Jessica Hirshorn

Jessica Hirshorn's life mission is to promote intercultural understanding and communication between the world’s peoples. At Arizona State University she is achieving her mission by teaching organizational leadership and interdisciplinary studies, leading study abroad programs, and directing the Peace Corps Prep program.

She is the author of the intercultural training simulation "Rocket: A Simulation on Intercultural Teamwork." Rocket is based on her research conducted at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and examines the intercultural interactions that take place in the International Space Station Program. Recently, she worked with EI Games to develop an intercultural game to be used in online courses called "Space Quest: A Cultural Awareness Game" which won the 2022 Serious Play Silver Award.  https://www.eigames.com/cultural-awareness.html

Dr. Hirshorn's doctorate is in Educational Foundations with an emphasis in Multicultural Education and Sociology of Education from the University of Houston. She holds a master’s degree in International and Intercultural Management from the SIT Graduate Institute (School for International Training) and a bachelor's degree from Coe College in Asian Studies and Religion.  Previously she taught teacher education courses and helped to train teachers to work with diverse student populations. Dr. Hirshorn also served as the Coordinator of International Student Services and Interim Director of Multicultural Services at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, where she developed and implemented their international student services program.

Dr. Hirshorn's international experience is substantial. She was recently a Fulbright Scholar in Warsaw, Poland where she taught at the University of Warsaw, and assisted with Ukrainian refugee efforts. Additionally, she has led study abroad programs in New Zealand, Ireland, Dominican Republic, China, and the United Kingdom. She also founded OLLI Corps in conjunction with Osher Lifelong Learning and co-led their inaugural program in Belize. Dr. Hirshorn is a former Peace Corps Volunteer having served on the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. As a student, she studied abroad in China, India, and Israel. She enjoys sharing the intercultural insights that she gained through her international experiences with her students and working towards her mission of promoting intercultural understanding and communication between the world’s peoples.