Penn State Abington students are stretching their academic muscles, forging new friendships and professional connections, and exploring different cultures as part of a unique opportunity to study abroad during this week’s spring break.
The majority of the students are enrolled in courses with an international focus that require short-term travel that offers them the additional benefits of academic, professional and personal growth.
The Penn State Abington students - a dozen native English speakers and 12 new international undergraduates - were clearly apprehensive about being paired up for the mandatory assignment. A palpable sense of "otherness," an unseen divide, permeated the classroom at the first group meeting of the International Conversation Partners Project, according to Roxanna Senyshyn.
But six weeks made a world of difference. At their final group meeting, the boundaries had dissolved. The sounds of easy conversation permeated the classroom as the students traded stories about celebrating first Halloweens, experiencing Superstorm Sandy and discovering the pleasures of frozen yogurt.
"The students initially saw lots of differences among themselves, but now they see the similarities," said Senyshyn, senior lecturer in ESL (English as a Second Language)/English, and Communication Arts and Sciences, said.
The journal entries below are excerpts from two different students involved in the International Conversation Partners Project at Penn State Abington. The project is a requirement for Teaching English to English Language Learners (CI280), a required course for Childhood and Early Adolescent Education majors.
Penn State Abington students will have the opportunity to incorporate the benefits of international education into their coursework this spring through four courses with short-term travel components. The curriculum will require students to travel to Nicaragua for an examination of the Sandinista Revolution, to Italy for robotics and to England for criminal justice and religious studies.
Despite the crush of papers and exams as the end of the semester approaches, Penn State Abington THON members remain focused. With a boost from nearly $4,500 collected during the third and final canning weekend, they are more than halfway to the $50,000 fund-raising goal for the 2013 IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.
Penn State Abington, the home to a growing population of international and immigrant students, is joining educational institutions, embassies and community organizations worldwide to mark International Education Week (IEW), running through Friday, Nov. 16.
Penn State Abington THON is nearly halfway to the ambitious fund-raising goal it set for the 2013 IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon - a 9-year-old cancer survivor keeps the students focused despite their hectic academic, work and personal commitments.
