NAFSA 2026: Global by Design with Fanta Aw

Dr. Fanta Aw, Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA — the world's largest association dedicated to international education — joins Scott Miller to reflect on a career shaped by being a global nomad herself. Originally from Mali and an international student in Washington, D.C., Fanta shares how her own experience navigating foreign campuses drives her conviction that putting students at the centre of everything is non-negotiable.

Scott and Fanta dig into the state of international education today: how NAFSA's advocacy work holds up against shifting geopolitics, why burnout among international educators is a field-wide crisis, and what AI can (and should) do in this space. Fanta also previews the NAFSA 2026 Annual Conference and Expo in Orlando, breaking down what "Global by Design" means as a rallying call for a field navigating real disruption.