Your Wright Way To Go Global: November 2016

La Jefa Updates-Michelle Streeter-Ferrari
Upcoming December Events
Highlighting November Collabor ations: Regional Celebrations with International Student Groups
International Student Highlight: Ebru Sen
Stu dents Abroad: WSU Student Receives Prestigious Gilman Scholarship Award
Host Family Highlight-Carters and Buckwalters
The Fall 2016 International Photography Winners

La Jefa Updates

International Education Week was a wonderful celebration of the diverse cultures at Wright State. International students showcased their countries and regions while the rest of the campus engaged in learning about study abroad programs, trying new foods, traditional attire from around the world, and even joining in the Burundi drum circle or Latin salsa dancing. Faculty were able to learn from each other about tips for leading groups abroad or applying for grants through the Fulbright Office.

For many on campus, including UCIE, it was a chance to tell our international students that they are valued at Wright State. That regardless of their background, culture, religion, race, or attire, they will be welcome on our campus. It was also an opportunity to encourage all students to do what our international students have done, study abroad. An international experience will help you in your academic career and give you an edge when trying to find a job in a multicultural and global economy. Today, international understanding is more important than ever.

There are also economic benefits to international education which cannot be ignored. Data released this month from the Institute for International Education, Open Doors, shows that international students brought nearly $36 billion with an estimated 400,000 jobs to the U.S. economy during the 2015-2016 academic year. Ohio ranked 8th in the nation of international students numbers with an estimated contribution of $1,100,694,672. Wright State ranked 5th in our state that same year. Nationally, 313,415 US students studied abroad during the same year which is an increase of 2.9% over the previous year. Efforts such as Generation Study Abroad, to which Wright State has joined in the pledge, is trying to reach a goal of 600,000 US students studying abroad by the end of the decade.

Over the coming months, let's make sure that we are the campus and community that will attract even more international students and provide the support and guidance for more students to study abroad. Like our namesake, our students are the innovators and pioneers of the future.

Upcoming UCIE December Events

Highlighting November Collaborations: Regional Celebrations with International Student Groups

November was an incredible month for international education on Wright State's campus. As a part of International Education Week 2016, we celebrated the benefits of international education througout the week with events ranging from regional celebrations, faculty trainings, President's Reception, and even an international photo gallery. One thing is for certain, these events would not be possible without the ownership, creativity, and engagement of our international student body. With their help, we traveled the globe in the span of a week. The following international student groups played an instrumental role in the different regional celebrations:

Celebrate Middle East-Saudi Student Association, Muslim Student Association, Kuwaiti Student Association, Iraq Student Organization, and the Persian Club
Celebrate Africa- African Student Union
Celebrate Latin America- Office of Latino Affairs and the Amigos Latinos Student Association
Celebrate Europe- Exchange Students
Celebrate Asia-International Cultural Exchange, Sikh Student Association, Nepali Raiders, Chinese Student and Scholar Association, and the Bangladeshi Student Association

Thank you to all students who helped us have one of the best weeks on campus through International Education Week 2016!

Other November collaborations included the following:

November 1st-International Women's Gathering, Healthy Eating with Dr. Rosemary Eustace and Nursing Clinical C02 Students
November 4th-University Library and Mock Election with Edith Scarletto from University Libraries
November 8th- Clothing Drive with the Saudi Student Association
November 12th- A Day on an American Farm with community member, Jim Oswald, from UCIE's Host Family Program
November 14th- International Education Week 2016 Kickoff Event with International Women Organization, African Student Union, Persian Club, Kuwaiti Student Association, Saudi Student Association, Iraq Student Association, Chinese Scholar and Student Association, Bangladeshi Student Association, International Cultural Exchange, International Cultural Exchange, Nepali Raiders, University Activity Board, Student Government Association, and International Friendships Inc.
November 14th- The Syrian War and ISIS Presentation with Dr. Amr Al-Azm and Dr. Awad Halabi from the Departments of History and Religion
November 15th- President's International Education Week Reception with the Office of the President and the Dayton Burundi Drummers
November 16th- Faculty Abroad Training Session with Dr. Pascale Abadie and Dr. Kirsten Halling
November 17th-Faculty Fulbright Workshop with the Fulbright Office

International Student Highlight: Ebru Sen

Please let me briefly introduce myself. I am from Turkey and I am a graduate student in Pharmacology and Toxicology Department. I completed my undergraduate degree in Istanbul University Faculty of Pharmacy and worked at my pharmacy for 8 years. Later, I applied for the government job and I worked at Pharmacovigilance Center in Turkish Ministry of Health as a pharmacist and started my Toxicology program in Ankara University. While I was about to complete this graduate program, my husband was assigned to WPAFB Dayton OH as a Turkish Liaison Officer. When we arrived in Dayton, I actively became involved with the International Spouses Group (ISG) as its co-chair and volunteer for 2 years participating in the WPAFB Officer’s Spouses Club. In the meantime, I was awarded a scholarship from WPAFB for graduate studies and joined Wright State to complete my graduate work in 2015. During this time, unfortunately my husband was reassigned back to Turkey. I started to live with my two kids but without him, which is quite challenging for me. I’m enthusiastic and fully committed to finishing my degree at WSU . My goal is to get my pharmacist certificate in the US, as well as my graduate degree to continue my career as a pharmacist in a hospital or industry. I find myself lucky and privileged to meet wonderful people in Dayton. The military families and school staff have especially helped me a lot to get used to living here in Dayton. I appreciate all of them.

Students Abroad: WSU Student Receives Prestigious Gilman Scholarship Award

We are very excited to announce that our very own Wright State student, Spencer Deer, has been selected to receive the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. This prestigious award from the U.S. Department of State is only given out to a select group of students nationally to help them pursue academic studies or internships abroad. This scholarships aims to help better prepare U.S. students to thrive in the global economy and interdependent world. During spring semester 2017 Spencer will be traveling to Morocco in order to study language, culture, and society. "I am greatly humbled to receive the Gilman scholarship award. This award is allowing me to fulfill a dream that I have had for quite some time. It is giving me the opportunity to discover cultures unknown to me, interesting people, and new experiences. During my travels I hope to further my education of the world, the people within it and myself. This experience will give me the tools to better educate others and hopefully make a positive impact in the world," said Spencer. If you are interested in studying abroad this coming summer and also receive a Pell Grant with your financial aid please contact the UCIE about how to apply to the Gilman Scholarship. The deadline to apply for Summer program is March 7th 2017.

Host Family Highlight: Carters and Buckwalters

This month, we would like to highlight two of our very active host families, the Carters and the Buckwalters. After becoming friends, the two families decided to join UCIE's Host Family Program in hopes of working together to befriend and host international students.

Sue Carter, who is originally from Thailand, came to the States as an exchange student during high school. She was befriended and hosted by a local family, who even to this day still keeps in touch with her. Because of the impact of this family, she continues to host and reach out to international students.

Jennie Buckwalter experienced the beauty of host families when she traveled around Latin America. "This is our first time hosting in Dayton. I have always been on the receiving end of someone's gracious hosting. Because I have experienced this, I wanted to offer this to someone else. It is important to me that our international students at Wright State University are having a positive experiences, learning about our culture, and getting to be a part of the Wright State family," said Jennie.

The two families have greatly enjoyed hosting students through UCIE's Host Family Pogram, mentioning listening and the chance to meet new people as some of their favorite parts of the program. “It’s a great opportunity to introduce someone new to your family and your home traditions. It also reinstates a pride in you for Wright State and the Dayton area. You start to realize that there is so much that Dayton has to offer. It makes you feel proud of where you are," said Jennie.

“If you are still considering whether or not to be a host family, host for at least one semester and you will be hooked! It’s not too much of a time commitment. It is a good experience and especially valuable for those who have not traveled much,” said Sue. “It doesn’t take much. It is just opening up your heart to someone and giving of your time. You get more than you give out," said Jennie.

Sue and Roger are United State Air Force retirees. David Buckwalter is an engineer in the area and Jennie Buckwalter is Wright State's Assistant Dean for Community and Student Engagement and Senior Lecturer of Spanish.

The 2016 International Photo Contest Winners

With over 40 submissions from students, host family members, staff, and faculty, congratulations to the following WSU Raiders for being one of the winners of UCIE's 2016 International Photo Contest: