Partner Feature: Old Dominion University

Partner Feature: Old Dominion University

This month, we are featuring one of the 50+ universities that host Global UGRAD students during their time in the United States.  Sharon Pitney, the Outreach Coordinator in the Center for Global Engagement at Old Dominion University (ODU), shares some of the ways ODU promotes international connections on campus. You can find out more about this university at their website. …

Fighting Isolation Through Digital Platforms

Fighting Isolation Through Digital Platforms

During my first few days in the United States, I was struggling to engage and connect with people. Eventually, I met students who shared the same interests and hobbies with me and had a group of people I could call my friends. Later on, I started to think of the hardest thing about being new at a university or college. …

Lunar New Year Across U.S. Campuses

Lunar New Year Across U.S. Campuses

  “At Maryville College, we celebrated Chinese New Year with Lucky Lion Dancers on January 16, 2020. The celebration was held by Study Abroad Ambassadors. I wanted to participate in the event because people believe that if you watch the Lucky Lion Dancers, it will brush away bad things from last year and bring you good luck this year. I …

Winter Break Travel, Part I

Winter Break Travel, Part I

Every year, English Language Training (ELT) students take advantage of their winter break to explore the United States and deepen their American connections. Please find excerpts from their adventures below (and stay tuned for part two of this series in February). Francisco Aquirre (Nicaragua) at Wright State University “We visited the United Nations. Our guide explained the different kinds of …

Fall 2019 End of Program Summit

Fall 2019 End of Program Summit

This past November, the World Learning team was thrilled to welcome 127 students from 59 countries for the End of Program Summit in Washington, DC. They traveled from universities across the United States to participate in leadership development seminars, network with one another, and explore the city. Highlights included a visit to the National Museum of African American History & Culture, and …

American Sign Language: An Introduction

American Sign Language: An Introduction

Q&A with Milos Provci (Serbia), who is currently enrolled in an American Sign Language (ASL) course at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. What motivated you to study ASL? I’ve been intrigued by the lifestyle of the Deaf (yes, they capitalize it!) and this interest has only grown. I notice through my assigned readings what the ASL community needs, and I …

Alumni Update: Cambodia

Alumni Update: Cambodia

I am very humbled and grateful to say that my life is not the only one that has changed after the Global UGRAD Program. Since June 2015 when I returned to my home country, Cambodia, I began to understand my purpose and my capability to make a substantial impact in my home community as a media practitioner. My academic experiences, …

Alumni Reflections: Advocating for Inclusion

Alumni Reflections: Advocating for Inclusion

I am an alumnus of the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program where I attended the University of Southern Indiana in 2010. The Global UGRAD Program brought me out of my comfort zone. As a disabled person with limited independent living skills, I had to force myself to become self-reliant during the program. For instance, my first trip on my own, without …