Center for International Education - Annual Report 2020

Annual Report 2020

THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

Letter from the Director

Needless to say, the 2019-20 academic year will go down in history as one of the most incredible, exciting, disturbing, frightening, uncertain…pick your adjective. Of course, the year began with the excitement that characterizes any year in which we hold the Mock Convention. As always, it was a tremendous event that consumed the attention of the campus. It was peculiar, however, because the venue was moved to the Duchossois Tennis Center due to the ongoing construction of the gymnasium. Within two weeks of the convention’s closing ceremonies, COVID-19 exploded in Europe, and soon thereafter the university converted to virtual instruction.

Insofar as COVID-19 is an international phenomenon, it had a correspondingly disproportionate impact on international education. As we discuss later in this report, the university cancelled Spring Term Abroad. The Center for International Education brought home all students who were studying abroad and worked to get international students back to their home, or at least off campus to live with friends or family. Some international students were unable to depart and remained with us, on campus, through the summer.

Looking back on expansive—and ongoing—disruption and uncertainty, the Center celebrated another wonderful year. We hosted 40 new international students from 20 countries. We had another tremendous year sending 136 students abroad to 19 countries. We looked forward to a Spring Term Abroad program with new classes to take place in Egypt and Kyrgyzstan. We welcomed our new Spring Term coordinator, Jillian Murphy. We hosted our usual full calendar of speakers and events.

Then COVID-19 stopped us dead in our tracks…but not for long!

The 2019-20 annual report documents the energy that W&L puts into global education and the resilience of the community as it retooled in the wake of the virus and prepared to begin another academic year. We assisted students as they converted to online learning to finish studies on campus or finish their study abroad experiences online. We organized our first two virtual international summer internships. We reached out to St. Andrews to enable the first year international students to spend Fall 2020 in a residential experience in Scotland instead of being stuck at home due to travel and visa restrictions (more on that story throughout the 2020-21 academic year and next year’s Annual Report).

No doubt 2020-21 will bring new challenges as the campus operates within social distancing constraints. Within that context, the Center looks forward to managing another, albeit scaled-back, year of international study and global education. The 2020-21 that we look back upon will be much different than the academic year that appears to await. Uncertainty seems to be the new normal. But uncertainty offers excitement and opportunity!

On behalf of the Center staff, I wish you the best for the coming year. As you read through this report, I invite you to join with the Center to reflect upon what was an unprecedented academic year at Washington and Lee and look forward to an exciting 2020-21. Non incautus futuri indeed!

Best wishes and warm regards from Lexington.

Credits:

Writers: Mark Rush, Jillian Murphy, Gabriella Gomez-Misserian ’21, Louise Uffelman, Amanda Minix, Linda Evans

Layout: Billy Chase

Photos: Kevin Remington

Front Cover: Gabriella Gomez-Misserian ’21 Other photos are courtesy of the students

Back cover: clockwise from top left: courtesy of Temitope Elizabeth Adeyanju, Ashley Marie Johnston, Michael Thad Kelley, Caroline Grace Patnode, Luqi Zhao

Virtual Internships: Global Pioneers THE CENTER FOR

William Baya ’22 initially planned to complete a summer internship in Dublin, Ireland. However, when travel was no longer feasible, he pivoted to a virtual internship with Eden GeoTech, a startup based in Massachusetts that develops waterless fracking technology. Baya pursued Eden GeoTech because “they were dealing with an issue that I felt was very relevant in today’s energy and sustainability discussions.” He eagerly accepted the opportunity to work with Eden’s experienced engineers.

William, who studies Engineering at W&L with a minor in Poverty Studies, served as an Energy Analyst Intern at Eden. He conducted research on the social and environmental impacts of hydraulic

fracking, as well as the extent of geothermal energy use in the Middle East. He also aided in writing Eden’s newsletter and helped identify potential funding opportunities for the company.

From his room in Northern Virginia, he connected with the Eden team by Zoom and Slack. “We also used Monday.com, a platform through which my supervisor could assign tasks, gauge my progress for each task, and monitor my workload. Being able to work closely with my supervisor and sit in on meetings and interviews with various parties equipped me with office etiquette that I think will be beneficial in navigating this new normal,” says William.

William says the most impactful aspect of his internship is contemplating “the current methods of oil and gas recovery and our need for sustainable and renewable energy options.” As a result of his internship, William is considering a future career in renewable energy and clean technology.

Temi Adeyanju ’21 spent the summer working remotely for Zana Technologies GmbH, a small startup based out of Berlin, Germany. Temi chose the Financial Analyst and Research Position at Zana because it allowed her to work on projects related to both her Computer Science and Accounting majors. “Being a technology company, Zana fully engages in programming and engineering departments as well as the accounting side, since money is needed to run an organization and financial statements must be created for investors,” says Temi.

Temi was busy this summer creating a financial projection for Zana, estimating the company’s value using appropriate valuation methods, and conducting research on a product and its potential market in Germany. Temi also collaborated with the team on an emerging mobile app. She met with her direct supervisor, who is the co-CEO of the company, on a weekly basis. This provided an inside look into the company’s daily workings and decision making.

“[Working remotely] is something that will become huge in the future due to the constant rise in global companies and technology usage,” says Temi. Working from home in a different time zone did not stop her from engaging with her coworkers and sending jokes to lighten the day. “Realizing that although it is called a profession and a professional field, it is not all stuffy,” she says, “and everyone, or almost everyone, is ready to be involved in your life outside of work if you are willing.”

As a result of her internship, Temi feels confident that she chose the right majors and future career path. She looks forward to pursuing her future career goal as a Forensic Accountant.

A Project for Peace, Interrupted But Undeterred; A New Relationship in the Works

James Ricks ’21 was awarded the prestigious United World Colleges-Davis Projects for Peace Grant for the 2020 summer. Alas, the coronavirus placed the summer project on hold. But the momentum continues unabated.

The project is entitled “Photographing for Peace: Raising Awareness and Funds for Post-War Kalikot, Nepal.” Working with W&L photographer, Kevin Remington and Sarah Helms (’15), James had organized to document the ongoing impact of the Nepali civil war in remote areas of the country and the efforts of the Oda Foundation to support and provide education and medical resources to the Kalikot region.

The foundation is the brainchild of John Christopher, (’09). While working for an NGO in Surkhet, Nepal, he witnessed the devastation that afflicted rural areas of the country in the wake of the Civil War. (For more on John’s efforts see: columns. wlu.edu/john-christopher-09/ and columns.wlu.edu/john-christopher09-high-stakes-decisions-duringa-crisis/ ). Since John established the foundation in 2013, the clinic has

treated more than 60,000 patients. Its education programs serve more than 350 local students.

James had already established a relationship with the Foundation, so the project was wellformulated and ready to proceed. He, along with Danika Brockman (’21) spent part of summer 2019 working with Oda staff to research women’s health and working to combat smoking among local youth. According to Nick Kraft, Director of the Foundation, “Danika and James overcame challenges of extreme geographic isolation, intense language gaps, and vast cultural differences to become productive and valued members of the Oda team. As a small, locally focused and locally staffed organization, finding talented and dedicated students to support our work is something we are always looking to do. We feel lucky to have found that in Danika and James.

Kevin Remington had firsthand experience with the isolation that Nick describes. Yes, the foundation is headquartered ~3 miles and a 2 hour walk from the nearest road. But you have to get to that road first. Kevin travelled to Nepal from February 26 to March 12, 2020 to take photos to

PHOTO BY KEVIN REMINGTON

document the conditions in Kalikot. Summarizing the travel, he said, simply “it takes five days to get there.” You must fly to Kathmandu, catch a flight from Kathmandu to Surkhet, once in Surkhet you hire a Jeep to take you the day’s drive to a roadside town (just a few shops that sell necessities). It is from that point that you walk the three miles…The photos from Kevin that we use for this story are part of the broader collection that he and James will present and market to raise funds to support the work of the Foundation as part of James’s Projects for Peace grant. (For more on James’s work with the Oda Foundation, see: columns.wlu. edu/intellectual-curiosity-without-boundaries/ )

James would have been one of four students scheduled to spend part of summer 2020 working with the Oda Foundation. Since John Christopher established it, there has been a steady stream of students and alumni looking to contribute to the foundation’s efforts. When COVID passes and life returns to a new normal, we look forward to working with John, James, and Rick to develop a closer relationship with the foundation to provide regular summer internships, support its work, and promote closer ties between alumni and current students.

James Ricks ’21

Kevin Remington John Christopher ’09

Nick Kraft

W&L Awards Certificate of International Immersion to Eleven Seniors

In 2020, eleven students received the Certificate of International Immersion. All took tremendous advantage of the opportunities to study abroad that W&L makes possible. The recipients’ experiences included studying chemistry in Scotland, taking Chinese calligraphy classes, interning at a South African radio station and teaching English and French at a Ghanaian elementary school.

To qualify for the Certificate, students must spend at least 14 weeks abroad, demonstrate sustained engagement with their host country, and draw upon their experience abroad to enrich campus life back in Lexington. After returning to campus, students made public presentations describing their experiences and organized countless cultural events across campus. Due to University closure, we were unable to host our annual reception. In lieu of the annual group photo, this year we featured the students’ graduation photos.

STUDENT

Lillian Andersson

Caroline Bailey

Brianna Belz

Emma Derr

Alexis Feidler

Julia Hernandez

Jiwon Kim

Tim Pierce

Caroline Rivers

Parker Robertson

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Spain, France

Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia

Nepal, Scotland, Spain

Denmark, South Africa, Italy

Italy, Switzerland

Ghana, France, Morocco

China, Scotland, Denmark

Mexico, Spain

Argentina, Spain

Germany, France, Austria

Elizabeth Underwood China

Lillian Andersson

Caroline Bailey

Brianna Belz

Emma Derr

Alexis Feidler

Julia Hernandez

Jiwon Kim Tim Pierce

Caroline Rivers

Parker Robertson Elizabeth Underwood

2020 Summer Grant Recipients from the Center of International Education

STUDENTS

PROJECT, COUNTRY FUNDING

Adeyanju, Temitope Virtual Internship at Zana Technology

Baya, William Virtual Energy Analyst Internship at Eden Geotech

Johansen, Lane

Lancaster, Amelia

Online Russian Language Study –Indiana University

Online Chinese Language Study –Middlebury College

Ricks, James Photography and Fundraising in Kalikot, Nepal

Shrestha, Riwaj

Toomey, Michael

Internship at Inorins Technologies in Kathmandu, Nepal

Online Arabic Language Study – American University in Cairo

The John M. Evans Fund for International Experiences

The Goldman Sachs Fund for International Student Experiences

The Anthony F. Lotruglio Endowment for Study Abroad

The M. Daniel Miller III and Phoebe T. Miller Endowment

The John M. Evans Fund for International Experiences

The Erik T. Woolley Fellowships for International Internships

The Rusty ’86 and Rene Johnson Endowment for Experiences Abroad

We Thank Our Benefactors

Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, the Center is able to support the great number and diversity of summer grant work undertaken by our students. Each year, they amaze us with their creativity, scholarship, community involvement and dedication to service. It is a pleasure this year to thank our benefactors once again:

■ The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

■ The Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation

■ The John M. Evans Endowment for International Experiences

■ The Goldman Sachs Endowment for International Experiences

■ The Rusty and Rene Johnson ’86 Endowment

■ The Daniel Miller III and Phoebe T. Miller Endowment

■ The Eric T. Woolley Fund for International Internships

■ The Anthony F. Lotruglio Endowment for Study Abroad

■ The Kelly and Robert Jeffrey Brown, ’81 Summer Learning Endowment

Thanks, Rusty and René

spoke of the impact that international work, living, and travel had on his education and his view of the world. Because of this, he and René were eager to ensure that W&L students had similar chances to explore Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia—areas that had a tremendous impact on their lives. Thanks to their generosity, W&L has sent 15 students to study Arabic in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan. This momentum in the Arabic program has been manifest in the number of students participating in the Middle East and South Asian studies minor.

I met Rusty ’86 and René Johnson in 2016 when I ventured with Andrew Westhouse to meet them in New Jersey to discuss the expanding operations of the Center for International Education. Rusty

We lost Rusty in the spring of 2020 after living with pancreatic cancer for over two years. His love for W&L will be forever manifest in the Rusty ’86 and René Johnson Endowment for International Experiences. Thank you.

~ Mark Rush

2020 Global Learning Leadership Award

One of the great joys the Center for International Education experiences each year is the opportunity to recognize one student’s contributions to global learning on campus. This year, we were pleased to announce Prakriti Panthi ’20 (Kathmandu, Nepal), as the recipient of the Global Learning Leadership Award for 2020.

Prakriti has been an integral part of the W&L community, and especially the W&L international community, over the past four years. She helped the Student Association for International Learning (SAIL) bring the world to the W&L campus ever since her arrival and served as the organization’s Co-President. She helped prepare cohorts of new international students for success through co-founding the International Student Mentor program and volunteering as an International Student Orientation Leader. During her junior year she studied abroad at the London School of Economics. She is an Economics and Mathematics double major and participated as a Summer Research Scholar and as a peer tutor in both of these subjects. Prakriti has also served as a peer counselor and was recently initiated into the Alpha Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa.

Prakriti is working as a research associate at an economic consulting firm in D.C. this fall, then plans to pursue a graduate degree in economics.

Caroline, René, Rusty ’86, and Samantha ’22

Prakriti Panthi

Gunn Scholars Return to Enrich Campus Life THE

In 2019-20, W&L welcomed a new Gunn Scholar, Ms. Tanerfa Tetteh from Ghana to complete her academic study of business and finance. Since its inception in 2000, the scholarship has hosted over 22 scholars from 13 countries to spend an academic year at W&L.

In February, Tanerfa joined two past recipients of the John M. Gunn International Scholarship, Reem Kandil ’18 (2016-17 recipient) and Bermet Zhumakadyr Kyzy (2010-11 recipient) for lunch with Prof. Gunn. Kandil, of Cairo, Egypt, is currently working as a marketing manager for a Canadian software company. Bermet Zhumakadyr Kyzy, of Kyrgyzstan, returned to W&L for the 2019-20 Winter Term as a teaching assistant to Richard Bidlack, the Martin and Brooke Stein Professor of History. Tanerfa, this year’s scholar and 2020 graduate, hopes to return to the states for post-graduate studies and is pursuing a career in Accounting. During the visit, Kandil celebrated Professor

Gunn in an interview with Amanda Minix ’20. “His impact is so great as to be unquantifiable,” she said. “He’s the heart and soul of the program, as well as its brains.”

“HIS IMPACT IS SO GREAT AS TO BE UNQUANTIFIABLE.”

This year also marked a historic anniversary for Prof. Gunn. May 8th, 2020 was the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day or “VE Day”, Germany’s surrender and the end of World War II in Europe. Gunn, who was called into the army during his sophomore year at W&L, was interviewed on WDBJ to honor the 75th anniversary. Gunn joined the W&L faculty in 1957 and taught full time until 1990. He remains actively involved in academic life at W&L and an inspiring mentor to the Gunn Scholars.

Pictured l-r: Tanerfa Tetteh (2019-20 Gunn Scholar), Reem Kandil ’18 (2016-17 recipient), John Gunn, and Bermet Zhumakadyr Kyzy (2010-11 recipient).

Eleven Days in March

Actually, it began Saturday, February 29th—the last day of Washington Break. The news reported that parts of Italy, especially the area around Milan, had begun to close down and establish quarantine procedures due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Mark Rush texted Cindy Irby, Assistant Director and Study Abroad Advisor, to tell her that it was going to be a long day. There were four Washington and Lee students who now needed to return to the USA from Italy, self-quarantine, and quickly reorganize so they could resume their study abroad classes online. To no one’s surprise, Cindy got in touch with the four students, worked with them to confirm their capacities to return to the USA, contacted our study abroad partners to organize the procedure for the students’ conversion to online study, and had a list of information to circulate to the administration before noon.

As it turned out, this was not the beginning of a long day. It was the beginning of a frenzied three weeks. During this time the Center staff worked to bring all 70 students home from study abroad and, beginning Friday 13 March (when the campus closed and shifted to virtual instruction), assisted international students as they arranged to go back home, stay with friends or family in the USA or, in many cases, stay in campus housing because travel conditions did not allow them to return home.

After the President’s closing announcement, Hunter Swanson, Associate Director and International Student Advisor, returned to the office from home immediately to prepare for a busy weekend. Joined by his wife, Emily Kohl, the Associate Director of Community-Based Learning at W&L, and two of our international students (Midha Ahmad, the co-president of the Student Association of International Learning (SAIL) and Ekaterina “Kat” Tsvetkova, a work study student in the CIE), Hunter prepared the office for what would be two day-long marathon sessions as we addressed a multitude of international student concerns: How can I get home? Should I go home? Where can I store my things? How will I complete my taxes? What will happen to my visa status?

Hunter, Emily, Kat, and Midha worked late into the night to prepare an FAQ that anticipated virtually all of the students’ questions. With fantastic support from Student Affairs and Facilities, they sorted out storage solutions. Student Affairs

From left to right—Standing: Trang Ha Nguyen, Trang Duong, Alyssa Vu, Alicia Nguyen, Hanh Doan, Giang Nguyen; Kneeling: Viet-Ha Pham (UVA), Zander Kieu

AS IT TURNED OUT, THIS WAS NOT THE BEGINNING OF A LONG DAY. IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A FRENZIED THREE WEEKS.

arranged financial support for emergency airport transportation.

The Center opened at 7 AM on Saturday, March 14th. Overnight, Hunter and the team reorganized the office and set up stations for students to take boxes and bins to the Global Service House storage area and organize tax documents. Over the course of two 12-hour days, every international student came by the Center and received personal attention. While the circumstances were certainly less than ideal, that weekend demonstrated the kindness, empathy, and adaptability of the entire W&L community and the incredible capacity and dedication of the CIE staff. But, we weren’t done…

On 12 March, the university had canceled Spring Term Abroad [STA]. Suddenly, some 282 students in 21 Spring Term courses had to reorganize their class schedules and the Center had to terminate contracts and negotiate with study abroad program providers across the globe. The STA programs ranged across 18 academic disciplines and 16 countries. They included courses that consistently run biennially, and exciting new courses like Black Writers and the Allure of Paris and The History of Kyrgyzstan from the Silk Road to the Present The dedication of the faculty to our students and the program had been manifested as they sought to find any way feasible for a program to still take place, until the university cancelled Spring Term Abroad.

The newest member of the CIE staff—our Study Abroad Coordinator, Jillian Murphy—experienced more challenges in her first year than she could have imagined. She worked tirelessly with our study abroad partners to resolve pending accommodations, tickets and transportation costs. While doing that she collaborated with the faculty program directors to tie up loose ends and liaised with the University Treasurer, Provost’s Office, Financial Aid Office, and the Business Office to assist with refunds of program fees to students.

From March until the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year, the Center worked with Student Affairs to support international students and

teaching assistants who were unable to go home. Through weekly Zoom meetings, assistance with grocery delivery, and opportunities for meaningful work-study projects in the CIE, our staff made campus as much a home as possible. Woods Creek West became the home away from home for international students as they settled into a new routine of taking Winter and then Spring classes online. These students were on campus—but the campus was essentially closed and empty. Dining Services organized a take-out service for them. But, the gym was closed. Tennis was not allowed nor was…disc-golf. One could go for a walk or a run if one abided by social distancing.

WOODS CREEK WEST BECAME THE HOME AWAY FROM HOME FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AS THEY SETTLED INTO A NEW ROUTINE OF TAKING WINTER AND THEN SPRING CLASSES ONLINE.

With the official end of the academic year, summer arrived with a peculiar lack of fanfare or ceremony. The university conducted a virtual conferral of degrees and a small number of people gathered in front of Washington Hall to watch as President Dudley and Provost Connor read the names of our seniors and brought the academic year to a close.

Throughout the summer, the Center staff remained quite busy tending to our international residents, planning for what we hoped would be a return to study abroad and Spring Term Abroad in 202021, and monitoring the spread of the coronavirus. Each June, we always look back upon a wonderful academic year and then turn to look forward, with excitement, to the start of the academic year and the wonderful sense of renewal it brings. 2020-21 arrived with a peculiar sense of renewal as the university opened with live, online and hybrid classes and innumerable social distancing measures. It’s sure to be a remarkable academic year. We look forward to reporting on 2021-22.

COVID Reflections

“Living on campus in this pandemic was going to be very different than what we are used to,” says Midha Ahmand, a rising senior who was appointed as Community Assistant for the

Woods Creek apartments, where 18 international students resided on campus after the March closure. “Abiding by social distancing rules and following safety guidelines at all times was the biggest change. Understandably, fear and anxiety lingered in the air, when we were faced with the looming uncertainty of what would happen in the future. We had just been uprooted from our lives. All of us could not go back home due to extenuating

circumstances. While we tried to reassure our families back home of our safety and well-being, there was always this worry about being the cause of a virus outbreak here on campus. All of us, while in separate apartments, were living in a single building. One misstep could jeopardize the safety and health of our community.”

Though daunting, the students eventually adapted to the situation. “The best catalyst was the establishment of a routine,” says Midha. “We attended classes, did our homework, and tried to keep ourselves active and moving —within all the safety parameters.” The students filled their time with work study employment, baking, Netflix virtual watch parties, hanging out with their apartmentmates on the balcony or immersing themselves in nature. “All in all, I feel pretty privileged to have been in the best position to observe what humans do best — take an impossible situation into our own hands and thrive in spite of it.”

“As I look back on the final months of my senior year, it is impossible to tell that story without mentioning the Coronavirus pandemic,” says Madubuko ‘Madu’ Chiedozie,” a senior from Nigeria. “For international students like me, [the campus closure] meant uncertainty on multiple fronts. We had been asked to vacate campus, and finding a last-minute plane ticket to another country is not cheap...the Coronavirus seemed to give a different spin to international relations, as country after country closed their borders...”

Like many international students, Madu had applied for Optional Practical Training, a work authorization to remain in the United States post-graduation. Madu felt he would be taking a risk to leave the country with his student visa so close to graduation, not only because of the risk associated with travel, but also due to border restrictions upon reentry.

On the other hand, if he remained in the U.S he feared that travel to and from his home country would be restricted.

Madu decided to remain in the United States and continue his post-graduate job search. “It was hard getting used to the new normal, but I eventually did,” he says. I like taking walks and tried to do that whenever I could. It was a great way of coping with the social distancing restrictions.” After many video and phone interviews, Madu was offered a job at ZoomInfo, as a Financial Analyst.

“At a time of so much uncertainty, I am really glad and grateful that things worked out for me,” says Madu. “I know this is not an easy time for a lot of people in the class of 2020, and I wish everyone the best...I wish we had more time to say goodbye, but I know a time will come when we’ll look back at 2020 and smile.”

Ekaterina “Kat” Tsvetkova ’20 braved the uncertain travel situation to reach her home in Sofia, Bulgaria after the campus closure in March. “The long journey appeared a race against time. As borders were closing, I was concerned that something may go wrong at any stage of the flight, leaving me stranded en route.” Just prior to her travels, Kat received a notification that the second leg of her journey –from Munich to Sofia–was canceled. “I did my best to remain calm, but I started panicking. That notification seemed like the culmination of all the emotions I had held back during the past four days,” says Kat. She had committed to returning home and was concerned that if she didn’t leave soon, her chances of returning would be slim.

She decided to make the first leg of the trip from Washington to Munich. At the service counter in Munich, Kat saw tired and frustrated passengers. The airports were emptier than usual. Luckily,

Kat was able to find a ticket from Munich to Frankfurt, then finally to Bulgaria. “When I finally arrived at Sofia airport, I was tired,” says Kat. “The usual time it takes to make the transatlantic flight was lengthened by at least another six hours.”

She spent the quarantine checking in with friends scattered around the world. “I was no stranger to long distant communication, having lived across the world from friends and family for years… What was different, however, was the state of the world we were living in. The virus acutely pointed out necessities that I had that other people may be lacking. It made contemplate and be grateful for the things I had.”

Fulbright Interrupted

Caroline Rivers ’20 was awarded the Fulbright-García Robles English Teaching Assistantship to Mexico. English Teaching Assistants teach the English language in a wide range of educational settings, from elementary school to the university level, while serving as cultural ambassadors between the United States and the host country. Though placements usually begin in September, Caroline’s has been deferred to January 1st, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Caroline double majored in Global Politics and Spanish with a minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies [LACS]. She became interested in Mexico after taking classes in the LACS department, in particular Professor Michelson’s Introduction to Latin American and Caribbean Studies class. There she learned about La Bestia, the tren de la muerte migration network, braved by many Central American migrants to reach the Mexico-U.S. border, as well as how various Mexican communities were

separated by the redrawing of national borders after the Mexican-American war. She chose Mexico because of its unique geographic position as a vast bridge between the United States and the rest of Central America.

“Mutual cultural understanding and respect is what the Fulbright-García Robles fellowship stands for, and is what I hope to achieve with my time in Mexico,” says Caroline, who is pursuing a career in immigrant rights advocacy. “[B]efore I advocate for the Latinx population in the United States, I first need a deeper understanding of the diverse cultures from which they come.”

Caroline prefers an English teaching placement in the late elementary or early secondary level. “Most of my experience in bilingual schools is with elementary ages, but I also love the close interaction in younger classrooms and fostering a passion for foreign language learning in young students.” Caroline hopes that the opportunity to live and teach in Mexico through Fulbright will deepen her understanding of Mexico as a country and the home to a multitude of cultures, as well as provide a better lens through which to understand the vast cultural differences faced by immigrants living in the United States.

French Provincial Studio Art Studies

Studying color, light, and seeing the world as it exists before me, the Marchutz School has been one of the most monumental influences in my art making. I walked to school every day in the same path of Paul Cezanne and Leo Marchutz, under bending olive branches and through patches of springy lavender— it sounds like a dream, but I’m glad it wasn’t. Aix has allowed me to slow down and re-evaluate how I saw the world, both psychologically and visually, and how I could manifest and embody whatever was before me through my own hands.

My class at Marchutz centered around the literature of Mircea Eliade’s “The Sacred and Profane.” What makes something sacred, or worldly? I realized that art can break this binary by taking things from our ordinary life— still lives, landscapes— and asked us to study, take in the moment, and look at everything more closely.

Though my time abroad was abruptly cut short, the Marchutz School was transformative to my painting process. From color theory to brushstroke,

I learned how to let light into my painting and create color relationships that would interact and animate the surface. Painting and drawing was less about filling in darks and lights or trying to represent the exact moment before me, but it instead became a reflective process on how to capture the sensation and spirit of what I was experiencing.

~ Gabriela Gomez

I RETAIN FROM NATURE A CERTAIN SEQUENCE AND A CERTAIN CORRECTNESS OF PLACEMENT OF THE TONES, I STUDY NATURE SO AS NOT TO DO ANYTHING SILLY, TO REMAIN REASONABLE — BUT — I DON’T REALLY CARE WHETHER MY COLOURS ARE PRECISELY THE SAME, SO LONG AS THEY LOOK GOOD ON MY CANVAS, JUST AS THEY LOOK GOOD IN LIFE.

– VAN GOGH

Gabriela Gomez-Misserian ’21 in the studio at the Marchutz School of Art, Aix-en-Provence, France with friend and classmate, Kalea Vandeventer (Loyola Marymount University).

Visiting Speakers and Scholars 2019-2020 THE CENTER FOR

On 4 November, the Center, the School of Law, and the Law, Justice and Society program hosted Jurij Toplak. A faculty member of the University of Maribor, Slovenia and visiting professor at Fordham Law School, Toplak spoke on the transformation of the judiciary in Europe in his talk “Are European Courts Becoming Authoritarian?”

While journalists and scholars have documented the apparent turn towards authoritarianism across Eastern Europe, Toplak addressed the inner workings of courts, the manner in which they are appointed, and their interaction with other national and European courts. In countries such as Poland and Hungary, we see the impact of powerful, illiberal governments on the composition and disposition of the courts. This can result in an apparently authoritarian outlook among judges. But, as well, the resistance of national courts to decisions handed down by European courts that may be perceived as domineering only serves to amplify this apparent authoritarian tilt even though it might be just an expression of frustration or impatience with a central government. There were more questions than Toplak could address in his talk to a packed Northen auditorium. He provided new insights into judicial politics, East European politics and the role of courts in democratic and authoritarian governments.

On 10 February 2020, Prof. Tim Waters spoke on the right of secession and his recent book Boxing Pandora: Rethinking Borders, States and Secession in a Democratic World . Waters does not advocate for the general dismantling of states. Instead, he says, a right of secession is nothing more than a manifestation of and, in some cases, a necessary prerequisite for the universally recognized right of self-determination. Waters’ talk elicited spirited discussion about the possibility of a cascade of secessionist movements—each smaller than the previous—as each cry for independence would give rise to another. The discussion roamed from raw practicality to theoretical discussions of liberal democracy. Following the talk, Prof. Mark Drumbl said that “Waters’ new optics and novel angles on secession are thought-provoking. It was a privilege to have him spend time with our students and faculty. Rooted in history, his work offers lessons for the future.”

International Law, International Service

A Team of six law students were semi-finalists in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C. The Jessup is the world’s largest moot court competition, with participants from roughly 700 law schools in 100 countries and jurisdictions annually. The competition entails the preparation of responses for a fictional case before the International Court of Justice.

Topics this year included succession to treaties, autonomous weapons, the imposition of tariffs, and head of state immunity from criminal arrest and prosecution.

The team’s performance was especially rewarding because W&L had re-established a Jessup program under the leadership of Barton and Smarr in 201819. The 2021 program will focus on the challenges posed by a global pandemic. Stay tuned...

W&L Engineers for Community Development Continues Partnership With Base Camp Belize

Over February break, Professor Jon Erickson and eight students traveled to Belize as part of an ongoing partnership with W&L Engineers for Community Development [ECD] and Base Camp Belize. In collaboration with local elementary school students and community members, the ECD team designed and built a biosand water filter at the Buena Vista Government School in the Cayo District in western Belize.

The filter, which will provide clean drinking water to 200 students, incorporates an easily-constructed system of two automatic float valves, which allows the filter system to run continuously without the risk of flooding. The ECD team conducted training sessions with the students, teachers, and principals to demonstrate how to clean and maintain the filter. The older

elementary students study water treatment systems, so the biosand filter workshops and continued maintenance was naturally integrated into their classroom curriculum

Jon and the students also visited the River of Life Church where W&L ECD students built a similar filter and a rainwater catchment system in 2019. The team repaired internal plumbing and prepared the filter for the eventual reuse. They repaired and reinforced the gutter drainage system, which will help increase the total amount of water available. When they weren’t busy working, the ECD team enjoyed playing soccer with the local elementary school students and visiting sites of cultural and historical significance.

L-R: Joe Barton ’20L, Mitch McCloy ’21L, Rami Abdallah Rashmawi ’21L, Sophie Rogers Churchill ’21L, Josh Keruski ’21L and Molly Smarr ’20L

The team was comprised of students: Anna Soroka ’20, Griffin Coffey 20’, Ashleigh Meade ’20, Karlens Joas ’20, Callie Garst ’20, Emma Aldrich ’20, Elen Stepanyan ’20, Coby Kirkland ’20

Where Are They Now?

CATCHING UP WITH CIE ALUMNI

In 2017, W&L renewed its relationship with Oxford University’s Mansfield College, which allowed W&L students to spend a full year in the United Kingdom. Kenta Sayama ’19 was one of three students who spent their junior year at Mansfield college, where he studied Environmental Science. The Center for International Education continues to nominate up to 5 students to Mansfield College Oxford each year.

Kenta is currently finishing his Master’s degree in Archaeology at the University of Oxford. In October of 2020, he begins a DPhil (Ph.D.) program at the School of Geography and Environment, also in Oxford, where he’ll focus on heritage conservation and the historical relationship between humanity

In 2018, then senior Matthew Lubas was featured in the Annual Report as the recipient of the Global Leadership award for his extensive global service projects. While at W&L, he participated in a Shepherd International Internship in Guatemala working with Range of Motion Project, a non-profit dedicated to providing prosthetic care to those without access, where Matt continues to serve as the 2020 ambassador. Matt led an Engineering Community Development trip to Belize and worked with Angel Vela at STEMito in Mexico (see the story on Ángel below).

Matt currently resides in Washington D.C and is a Biomedical Engineer at Meridian Medical Technologies. “Studying abroad has been tremendously influential in shaping my career goals to work internationally for portions of my career,” says Lubas, who studied abroad in some capacity every year at W&L. In addition to service work, Lubas studied engineering and

and climate change. His Ph.D. research will create a framework to protect Quaternary geoheritage sites in the Middle East.

“As an undergrad at W&L, I hopped around majors, starting with journalism and economics, and ending up with majors in Environmental Studies and Geology,” says Kenta. Looking back, he realizes that it was this very interdisciplinary background that propelled him forward and gave him “the confidence to try something new, and take on a challenge.” In fact, he had never taken an archaeology course before starting his masters. After completing his Ph.D, Kenta would like to work for UNESCO, to monitor and protect endangered heritage sites in developing countries.

language classes at Universidad de Alicante, Spain for a semester. Studying abroad “helped improve my Spanish fluency, which has opened up the door to many different types of positions while job searching,” Matt says.

In addition to his work as a Biomedical Engineer, Matt is studying part-time at Johns Hopkins University for a master’s in Engineering Management, with a track in Biomedical Engineering. He is gaining experience leading medical device development projects and hopes to transition into creating medical devices in low-resource settings / developing countries in the future.

For W&L students considering studying abroad, Matt says, “do it!” Even a rigorous course load, like engineering, can be accommodated. “If financial support is an issue, W&L offers really great financial aid for Spring Term Abroad.”

Kathryn “Kalady” Osowski ’19 was awarded the prestigious Fulbright-Nehru research grant in New Delhi, India, where she conducted a field-study on the black market of art, collaborated with the U.S. Embassy and Indian Ministry of Culture on cultural heritage conservation projects, served as the Ambassador to India for education non-profit Reach the World, and studied Hindi.

In March of 2019, she was evacuated out of Delhi due to COVID-19. “But not all is lost!” says Kalady. She received support through the University of Wisconsin-Madison to attend its South Asia Summer Language Institute to study Hindi before beginning her M.A. in South Asia Studies at the University of Pennsylvania this fall.

“Before coming to W&L, I had never really been on an airplane¬¬--let alone travelled abroad, and let alone lived abroad.” During her time at W&L she seized the opportunity to study or research abroad each year. She credits her mentor Dr. Melissa Kerin for helping her “build big goals, achieve them, and pursue even bigger goals.”

In 2017, then junior Ángel Francisco Vela de la Garza Evia ’18 received the Davis Projects for Peace Grant for his innovative work with STEMito, a project created by Ángel and his now wife, Valeria. The project consisted of redesigning a public-school library and running a four-week summer program in Science Technology Engineering Mathematics [STEM] for 30 low-income elementary students in their home city of Monterrey, Mexico.

“My students discovered a passion for the sciences born from the thrill of completing their first LED circuits, blasting rocket bottles into the air, and walking into LEGO’s fully automated factory,” says Ángel. The work was so successful that with the help of classmate Matt Lubas ’18 and W&L professors, 8 W&L students and one professor later accompanied Ángel to Monterrey for a February Break trip in 2018, to continue STEMito’s work.

“My study abroad experience consisted of going back home,” he says. Something he advises for

Kalady says to make the most of your time abroad, “say ‘yes’ to trying street food without googling what it is. Say ‘yes’ to that weird train trip, even if you don’t quite understand how to book tickets (or where the train is actually going or how you’ll manage to get to the hostel from the train station). Say ‘yes’ to clunky participation in traditions you don’t perfectly understand and to straying out of your comfort zone once in a while. You will get lost, be homesick, look stupid, or feel scared at some point— but you will also find that giving up a little sleep, control, and perfectionism sometimes makes room for you to grow in unexpected ways.”

all W&L international students, as it’s easier to establish and maintain local connections and to write grants and project proposals related to places and organizations that you’re familiar with.

“If it is something that you are passionate about, like STEM education in Mexico is for me, look for ways for others to get involved so that they can also live these experiences while contributing to the project.”

Ángel realized that underfunding and understaffing in Monterrey’s public schools may impede STEMito’s students from pursuing an academic path in STEM related fields. “One of the reasons why I am now doing an MS in Systems and Information Engineering is to figure out a way to merge the fields of data science, systems engineering, and education to identify vulnerable student populations in Mexico and assist them in reaching academic success,” says Ángel. He began his Master’s program at the University of Virginia August 2020.

Ángel Francisco Vela de la Garza Evia ’18 with wife, Valeria Garcia

Passing the Torch

The Center for International Education [CIE] staff work closely with the International Education [IE] Committee, comprised of 6 undergraduate faculty members, 2 undergraduate students, and 7 ex officio members. The committee advises CIE staff on matters pertaining to study abroad and issues intrinsic to international education, while providing oversight on safety and liability issues.

On behalf of the IE committee, we sincerely thank Dr. Mohamed Kamara, Associate Professor of French and Africana Studies, for his committed and graceful leadership as chair of the committee for the last four years. Mohamed passes the torch to Dr. Yanhong Zhu, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Literature, who will chair the committee until 2024. Yanhong possesses the expertise and wisdom to guide the committee through what promises to be an innovative year in international education.

Center for International Education Staff

Mark Rush Director, Waxberg Professor of Politics and Law rushm@wlu.edu

Hunter Swanson Associate Director and International Student and Scholar Advisor hswanson@wlu.edu

Cindy Irby Assistant Director and Study Abroad Advisor cirby@wlu.edu

Patrick Sheridan Operations Manager, Kenneth P. Ruscio Center for Global Learning psheridan@wlu.edu

Jillian Murphy Study Abroad Coordinator jmurphy@wlu.edu

The Center for International Education

204 W. Washington St. Lexington, Virginia 24450 go.wlu.edu/global