by Nicholas Ayers ‘ 26
With a program dedicated to the study of international affairs, have any Baylor alumni who took
International Studies as their major gone on to take their skills abroad? Kayla Nolen, Class of
2009, decided to do so. However, she did not always have IST as her intended career path.
Thus, how did she end up as a counselor at an international school in New Delhi?
Rather than a career in IST, she initially hoped to work as a costume designer. However, she
decided against going into that field due to the lack of stability that came with such a job.
However, she did like studying other cultures and had dreams of working for the UN. Thus, she
chose international studies as her major when she arrived at Baylor in 2005. Kayla really
enjoyed taking courses in regional studies, minoring in Middle Eastern Studies and being one
class short of earning a minor in Asian Studies. While at Baylor, she also participated in the
Honors College, Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, Outdoor Adventure (she worked at the rock wall)
and Baptist Student Ministries.
Some time after graduating from Baylor, Kayla became a high school counselor at the
International School of Kabul (institution now defunct). She described her time in Afghanistan
as very intense and as an extremely formative experience for her, having a fondness for the
students she served. Her experience as a counselor also made her realize that her students did
not have access to many of the resources they needed. This realization motivated her to pursue
her Master’s degree. She would eventually earn a Master’s in Counselor Education/School Counseling
from Messiah University.
After spending eight years as a counselor at the American International School of Egypt, Kayla
wished to make a career move for her family. Thus, she moved to New Delhi and became a
high school counselor for the American Embassy School. She says her job is very similar to
that of school counselors in the United States, with much of her work involving helping students
with their course work. This includes working with the IB program as well as being familiar with
the university entrance requirements for universities in the Anglosphere, Singapore and other
regions. She also conducts Social Emotional Learning (SEL), which helps students work with
their emotions. She works with a diverse body of students, including from the United States,
United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, India, Korea and formerly Canada. When not working, Kayla
enjoys the perks of living in New Delhi, visiting the local parks as well as events such as the
Jaipur Literary Festival. She believes that Southeast Asia is extremely important history-wise
and feels that American schools don’t give the region the attention it deserves.
As for her lessons for current Baylor IST students, she stated that they should take advantage of the opportunities they have while at Baylor. This includes attending lectures by guest speakers as well as studying abroad. Taking this advice into account, they just might be able to have as exciting of a career path as Kayla Nolen.
