Joseph Stensland considers himself "part of a global community," and he uses skills learned at UW-Superior to put that belief into practice.

Stensland is working in Finland this summer teaching English to children from the Russian Federation and Eastern Europe. He also taught English in Russia in 2010 and in China in 2009 and 2007.

A member of the UW-Superior Class of '09 who's now pursuing a master's degree in counseling through the university, Stensland is aiming to become a college or university instructor, or a school counselor. He teaches abroad not only to earn experience but also for broader reasons.

"Communicating with diverse groups of people helps me to understand perspectives beyond my own," he said, "and I believe in a human services component of life in contributing to something much bigger than my own life: Teaching young people to communicate with one another to realize our differences and become a part of one grand narrative as a global community."

This summer Stensland is teaching at West Finland College in Huittinen. He conducts two-week sessions for students of various ages and skill levels to prepare them for additional high school work or for college.

As an undergraduate, Stensland completed a double major in political science with a concentration in peace studies and in sociology. His minors were communicating arts and Russian language and literature. He said teaching in Huittinen requires him to use skills gained from all his UW-Superior experiences.

"I'd have to say that my sociological skills that I gained from study abroad in countries like China have helped me to understand and interact with those from a different culture," he said. "My communicating arts skills are used constantly to make sure that my pupils understand what they need to do in the classroom environment. In addition, I speak Russian on a daily basis…"

Along with gaining experience, Stensland said he acquires something more from his stints abroad.

"I gain a sense of satisfaction that I've done something that contributes to human service when I teach English abroad," he said. "Most of all, I want to show others that I care about what happens in the lives of people thousands of miles away."