International education in the spotlight

FIU is celebrating global learning and global citizenship with a week of activities highlighting the benefits of international education programs.

International Education Week, held Nov. 15-19, is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote educational programs that prepare students to compete in the global marketplace. FIU is participating by hosting fairs, film and art exhibitions, roundtables, panels and an international trivia game.

“There is a little bit of something for everybody,” said Ana Sippin, director of the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.

Ana Perez, a student who went to Belo Horizonte, Brazil for two consecutive summers, had the pictures she took featured at the International Education Week opening reception at the Graham Center’s Student Gallery.  She said that her experience abroad made her more independent.

“I am used to having a car here and driving around, but over there, I had to take buses and communicate with people in another language and make sure that they would understand me,” she said.  “It was very challenging.”

Magnolia Hernandez, director of the Office of Education Abroad, said that FIU currently offers about 20 programs that focus on language, business and research each summer.

“Every year we grow bigger and we go to places we never thought we would be going,” she said.

FIU also has more than 2,000 international students.  Brad Bachew, a student from Trinidad and Tobago, said that he is glad to be part of a diverse student body.

“When you come to FIU, you meet people from different parts of the world,” he said.  “By learning from different cultures and different personalities, you become a better person.”

Bachew also is the president of the International Student Club.  The club welcomes any person from any nationality, which allows everyone to share their culture and knowledge, he said.

“It is a win-win situation,” Bachew said.