Global UGRAD Fall 2017 University Site Visits
This October, Will O’Roark had the opportunity to travel to the University of Connecticut – a new partner on the Global UGRAD Program. UConn is the largest university in the state and is home to over 23,000 students. The university is proud of its strong engineering program and its nationally recognized women’s and men’s basketball programs. In addition to meeting with university administrators and staff in the international office, Will spent time with Global UGRAD participants Yana Said (Lebanon), Levan Abramishvili (Georgia), and Nalifa Mehelin (Bangladesh). The World Learning team would like to thank Roy Pietro and Laura Labato for the excellent work they’ve done supporting the Global UGRADs this semester.
Three Global UGRAD participants, Salman Qaed (Bahrain), Trisha Lindo (Costa Rica), and Alex Sivixay (Laos), warmly welcomed Roya Zahed to Maryville College in beautiful east Tennessee. Fall had definitely arrived to campus and the classic brick buildings were surrounded by brightly colored trees. Maryville College has hosted Global UGRAD participants for years, and this trip was an opportunity for us to thank the Center for International Education for their dedication to creating a fun and hospitable home for our participants. A round of applause to Kirsten Sheppard and the CIP team for making Maryville an awesome landing spot for Global UGRAD!
Although the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a Global UGRAD spring semester host, Roya had the change to visit Erik Simons in the International Student and Scholars Services and get a tour of campus. Highlights of the trip include seeing UTK’s Neyland stadium, one of the biggest stadiums in the U.S., the International House, and the brand new Student Union building. Big thanks to Erik and the team for hosting four students in the spring and for being a wonderful partner on the Global UGRAD Program.
Last but not least, Bethany Gilchrist spent time at Minnesota State University – Mankato visiting with Global UGRAD participants Khadijetou Wane (Mauritania) and Farkhunda Ismonova (Tajikistan). Though MNSU-Mankato has been a long standing World Learning partner, it had been several years since we had made our way to campus! We are so grateful for the consistently strong support and care that our participants receive from the staff of both the Center for English Language Programs and International Student & Scholar Services – and in particular, from Sponsored Student Specialist Dan Schwartz. Thank you for all that you do!