.

Statement by TCKid on the Earthquake in Japan (March 2011)

On behalf of TCKid, I would like to express our support to those who are affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011 and other repercussions that are still unfolding. As a global nomad community, this disaster in Japan hits home to many of us, whether Japan was at one point or currently is home to us or our loved ones. Any displacement of a community somewhere in the world is as an upheaval to members of our TCKid family.

TCKid urges all its members to help credible local and global organizations bring necessary assistance to those who have been directly impacted by the March 11 Japan earthquake. TCKid will, as much as its current capacities and resources allow, assist with humanitarian relief efforts for Japan in some way.

Loss and grief know no nationality, it is with this Third Culture understanding that TCKid extends its warmest hopes, wishes and prayers for recovery to people in Japan and those who consider it part of your global home, where ever you may be.

Myra Dumapias
Executive Director
TCKid
March 12, 2011

[More information will be posted later.]

After 4 wonderful years of starting and heading up TCKid.com, Brice Royer turns it over to an advisory board to head up and introduces a new Executive Director for its future direction as a non-profit organization.

Click “Play” To Watch the video below to learn more.

Before leaving, here are the gifts Brice mentioned in the video:

We have exclusive news about an upcoming TCK Film for TV (yes, the rumors are true!), useful videos & resources from Ruth Van Reken, and other surprises to help you and your family.

Just click on the link below to get them:
Click Here to Get Your Free Gifts (And Exclusives News on the First TCK Film!)

P.S: Want to get in touch with Brice or the advisory board? Leave us a comment on the blog post below and we’ll respond to you. You can leave Brice your farewell comment below. Thanks!

Download the Press Release

Myra Dumapias

Tckid Interim Executive Director
November 2010
Email: execdirector@tckid.com

Myra is a multi-talented manager, energetic teacher, creative guitarist, and the queen of “getting things done”. She understands what it means to live a full life. While working as a teacher and Executive Director in a non-profit organization, she still manages to find the time to raise her teenage son, listen compassionately to frustrated members with technical problems, and keeping staff morale high. Perhaps what is most extraordinary about Myra is her willingness to do ordinary things like pursuing her childhood dream: helping cross cultural people belong.

Myra is currently the manager and Interim Director of TCKid. She was a professor at San Antonio College and has several years of experience in the non-profit sector. She understands what it takes to keep the mission of an organization going, and has a knack for solving problems fast.

What People Say

“Myra is awesome!”

Myra is so easy to work with and talk to.  She will always check up on you and make sure things are clearly understood.  She does it in a way that’s easygoing and isn’t nagging at all.  She also always makes it a point to talk to you on a personal level, so you feel like you’re talking to a friend.  Myra is awesome!”

– Erin Sinogba

“She truly is a blessing in the TCKID community.”

“Myra has been very welcoming and understanding of her staff. For instance, she would ask how I am doing and offer emotional empathy and support to the challenges I was facing, having recently quit a job and in a difficult transition to the next step. Myra has also been very welcoming to the TCKID community, opening her arms to anyone who needs support. ”

-Michelle Kim

“Myra is the perfect person to be leading TCKID.”

“Myra and I spoke on the phone once and we hit it off right away.  What was supposed to be a 10 min conversation turned to an hour conversation.  Worldly, grounded, energetic, open to new ideas and extremely committed to leading the third culture kids community.  I could hear the enthusiasm in her voice when she talked about the big vision for the tckid: the outreach programs and fundraising ideas. She has proven to be extremely reliable well organized and very easy to get long with.”

– Aga Magdolen

“Myra is just like me, but better. She definitely spells better than me, I can’t even understand my own handwriting! She has a big heart for TCKID.. and after meeting her face to face with her teenage son, also a TCK, I feel confident she’s the right person to represent this community.”

– Brice Royer