In the fall of 2018, I had the opportunity to participate in the STINT Teaching Sabbatical at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. It was a formative experience that shaped how I think about internationalization, teaching, and academic collaboration. Recently, I found myself back on a train to Stockholm for a very different reason, to meet with STINT again, this time as an invited guest, sharing experiences with a new cohort of STINT Fellows preparing for their own sabbaticals.

Meeting this group was both energizing and humbling. The conversations were sharp, generous, and ambitious, grounded not just in policy language regarding internationalization, but in a genuine desire to rethink what international academic exchange can actually enable. What stood out most was the potential. Collaborations waiting to happen, ideas that need space to grow, and a shared understanding that we are still only scratching the surface of what internationalization in higher education can be.

The discussions reinforced why this work matters. For education at Umeå University, for higher education in Sweden more broadly, and for society at large, international exchange remains a powerful but underused catalyst for change in higher education.

A week ago, I returned home with new contacts, renewed motivation, and a strong sense that there is important work ahead. This visit felt less like a conclusion and more like a well-timed checkpoint, a moment to reflect, recalibrate, and prepare for the next stretch forward.