Exchange Student Social unites visiting and returning students

This week, visiting international exchange students and UW students returning from international university exchanges met and socialized in the University District. UW hosts over 200 exchange students every year from countries all over the world. Meanwhile, over 170 UW students pursue direct exchanges at universities abroad.

For the international exchange students, who have been in Seattle for just a few days, the event was a chance to meet new friends and get acquainted with the campus and community they will call home for the next few months. Returning students came to connect with friends made at international universities and share their knowledge of UW with new friends.

The crowd at the social Photo: Sara Stubbs

Peachayaporn Pongsarojanavit, Liu Ling Ling, and Luca Orlando at the Exchange Student Social — Peachayaporn Pongsarojanavit, Ling Liu, and Luca Orlando Photo: Sara Stubbs

Over hamburgers, Luca Orlando of Bocconi University in Italy chatted with Ling Liu and Peachayaporn Pongsarojanavit, both from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. All three students are living on campus and excited to learn more about all that UW has to offer.

“The campus is really peaceful and friendly,” said Luca, “in Italy we don’t have anything like [UW], with the buildings all together and parks in between.” All three students came to campus without much knowledge of Seattle or the Puget Sound region, but they are all ready to begin their studies and take advantage of UW’s diverse academic offerings. They plan to pursue courses in finance, biological sciences, and Swedish language.

Kellie Nada, Yusuke Tanaka, Ethan Dill, and Gaku Murakami Photo: Sara Stubbs

Not far away, Japanese students Gaku Murakami of Kyoto University and Yusuke Tanaka of Kobe University were ‘friending’ Kellie Nada and Ethan Dill on Facebook. Ethan and Kellie are UW students just returning from an exchange to Waseda University in Japan, and had met Gaku and Yasuke through mutual friends. Because of this connection, Yusuke is living in a group house with Kellie. All four students agree that connecting visiting and returning students is a great way to make friends and extend relationships built abroad.

GO! Scholar gives back through Study Abroad Peer Mentor program

Biochemistry major and aspiring pediatrician Melissa Wong embarked on a unique, self-directed study abroad in 2012. Through an independent study course with the UW Asian Languages department, she earned academic credit for completing an ohenro, or pilgrimage, to 88 temples scattered across the Japanese island of Shikoku. The journey, which Melissa made by bike, bus, car, train, and foot, took her across 750 miles of countryside. A Husky Promise student, Melissa studied abroad with the support of a GO! Scholarship. Funded by the Washington State Legislature, GO! Scholarships support study abroad opportunities for students with significant financial need.

Temple visit — At a temple, on her last day of pilgrimage Photo: Melissa Wong

Melissa bloged about her journey to the temples of Shikoku. She sums up her experiences in the following blog entry, made after visiting the final temple:

One of the most important gifts I received was courage and bravery. I am willing to take more risks and not be afraid of the unknown. The old Melissa would never bike to 88 temples, take initiative to meet new people, and travel out of her boundaries. This is something you can never learn from textbooks.

Now back on the UW campus, Melissa is giving back by serving as a Study Abroad Peer Mentor. The peer mentorship program, facilitated by International Programs & Exchanges, connects undergraduates just back from studying abroad with students considering a similar experience. “When I saw the opportunity to become a Peer Mentor, I thought it would be a great opportunity to give back after receiving the GO! Scholarship,” she explains.

A pre-med biochemistry major, Melissa hopes that she can inspire fellow science majors to study abroad. She wants to show that it’s possible and very beneficial to work around sequential courses and busy schedules to study abroad. “I learned so much from the people I met in Japan,” Melissa explains, “…to go with the flow and do what I like, and see how it connects to my future goals later. Everything I’ve done since getting back has been influenced by my experiences in Japan.”

After returning from her study abroad, Melissa took Astronomy 101, just because the subject interests her. “Since then, I’ve been working with Professor Fraser on the Mobile Planetarium, where we teach 1^st and 2^nd graders about astronomy. I think volunteering as a teacher will help me become a better pediatrician.” Melissa’s journey with study abroad doesn’t stop with peer mentorship. She will travel to South Korea this fall with the Family & Child Nursing: Culture, Immigration & Health Exploration Seminar, and she hopes to engage in a direct exchange or internship abroad next year.

Students engage in a Spanish community through storytelling

Dr. Anna Witte leads the dynamic Spanish Children’s Literature: Creative Reading, Writing and Storytelling study abroad program at the UW Leon Center in northwestern Spain. The Center is housed in the 16^th century tower of El Palacio del Conde Luna, a gothic palace that was formerly the seat of the Kingdom of Leon and today hosts a museum and performance space. Its location in and strong connection to the Leon community makes the center an ideal place for Dr. Witte’s program, which engages UW undergraduates in local culture and life through homestays, school visits and teaching opportunities, as well as live performance. In the classroom, students explore the craft of storytelling through a survey of Spanish children’s literature course, pupeteering workshop, and several group projects.

Working with puppets Photo: Matthew London

“There’s nothing like learning about how children grow up, how they relate to adults and other kids, to learn about another culture,” says Dr. Witte. Her program provides many opportunities for cultural exploration through the lenses of child development, teaching, and storytelling. Much of her students’ time is spent engaging hands-on in local schools and in the Leon community. Students visit a local public and private school, first observing and then returning several weeks later to give lessons in English and Spanish. The lessons are great opportunities for the UW students to put their new teaching through storytelling skills in action. “Schools in Leon are basically bi-lingual,” explains Dr. Witte, and local educators are excited for American students to participate in their classrooms.

Performing for an audience - with wolf ears — Performing for an audience – with wolf ears Photo: Matthew London

The program culminates with a public storytelling event at the Leon Center, organized and performed by the program students. The free event is publicized by the Leon Mayor’s office, and tickets sell out on the first day! This spring, UW students performed a “story salad”, mixing together several familiar stories, a song, and a puppet show for the audience of 30 youngsters. Because the event’s theme was “The Wolf”, one group even made wolf ears for every child in the audience!

Celebrating the performance Photo: Matthew London

“This was the best experience of my 30-year teaching career,” says Dr. Witte. “The program showed students that being in the classroom is a lot of work, but they ended up wanting more interaction with the children! I look forward to building even closer relationships with schools in Leon.” These partnerships will no doubt benefit children in Leon as well as UW study abroad students.