From Nov. 13-17, Wesleyan students, faculty and staff participated in a rich agenda of on-campus events celebrating International Education Week.
International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, promotes programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences. At Wesleyan, events included a Study Abroad for the Sciences Fair, a discussion on exploring international opportunities, a Fries Center for Global Studies open house, an international student and faculty dinner, a Wes in the World Photo Contest, a “Food Around the World” luncheon, film screenings, information on Germany-U.S. opportunities and more.
The Fries Center for Global Studies hosted an open house on Nov. 13 and welcomed Wesleyan community members with an interest in international education and initiatives to stop by and learn more about the center. Pictured, Antonio Gonzales, director of the Fries Center and professor of Spanish, welcomed the attendees.
Abderrahman Aissa, adjunct assistant professor of Arabic, attended the open house.As part of International Education Week, the Fries Center for Global Studies recognized the 2017 Wes in the World Photo Contest winners. Julie Schwartz ’19 won the Best Photo of Contemporary Issues category with her photo of the Eiffel Tower lit in the colors of a rainbow flag following the terrorist attacks in Orlando, Fla.A photo titled “Fishing at Dawn,” by Brandon Ho, ‘18 won the Best Photo of People category in the Wes in the World Photo Contest. View all contest winners here.On Nov. 15, the Fries Center for Global studies hosted a “Food Around the World” luncheon, which combined language learning with ethnic food. Pictured, Angus Kan, a graduate student in physics, shows off his pasta and bruschetta from the Italian booth.Participants learned how to say phrases in a respective language (Spanish, French, Italian and Arabic) in order to receive the food. Foreign Language Teaching Assistants Alix Robichon and Clementine Lavieille served crêpes to represent the country of France.Representatives from the Spanish booth served traditional tortillas. In Spain, tortillas are made with potatoes, onions and eggs, as opposed to a corn or flour tortilla, which is most commonly found in Mexico and the United States.On Nov. 15, students from the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 attended an Introduction to Study Abroad and Fellowships meeting at the Fries Center.On Nov. 16, Kia Lor, assistant director of language and intercultural learning, taught an interactive training session titled, “Late Again? Understanding and Managing Time in Intercultural Teams.” She explained the difference between monochronic and polychonic personality traits.Participants discussed intercultural approaches to time management and ways people understand, move through and communicate time.On Nov. 17, the Office of International Student Affairs hosted a faculty and staff development workshop on “Connecting with International Students” in Allbritton Hall. A panel of international students presented aspects of their lives at Wesleyan to Wesleyan to faculty and staff. Attendees learned about ways they can connect with international students, support academic endeavors, and understand international students’ social, cultural and career concerns. (Photos by Olivia Drake)
Olivia Drake
James Sims
Editorial Staff
Ziba Kashef