Embedded Files
by Anna Janowski
March 2023
Chris O’Shaugnessy (top center) talks to ISB classrooms from Dubai over a Zoom meeting to begin 2023 Culture Week.
On the morning of Monday, February 6, Chris O’Shaughnessy delivered the keynote speech of 2023 Culture Week, kicking off the festivities with a presentation about third-culture and cross-culture kids. O’Shaughnessy is from a multicultural background, having lived in the UK and the US as a kid, and he shared his life experience as he joined ISB via Zoom from Dubai to discuss third-culture experiences and what people with those experiences can offer to the world.
“I think there's a lot of people here who are third culture kids and it’s interesting to gain an insight into other people’s lives” - Jake Gillispie
“I think there's a lot of people here who are third culture kids and it’s interesting to gain an insight into other people’s lives” - Jake Gillispie
In his presentation, O’Shaughnessy explained that he spent the first several years of his life in a small town in the UK before his family moved to Nevada, where he struggled to adapt to the new culture. This experience, along with his move back to the UK several years later, mean he identifies as a third-culture kid. He brought up points about the kinds of experiences and challenges third-culture kids face as well as the strengths they can gain from the experience of living in multiple cultures.
While many students didn’t find O’Shaughnessy’s speech as engaging as some of the other presentations that happened during the week, some still saw it as a source of valuable information. “I think there's a lot of people here who are third culture kids and it’s interesting to gain an insight into other people’s lives,” senior Jake Gillispie said.
Left: O’Shaughnessy’s book, Arrivals, Departures, and the Adventures In-Between.
O’Shaugnessy illustrates his train story with an image from his adventure.
The speech was very appropriate for ISB, focusing on intercultural experiences and respect. O’Shaughnessy emphasized the value and necessity of people whose upbringings have taught them to be open-minded about different cultural viewpoints and perspectives. “Living through multiple cultures is the experience everybody is soon going to have,” he said, and, addressing third-culture students: “You’re going to be bridge-builders for a world that is closer to your experience.”
Bibliography:
Bibliography:
Chris O. www.chris-o.com/chriso/index.html. Accessed 14 Feb. 2023.
"ISB Culture Week Keynote Speaker." YouTube, 10 Feb. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG2CGLMBa2I.
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