Jessica Hirshorn

My mission is to promote intercultural understanding and communication among the world's peoples. I have taught at Arizona State University for over twenty years and received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts for the 2020–2021 academic year.

I am the author of the intercultural training simulation Rocket: A Simulation on Intercultural Teamwork, based on research conducted at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The simulation explores intercultural interactions within the International Space Station Program. In partnership with EI Games, I also developed Space Quest: A Cultural Awareness Game, an online intercultural game that won the 2022 Serious Play Silver Award in the Higher Education category.

I hold a doctorate in Educational Foundations, with an emphasis in Multicultural Education and the Sociology of Education, from the University of Houston. I also earned a master’s degree in International and Intercultural Management from the SIT Graduate Institute and a bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies and Religion from Coe College.

My international experience is extensive. As a Fulbright Scholar in Warsaw, Poland, I taught at the University of Warsaw and supported efforts to assist Ukrainian refugees. I have led study abroad programs in New Zealand, Ireland, the Dominican Republic, China, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, I co-founded OLLI Corps with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and co-led its inaugural programs in Belize and Thailand. I am a former Peace Corps Volunteer, having served on the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. As a student, I studied abroad in China, India, and Israel, and I have remained connected with the communities and friends I met during those experiences.

I enjoy sharing the intercultural insights I’ve gained through these experiences with my students and remain committed to advancing my mission of fostering greater intercultural understanding and communication worldwide.