FACULTY-LED STUDY ABROAD OFFERS STUDENTS UNIQUE EXPERIENCES, CONNECTIONS
Geological sciences lecturer Isabelle SacramentoGrilo has taught Natural Disasters at San Diego State University for 17 years. But last summer, she was to present the subject matter in an entirely new way:
Conducting class while strolling down the cobblestone streets of Lisbon, Portugal — a city built atop ruins from a cataclysmic earthquake and tsunami in 1755.
Spending four solid weeks with 17 students and allowing them to pick her brain on both plate tectonics and her own Portuguese upbringing.
Even leading students inside an active volcano in the Azores.
Read more about Faculty-led study abroad»
ALUMNUS WANTS MORE NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS TO STUDY ABROAD
The
San Pasqual Reservation covers nearly 1,400 acres in rural San Diego
County, some 40 miles north of San Diego State University’s main campus.
It’s a place of rugged beauty that can exert a strong pull on its
inhabitants, as SDSU alumnus Jacob Alvarado can attest.
“Being on
the reservation born and raised, you don’t ever want to leave,” said
Alvarado, a member of the San Pasqual Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. “When
you get off the reservation and go into town, you feel uncomfortable,
because it doesn’t feel right; because it’s not where you grew up.
“You can feel very sheltered.”
Read more about Jacob Alvarado»
SEVEN QUESTIONS:
OSCAR DURAN GAINS A CUBAN PERSPECTIVE
Cuba has been many things in the American imagination over the past six
decades: A forbidden destination. A focal point of Cold War anxiety. A
political wedge issue.
Since the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s
and the icy standoff with the United States that ensued, Americans have
largely seen Cuba only through media depictions stoking fear by
portraying the menace of communism lurking a mere 90 miles off U.S.
shores.
San Diego State University social science senior Oscar Duran had heard that side of the story before.
Over the summer, he sought out a different perspective on Cuba.
Read more about Oscar Duran»
SEVEN QUESTIONS:
ANDREA CONTRERAS ON HER FIRST EXPERIENCE IN EUROPE
There’s
no denying that Andrea Contreras had an international upbringing. The
psychology senior was born in the United States, but mainly grew up in
Mexico. She and her family also traveled widely throughout the Americas,
covering the Western Hemisphere from Canada down to Peru.
But she had never made what she calls “the big jump” — across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.
This
summer, she finally did. Contreras just completed a faculty-led
psychology program, studying multiculturalism and diversity in
Switzerland and Italy.
Read more about Andrea Contreras»
SEVEN QUESTIONS:
TWIN SISTERS KRISTEN AND KELLY DUNLAY ARE AUSTRALIA BOUND
While
twin sisters Kristen and Kelly Dunlay both chose to study at SDSU, they
weren’t necessarily intending to study abroad in the same place. It
just kind of … worked out that way.
Read more about Kristen and Kelly Dunlay»
SEVEN QUESTIONS:
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT FERDOUS ESFANDNIA ADJUSTS TO LIFE ON HER OWN
Ferdous has
an evening routine that she likes to keep. Nearly every night around 9
or 10 p.m., the psychology freshman gets on WhatsApp, FaceTime or Skype
and calls home.
Home is the United Arab Emirates and, usually at
that hour, her parents and three sisters are just starting their day. No
matter the importance of the topics covered that day, the conversations
are important to Ferdous, who is living on her own in the United States
for the first time.
Read more about Ferdous Esfandnia»
SEVEN QUESTIONS:
GILMAN SCHOLAR DALANNA KING EXPLORES THE U.K.
Dalanna King went into her first experience abroad open to new possibilities. One new thing she hadn't been counting on, however, was jet lag.
"When I first arrived in the United Kingdom, the other exchange students and I made plans to go to the welcome events," said King, a kinesiology and exercise science senior who is studying at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, a suburb of London. "A lot of us didn’t make it. There were a couple nights into the second week that I slept for over 14 hours. Finally, in my third week here, I’ve gotten my sleep schedule on track.”
Read more about Dalanna King»
FACULTY EXPERIENCES ABROAD ADD GLOBAL CONTEXT TO SDSU EDUCATION
On one of her many research trips to rural Uganda, associate professor of global health Susan Kiene and her family were invited to dinner by a local villager. The woman served her guests chicken—a big gesture in an area where meat is expensive and typically reserved for special occasions.
Kiene and her guests soon found out just how big a gesture it was.
Read more about Faculty Abroad»
FACULTY SPEAKERS ADD TO THE POWERFUL MESSAGE OF INTERNATIONAL PEACE VILLAGE
When SDSU students from all over the world flock to Montezuma Hall for the 60th annual International Peace Village on November 17, they’ll be coming together to put their unique culture and customs on display. But Dipak Gupta, professor emeritus of political science, believes they’ll be doing something even more significant.
Read more about Faculty Speakers»
TRANSFORMED BY STUDY ABROAD, AN ALUMNUS GIVES BACK
Daniel Soto, ’09, admits to being pretty intimidated when he first arrived in Sau Paulo, Brazil, for his study abroad experience. He had studied Brazilian Portuguese in classes, but struggled to grasp the slang needed to carry on a conversation. Also, as a community college transfer student who had never before lived away from home, he wondered if he could handle life on his own.
Read more about Daniel Soto»
IMPERIAL VALLEY CAMPUS STUDENTS BROADENING THEIR HORIZONS ABROAD
CALEXICO, Calif. - Hop on Interstate 8 from SDSU’s main campus, head east and put the city in your rearview mirror. Endure white-knuckled driving as you battle sharp turns and strong gusts through the Laguna Mountains. Then, abruptly and dramatically, descend into the stunningly barren Colorado Desert.
Read more about IVC»
FIRST-TIME TRAVELER FINDS CREATIVE WAY TO MAKE STUDY ABROAD WORK
Accounting sophomore Kyrie Buckhalter recalls the rush of excitement when it arrived in the mail. He pulled it from the envelope, held it in his hands and flipped through the pages. It was a passport. His passport.
Read more about Kyrie Buckhalter»
STUDENTS RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR SUMMER PROGRAMS
Shania Bennet could hardly bear to look. The biology junior was certain that the email waiting in her inbox from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program was a rejection letter. It was, in fact, the opposite.
Read more about Prestigious Scholarships»
HHS STUDENTS TAKE ACTION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ABROAD
While on a Spring Break study abroad program that included visits to many of the dazzling sights of cosmopolitan London, kinesiology senior Tony Grizzle admits he wasn’t exactly thrilled when he looked at the itinerary and saw a visit to the North London Hospice. Little did Grizzle know, it would be that experience that would stick with him the most – and inspire him and his classmates to take action.
Read more about Heath and Human Services»
CHAMPION FOR STUDY ABROAD WINS SDSU’S GLOBAL DIVERSITY AWARD
At a biotechnology firm in Emeryville, Calif., Inemesit Williams, who often goes by Ine, worked side-by-side with colleagues from around the globe. Her co-workers were predominantly made up of immigrants and first generation Americans – people with roots in Cambodia, Vietnam, China, the Philippines and elsewhere. Williams was enriched by the experience, but also witnessed the conflict created by cultural differences, as things such as social cues, gender dynamics and views on hierarchy became pitfalls.
Read more about Inemesit Williams»
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Jaysmit Jadhav was named the winner of the inaugural International Student Essay contest hosted by the International Student Center. A graduate student from India, Jadhav earned the top honor among the 23 entrants with his charming telling of adjusting to life in the U.S. and overcoming the stresses inherent in such a life-changing transition.Jaysmit Jadhav was named the winner of the inaugural International Student Essay contest hosted by the International Student Center. A graduate student from India, Jadhav earned the top honor among the 23 entrants with his charming telling of adjusting to life in the U.S. and overcoming the stresses inherent in such a life-changing transition.
Read more about Essay Winners»
AMBASSADORS BUILD GLOBAL AWARENESS IN LOCAL SCHOOLS
On a recent bright and crisp San Diego morning, Brian Shirey informed his fifth grade students that he had a mile run planned for them. A look of concern washed over their faces almost immediately – and it had nothing to do with physical exertion.
Read more about Intercultural Ambassadors»
ART STUDENT DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM AN UNCOMMON DESTINATION
Sabrina Anderson was feeling sick, that’s the first thing she recalls. Still, she was determined not to let that fact deter her New Year ’s Eve celebration. After all, she wasn’t about to ring in 2015 just anywhere. Anderson – currently a senior at SDSU – had just completed a semester abroad in the United Arab Emirates, of UAE, and she stuck around a little longer to stay with a new friend from her public relations class and her family. As darkness fell over the Arabian Peninsula, Anderson shook off her illness and ventured with her hosts out into the desert to build a raging bonfire. As 2014 passed into 2015, they lit paper lanterns and watched them ascend against the night sky.
Read more about Sabrina»
