WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

GLOBAL CONNECTIONSOCTOBER 2017

This spring semester, the new International Student Ambassadors Pro-gram was launched. WIU Ambassadors are current WIU international students who volunteer to serve as resources for prospective internation-al students. The program is now more selective, ensuring that the ambas-sadors are effectively trained to answer questions from new students. The updated webpage features information on each ambassador.

Where in the World is Dr. Hancks?

Vol. 1, No.3MARCH 2018

This semester’s first International Coffee Hour featured Jamaica. Forty audience members learned how Jamaicans love their tea for its many healing properties. They never leave home in the morning without drinking a cup! Traditional Jamaican coffee and tea were served.

Nearly 1,000 students, staff, faculty, and community members attended the 45th Annual International Bazaar on March 3, 2018, in the Universi-ty Union Ballroom. This year, sixteen booths represented cultures from around the world. Mexico won the booth competition based on its creativi-ty, cohesiveness, representation of culture, and overall presentation.

Event participants were given a passport and encouraged to visit each booth to get their passport stamped and learn more about each culture. The students prepared authentic cuisine, cultural dances, songs, and

performances. Two Nepalese students, Pratistha Maharjan and Shweta Pradhan, won best entertainment for their dance. Students also displayed traditional clothing during the fashion show.

This spring break, WIU faculty are taking students off-campus to enrich their education in the “real world.” It is not that campus life is unreal, but learning always becomes more engaging when theory is connected to real life examples.

Imagine a group of students studying European history while visit-ing Windsor Castle in London under the leadership of Dr. Jennifer McNabb, or studying nursing while visiting health centers in Ireland with Dr. Leah Monahan. What could be better than learning about sustainable agriculture with Professor Kevin Bacon while touring banana plantations in Costa Rica, or experiencing the art of organi-zational communication in a magical place like Walt Disney World with Professor David Zanolla? Studying abroad is a powerful learning tool that has a transformative impact and the enabling quality of expanding opportunities interna-tionally. Spring break programs are only a portion of the opportuni-ties that faculty provide to WIU students every year with the support of the Office of Study Abroad and Outreach.

Spring Break Abroad

Welcome

Dr. Jeff Hancks, Executive Director for the Center for International Studies, is currently traveling around Myanmar, India, and Vietnam to visit with WIU’s partners in those countries, as well as to meet with prospective international students. He will return to the U.S. on March 15.

International Student Ambassadors

45th Annual International Bazaar

International Women’s Day is celebrated internationally on March 8. The Center for International Studies and the Women’s Center facilitated the screening of Hidden Figures, a film about the true story of three African American women who worked as “human computers” for NASA. Although often overlooked, the contri-butions of these mathematicians made the United States’ achievements in space possible.

International Women’s Day

Study in Japan!

such as Manga Drawing, Ceramics, Design, Japanese Business/Fi-nance/Economics, Asian Political Science, Zen Buddhism, Japanese History, and many more. In addition, Kansai Gaidai offers Japanese language courses, which students do not have the opportunity to take here on WIU’s campus. If students do not wish to spend a full semester abroad, Kansai Gaidai also offers a culturally rich, six-week Asian Studies Summer Program. Regardless of which program WIU students choose at Kansai Gaidai, they will be joining a cohort of approximately 750 other international students from more than 40 countries and regions.

What have you been doing since leaving Macomb?After five years of study at Western Illinois University and receiving a doctoral degree, I became a lecturer at Sungkyunkwan University and Soongeui Women’s College in South Korea, teaching students in the education department.

What is your favorite memory from WIU?I really liked hanging out with people at WIU. As a foreign student, there can be a lot of challenges to living and studying at Western. However, people around me at WIU were so nice that they always made me feel at home. Professional faculty, kind colleagues, and supportive staff made my life at WIU much easier as a foreign student. My favorite memory at WIU is interacting with those wonderful people.

Anything else you would like to share?I learned that international students, more than other students, should do their best not to miss opportunities to experience something new. There is always something new that you have never experienced before. Go outside! Participate! Enjoy!

International Alumni Spotlight

Name: Dongjin KimCountry: South KoreaDegree: Graduated in 2017 with a doctorate in Educational LeadershipCurrent Position: Lecturer in Seoul

Study Abroad Student Spotlight

Name: Michael JonesStudy Abroad Program: Barcelona SAE, SpainLength of Program: SemesterLevel of Education: SeniorField of Study: Marketing

How did you adjust to the culture shock?I think I got over the culture shock by learning a little Spanish. It was re-ally hard though. There were times that I felt like going home, but then I met friends who knew Spanish. My friends made the whole experience better, even with the culture shock.

What is the most important thing that you learned while abroad?The most important thing I learned was to take chances and trust myself. I know some people in Spain who were in their rooms every day after class just watching Netflix, but I was actually doing activities and meeting new people. I also got lost during a trip to Amsterdam. I was supposed to be in a hostel in Amsterdam, but I ended up outside the city. I was two hours away from where I was supposed to be. The signs were hard to read because of the language, but there were a lot of people who spoke English, so I kept asking them where I was supposed to go. I was able to get back by trusting myself and using my resources.

How has studying abroad impacted your life?I think it made me more talkative. Before I studied abroad, I wasn’t the type to talk. Now I’m more comfortable in my own skin and more able to do different things. It basically evolved me into the person I am. It made me jump outside of my comfort zone, see new things, and meet new people. It turned me into an overall better person.

What advice would you give a student considering going abroad?I’ve been trying to study abroad since I was a freshman in college. If you want to do it, it’s eventually going to happen. If you try hard enough, no-body can stop you from doing something. I paid for it [study abroad] by myself. I had a part-time job and was taking a lot of hours to save up for it. I had meetings with the financial aid advisor about what loans I need-ed and what scholarships I could apply for. Study abroad was cheaper than studying at Western; my tuition was halved. If you get a scholarship and have a Pell or MAP Grant, you have enough to study abroad.

Studying at Kansai Gaidai Univer-sity in Japan is a great opportunity offered to WIU students. They can pay WIU tuition and housing fees while studying and living in Japan. WIU students attending Kansai Gaidai can choose from a wide variety of courses offered in English

Upcoming EventsMar. 27 Cultural Cafe: Rwanda - 12:30 pm, Heritage Room

Apr. 4 International Coffee Hour: Ethiopia - 3:00 pm, HH1

Apr. 16 Cultural Cafe: Pakistan - 12:00 pm, Heritage Room

May 2 International Coffee Hour: S. Korea - 3:00 pm, HH1

New International Student Orientation was held from Jan. 8-12. Many returning international students volunteered their time to help the new students with checking-in, banking, and shopping.Events were held during the week to help the students acclimate

to campus and to Macomb.

The African Students Association (ASA) hosted Taste of Africa for the Culture in order to further promote the African conti-nent to the WIU community and the world at large. A brainchild of the ASA’s current e-board, the event essentially intended to showcase the different cultures, foods, and high fashion that can be foundin various African countries.

The first annual Taste of Africa was held as the finale of Fall 2017’s ASA Week. Its success motivated the organization to increase their planning for this semester’s event, which was held on February 23 as part of the celebra-tion of Black History Month. This year’s

attendance more than doubled from last year’s, with close to 300 participants.Part of the event was educating those present about Africa, letting people know that Africa is not a country but a continent. The event also endeavored to dispute the media’s common usage of ugly and poverty-stricken pictures to depict Africa. The ASA shared fun facts about different African countries through a game of Kahoot!, and prizes were given out to winners. There was also an African dance performance by a group called Aggression and a fashion show put on by the ASA fashion group. Unsurprisingly, the main attraction was the assorted food that was served from twelve African countries.

Contact Us!

Office of the Executive DirectorHorrabin Hall 6Phone: (309) 298-1929

International Student ServicesMemorial Hall 347 Phone: 309-298-3734

International AdmissionsMemorial Hall 342Phone: (309) 298-2426

Study Abroad and OutreachHorrabin Hall 8Phone: (309) 298-2504

WESL InstituteMemorial Hall 346Phone: (309) 298-2485

Follow Us!

Center for International Studieswiu.edu/international

international-ed@wiu.edu

Taste of Africa

Thirty students went on the annual Lincoln’s Birthday Ski Trip to Snow Star in Andalusia, IL. Each year the Center for International Studies partners with the Campus Recreation Center to offer this exciting trip to students at a group price.

Support Our StudentsBe a part of our mission to open minds and promote

intercultural understanding by donating to the Center for International Studies.

Spring Break and Daylight Saving Time

March 12-16 is WIU’s spring break! Enjoy your week free from classes and stay safe.

Remember that Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins this Sunday, March 11. Set your clocks forward one hour!

Since the sun rises and sets an hour later during DST, there will be more light in the evening. The United States first used DST in 1918 as an effort to conserve fuel during World War I. Although people now debate whether DST really does save energy, it has still remained a tradition.

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