Summer Quarter 2016 Newsletter Page 1
Good times at the ICC-IBP Fair, Japan
S U M M E R Q U A R T E R 2 0 1 6 N E W S L E T T E R V O L U M E 2 / I S S U E 3
GloBelleView
www.bellevuecollege.edu/oiegi • [email protected] • (425) 564-3185 p • (425) 641-0246 f Find us on:
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :New Staff Introductions ...................... 2
OIEGI Recruitment Reports ................ 3
BC International Alumni Spotlight ..... 4
IBP Updates .......................................... 4
Diem O’RourkeImmigration
Compliance and Data Specialist
(425) 564-3052
Interested in Hosting or Sponsoring an Exchange Professor, Scholar, or Specialist?
If your depart ment/division is interested
in hosting or sponsoring an exchange
Professor, Scholar, or Specialist, please
feel free to contact us. We’d love to meet
with you and provide more information
and assist your department/division
with the hosting process.
Our contact information is: ischolars@
bellevuecol lege.edu or call one of us at
the number listed to the right.
This SUMMER quarter 2016, OIEGI is serving:❱1,160* students from 75 countries
& 6 continents
NUMBERS OF ENROLLING STUDENTS COMPARED TO SUMMER 2015:
Count Day of the Quarter SUM 2016 SUM 2015 Difference %
College Programs 603 492 111 22.56%
ELI/University Preparation 161 207 -46 -22.22%
Int’l Business Professions 93 114 -21 -18.42%
TOTAL 857 813 44 5.41%
*Including 303 not enrolled (i.e. taking quarter off )
Jean D’Arc CampbellDean of International Education and Global
Initiatives(425) 564-3160
Kazumi HadaDirector of Student
Services and Operations
(425) 564-4068
Page 2 Bellevue College Office of International Education and Global Initiatives
Hewa Schwan, International Recruitment Manager
Hello all,
Global living experience has shaped my life from early on and is a true testament of the importance of international education in forming a holistic view of the world.
As with many Americans, I hail from Asia. Born to a Kurdish family in a multicultural society in Kurdis-tan-Iraq, with cultures dating back to the Medes, Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Turkish Ottomans, encom-passing historical and cultural values from Abraham and Zoroastrians, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam. As such, I grew up learning from all these humanity cultures, enjoying aspects in each way of living and thinking. And as a result, I have acquired a global citizen view of the world from which I have learned to communicate in seven languages including Arabic, English, Kurdish, Persian, Spanish, and Turkish, in addition to some French and Greek.
As a result of this global life, I have developed a keen interest in other
cultures and people, and ever since I left Kurdistan and came to Europe and America, I have been involved in working with other cultures and ethnic groups.
When I settled in California, I became very close to the Hispanic culture, eventually learning their beautiful songs and language. Then, I worked with refugees from around the world, including Iraqis, Iranians, Afghans, Eritreans, Moldovans, Ukrainians, Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambo-dians, helping them with resettlement and job development services in order to help them lead more successful and happier lives in USA.
Since I studied at both community colleges and universities in Iraq and in the US, I have experienced what most international students go through during their initial culture shock and college studies.
Working as an international student advisor and recruiter, I have experi-enced the challenges of working with Immigration, housing issues, financial hardship, transportation options, and personal adjustment issues.
My life and work has taken me around the world several times and has taken me to visit countries as south as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Ecuador, and as north as Sweden and Scotland, and as far east as Japan, Taiwan, and Indonesia to name a few. Of course, coming from Iraq, I have visited, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Dubai, Morocco, and Turkey.
Not to mention most of the eastern and western European countries.
In short, I believe that I can pass my cultural geography quiz fairly easily, and I welcome anyone to test me someday. If I fail, I will buy you lunch.
All that aside, I believe, the most important aspect of my work is helping international students navigate their educational programs at the college, succeed in achieving their goals, and become successful and caring global citizens. As an advocate for students from every-where, I am a solid believer in providing the best student services and will do my best to find an answer to any questions or needs that a student may have.
As a life-long student, I know the challenges that young students face being away from home and family, dealing with new cultural norms, and undertaking demanding studies. I believe every student must be treated with utmost respect and under-standing and I will do my best to help them become successful and happy graduates.
When I have extra time, I enjoy reading about cultures and social and scientific news, cook a good authentic meal, garden and grow some organic vegetables, and enjoy nature walks. Since I travel to different countries around the world to recruit great international students for Bellevue College, I hope to meet you someday and share some tea or coffee together.
OIEGI Welcomes Our Newest Member of the Team
Summer Quarter 2016 Newsletter Page 3
OIEGI Recruitment Reports
B E L L E V U E CO L L E G E I N L AT I N A M E R I C A
(Reported by Julia Bovee – International Recruitment Manager)
This spring, BC hit the road to talk with
students and educational partners in
Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Columbia,
Panama, and Ecuador. I traveled from
April 9-27 and met with hundreds of
students in seven different cities and
many have already submitted applica-
tions or expressed interest in attending
BC. In each city, BC participated in one
large educational fair and several high
school visits.
The trip started in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and
while the current economic and political
situation remains difficult, BC received
many interested students. A highlight of
the trip was getting to meet with Larissa,
a BC grad with an associate’s in arts and
sciences. From Brazil, we traveled on
through Uruguay, Argentina, Columbia,
Panama, and finally Ecuador. The devas-
tating earthquake took place barely a
week before our arrival.
Despite the circumstances, I met
with many interested students and
families. We have received more than
twenty initial applications and four
have already held info sessions via
Skype. Educational advisors and school
counselors are keen to inform students
of the advantages offered by commu-
nity colleges like BC. Aside from the
economic advantage of lower tuition,
students and advisors could see that
BC is a wonderful community with
welcoming staff and students.
As one student from Brazil said:
“I got to tell you, I have looked over dozens
of schools [similar] to BC in America and
none of them has the benefits, “customer
service”, tuition and programs like it. BC
has the best price and quality I could find.)”
~ Ricardo
B E L L E V U E CO L L E G E I N E A S T A S I A :
(Reported by SooKyung Park – International Recruitment Manager)
With continuous efforts to increase
international student enrollment,
early March through April, I went on
a recruiting trip to Japan, Indonesia,
Singapore, Taiwan and Korea. The trip
consisted of participating in educa-
tion fairs and events, meeting with US
embassy officers, visiting colleges and
High schools, holding workshops and
seminars for individuals and groups
of potential students, parents and
family members. We also focused on
maintaining and creating relationships
with overseas agencies that operate with
the highest integrity. We developed a
best business practice, policy with all
of educational partners. This gave us
the opportunity to share OIEGI’s vision,
mission and core values.
In Japan, I met over 80 prospective
students at the fair and visited the Inter-
national Cross-cultural Committee (ICC)
office. At the ICC office, I met with 5 IBP
students who came and have attended
at BC since spring quarter 2016. With 4
busy days in Indonesia, I visited new and
existed partners, presented several infor-
mation sessions even on Saturday and
Sunday. One prospective student came
and is attending at BC this summer, and
three prospective students are coming
for fall quarter 2016. Then in Singapore,
BC information sessions were held in the
evening and on the weekend to attract
working parents. There will be three
prospective students joining BC this fall
quarter. In Taiwan, I received 61 initial
interest applications from the 2-day fair.
Some of these 61 interest applicants are
currently in the process of completing
admission materials for fall quarter 2016.
Finally in Korea, there were 71 students
filled out an interest card just like in
Taiwan, with some students wanting to
start this Fall’16.
Top Row Left: Bellevue College at an educational fair in Montevideo, Uruguay; Top Row Right: Bellevue College met high school students in Columbia; Bottom Row Left: Bellevue College at the AIEF fair in Korea; Bottom Row Right: Our Recruiter explained BC’s programs to students at the AIEF fair in Taipei, Taiwan
Page 4 Bellevue College Office of International Education and Global Initiatives
The Office of International Education & Global Initiativeswww.bellevuecollege.edu/oiegi [email protected](425) 564-3185 phone(425) 641-0246 fax
Find us on:
© 2016 Bellevue College, Bellevue, Washington
The OIEGI works with three compa-nies to provide housing services for our international students. If you are interested in becoming a host family, contact these companies.
❱ Intercultural Homestays & Services, Inc.Contact: Ms. Eileen Beaupre Tel: 206-367-5332Fax: [email protected]
❱ USA International, Inc. Contact: Ms. Emi Khosraw Tel: 425-483-5974 Fax: [email protected]
❱ American Homestay NetworkContact: Ms. Michelle Harden Tel: 425-285-4466 Fax: [email protected]
Interested In Becoming a Host Family?
International Student Achievements
BC International Alumni SpotlightNAME: Larissa T.
FROM: Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, Brazil
DEGREE FROM BC: Associates in Arts and Sciences
AFTER BC: Larissa moved home to Brazil and completed a MBA at Fundação Getúlio Vargas
CURRENT COMPANY: Tenaris, a multinational manufacturing company
STUDENT LIFE @ BC: “I met many people from different parts of the world. They’re so sweet. People from Japan, Korea, India and many others. I made great friends there.”
THE BC ADVANTAGE: “In Brazil they really appreciate when you have an experience in a different country. When you go and live abroad you learn more, you have contact with other cultures.
It really helped me and people always ask me about this experience.”
FAVORITE CLASS: Communications classes with instructor Whitney Anspach. “She was awesome. When I chose Intro to Communication ... I found myself. Everything that she was teaching – that’s what I [wanted] to learn.”
BC SUCCESS: “I got four scholarships at BC. It was very motivating ... You feel they are really recognizing your effort. I was doing [everything] in another language, in another format.”
THE INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE: “As an international student I had the opportunity to get in touch with people from all over the world, besides being able to graduate in a foreign country which was very challenging but quite fulfilling.”
Some Updates About the IBP Program
Reported by Deron Dahlke,
Assistant Director of IBP Program
The International Business Professions
(IBP) program in summer quarter is very
exciting!
Group 54, which began last Spring,
has over 60 students broken into two
tracks: Tracks A and Track B. After a
couple TOEFL/IELTS tests, Track B is
now taking a mixture of college level
and IBP classes. Of course, our Track A
students are working hard in their ESL
and IBP classes. Good luck on the next
TOEFL test!
IBP Group 53 students are now partici-
pating in their 220-hour observational
internships covering many industries:
non-profit/governmental, marketing,
hospitality, IT software, and many other
fields. In addition, these students attend
an on-campus class plus attend a large
IBP Networking meeting mid-July,
where both IBP groups meet in a job-fair
style to learn from each other.