{"id":1583,"date":"2014-05-21T11:48:23","date_gmt":"2014-05-21T15:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/dev-mag\/?p=1583"},"modified":"2014-08-06T08:57:09","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T12:57:09","slug":"one-student-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/2014\/05\/21\/one-student-body\/","title":{"rendered":"One Student Body"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"One
\nTen months ago, Jean Zagre left the small West African country of Burkina Faso to travel more than 5,000 miles to his new home at Georgia Southern University. \u201cMy flight to Savannah was the first time that I had touched United States soil,\u201d Zagre said as he explained that he always dreamed of studying in the U.S. because it is still \u201ca country of opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"OneStudentBody-Zagre\"
“I told my mom I would continue my studies in the U.S., but she said \u2018never\u2019.” – Jean Zagre, Burkina Faso<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhen I was a 10-year-old I told my mom I would continue my studies in the U.S., but she said \u2018never\u2019 because she was worried about my security. After many discussions she finally accepted my decision.\u201d Zagre is a student in the English Language Program (ELP) and chose Georgia Southern after International Student Admissions Assistant Director Ron Jones visited his school in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.<\/p>\n

\u201cEighteen new Burkina students have enrolled at Georgia Southern as a result of that trip and we currently have the third highest population of Burkina students of any university in the United States,\u201d said Jones. While the University\u2019s variety of academic programs, diverse student population and campus safety initially attract most international students, Jones said the University\u2019s student-centered approach is what sets Georgia Southern apart from other universities.<\/p>\n

\u201cInternational students are usually not able to visit campus before enrolling and are applying to universities across the nation,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing personable, friendly and responsive to email and phone calls are especially important for this group. The students and their parents tell me continually that they selected Georgia Southern over other universities because of how friendly everyone was through the enrollment process\u2014from admissions to housing, from the Center for International Studies to orientation, from Health Services to academic departments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""There
“There is no traffic in Statesboro and I like it here because it is calm.”
– Rakhi Trivedi, India<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a member of the University\u2019s growing international community, Zagre is just one of the bright and curious scholars who has added an extra dimension to Georgia Southern by infusing the campus with his own cultures, traditions, native languages, and political and religious views. These students originate from 89 countries with Nigeria, China and Honduras representing the top three. In May, Honduras native Juan Diego Guevara Pinto graduated at the top of the Class of 2014 with a GPA of 4.0. \u201cI have come a long way,\u201d said Guevara who was presented with the Georgia Southern University Alumni Association Award at the Honors Day Convocation in April. \u201cWhen I first arrived here, I could barely speak English, and I was very scared. Honduras is a very poor country, and I realized I had been given an amazing opportunity to study here. That motivated me, and I didn\u2019t want to let my family and country down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guevara and new graduate Keturah Bowe from Freeport, Bahamas, served as international ambassadors, a role that allowed them to recruit international students to represent the international student community and be involved in campus life. \u201cI think the \u2018large-scale, small feel\u2019 environment is a good transition for students who want to study in the United States,\u201d added Bowe, who noted that international students are driven to succeed academically because they understand how much their families have sacrificed for them to attend such a prestigious American university and receive an outstanding education.<\/p>\n

International scholars who enroll at Georgia Southern can face financial challenges. Between tuition, books, room and board, and travel, a full academic year can easily reach $33,000. \u201cAs international students, they do not qualify for federal or state financial aid (including loans), so most of the educational costs are borne by each student\u2019s extended families,\u201d said Jones. \u201cMany of our students come from developing countries, where the average annual income is often less than $1,000 per year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""When
“When I first arrived here I could barely
speak English and I was very scared.”
– Juan Diego Guevara Pinto, Honduras<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Students from other countries sometimes qualify for merit and need-based scholarships or find on-campus jobs in order to pay their own way. There are more than 30 students on campus from Saudi Arabia alone, but the Center for International Studies said the Saudi government supports most of them. For Rakhi Trivedi, a graduate student in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, coming to Georgia Southern is possible through a graduate assistantship. She has been at the University for nearly a year and is planning her first visit back home to Sagar, India, this summer. \u201cMy parents are helping me pay my tuition fees and the graduate assistantship is a great help for my monthly living expenses,\u201d said Trivedi.<\/p>\n

The public health major remembered how happy she was to reach Georgia Southern after a 36-hour flight that landed in Atlanta. \u201cThere is no traffic in Statesboro and I like it here because it is calm. There is no pollution and this area is a better fit for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Trivedi, Zagre and other international students, have any complaints about their life in Statesboro, it would be the lack of public transportation. \u201cWe are doing our utmost to address that need among our students,\u201d said Jacek Lubecki, Ph.D., the director of the Center for International Studies. \u201cWe do have transportation for the students on campus and most importantly, we rely on volunteer organizations such as the Wesley Foundation and Baptist Collegiate Ministries to provide them with free transportation to Walmart every week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""Life
“Life in the United States is very, very
different. Being here has definitely made me more open-minded.”
– Shu Dong, China<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

College of Business Administration graduate student Shu Dong is from China and has enjoyed living in the U.S. ever since she was an exchange student in Pennsylvania. \u201cI found out about Georgia Southern because it has an exchange program with my university in China… life in the United States is very, very different. Being here has definitely made me more open-minded,\u201d said Shu who has earned a master\u2019s degree in higher education and is pursuing a Master of Accountancy with a forensics concentration. \u201cI\u2019ve learned I like all kinds of food. I like fried chicken and I love Mexican food, which we don\u2019t have in China.\u201d<\/p>\n

While missing her native food has not been a problem for Shu, other international students say food and their families are what they miss most about being so far from home. \u201cI am vegetarian,\u201d said Indian born Trivedi who depends on friends to take her to Savannah to shop for the vegetables and spices she craves. \u201cInternational students tend to be highly motivated and independent,\u201d said Jones. He added, \u201cYou would have to be to leave your family and friends behind to study in a new country in a language that is often your second or third language.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first year is often the hardest for many of the students as they struggle with homesickness, the language barrier, cultural obstacles and making friends outside of their own nationality. \u201cThings we take for granted can challenge our students,\u201d said Jeffrey Palis, the associate director of the Center for International Studies. \u201cLittle things that we forget about are classroom management, how courses are graded, how students are expected to participate and speak up in class… in some cultures that is not common.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, most agree they have been impressed with how friendly and helpful people are in Statesboro. In the months before they arrive, Academic Coordinator Kelley Riffe provides assistance with documents, immigration and visa regulations. \u201cIt\u2019s a source of pride that among the thousands of colleges and universities around the world they wanted to come here,\u201d Riffe said.<\/p>\n

\""I
“I think the \u2018large-scale,\u00a0small-feel\u2019 environment is a good transition for students who want to study in the U.S.”
– Keturah Bowe, Bahamas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To help address international student concerns and challenges, the Center for International Studies operates programs such as the Cross Cultural Friendship Program, the Global Ambassadors Program, International Club, the annual International Festival and the International Conversation Hour, which allows time for American and international students to meet and talk about their collegiate and overall life experiences. \u201cI have developed into a more independent, responsible and well-rounded individual since living in the U.S.,\u201d said Bowe of the Bahamas.<\/p>\n

Most of Georgia Southern\u2019s international scholars are degree-seeking students, but this is not always the case. \u201cThere are ELP students who first arrive to improve their English speaking skills then move into a degree program,\u201d said Palis. \u201cThere are both undergraduate and graduate students who come for their degree, and exchange students who enroll in one of our various exchange partnerships around the world and spend one or two semesters with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe often think we bring international students here to teach them,\u201d said Palis. \u201cThe truth is, they teach us. They create this diversity of experience, of opinion, and bring their previous academic background into the classroom to make it a much more engaging and interesting place.\u201d<\/p>\n

After all, we are one world, all connected through our collective experiences\u201480-plus countries living together as one. Look around our Statesboro campus today and you soon realize that Georgia Southern University may be a multitude of countries and cultures but if you open your minds and hearts, we are all part of the same proud student body. \u201cTo say that everything has been easy would be a lie,\u201d said Zagre who has a cousin in the English Language Program. \u201cAt first, we spent all our days thinking about back home. Then we agreed, we chose this life so we have to live it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commencement is a testament to that. There are no countries of origin on Georgia Southern diplomas, just the names of each Eagle student and their degree. It\u2019s just another symbol of their added dedication and the unique sacrifices it took to achieve their educational goals, no matter the distance they traveled in order to walk across the graduation stage. \u2013 Sandra Bennett<\/em><\/p>\n

See below for a complete list of countries represented on campus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Anguilla<\/td>\nChad<\/td>\nGabon<\/td>\nItaly<\/td>\nLithuania<\/td>\nTaiwan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Argentina<\/td>\nChile<\/td>\nGambia<\/td>\nJamaica<\/td>\nMali<\/td>\nThailand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Australia<\/td>\nChina<\/td>\nGermany<\/td>\nJapan<\/td>\nMexico<\/td>\nTogo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bahamas<\/td>\nColombia<\/td>\nGhana<\/td>\nJordan<\/td>\nMoldova<\/td>\nTrinidad and
\nTobago<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bahrain<\/td>\nCosta Rica<\/td>\nGrenada<\/td>\nKazakhstan<\/td>\nLithuania<\/td>\nTurkey<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bangladesh<\/td>\nCroatia<\/td>\nGuatemala<\/td>\nKenya<\/td>\nMali<\/td>\nUkraine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Belarus<\/td>\nDenmark<\/td>\nGuinea-Bissau<\/td>\nKorea, Demo
\nPeople (North)<\/td>\n		Mexico<\/td>\nUnited Arab
\nEmirates<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Belgium<\/td>\nDominica<\/td>\nHaiti<\/td>\nKorea, Republic
\nof (South)<\/td>\n		Moldova<\/td>\nUnited Kingdom\/
\nGr Britain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bermuda<\/td>\nDominican Republic<\/td>\nHonduras<\/td>\nLebanon<\/td>\nPortugal<\/td>\nUnited States
\nof America<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bosnia and
\nHerzegovina<\/td>\n		Ecuador<\/td>\nHong Kong<\/td>\nLiberia<\/td>\nRussia<\/td>\nUruguay<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brazil<\/td>\nEgypt<\/td>\nIndia<\/td>\nLibya<\/td>\nSaudi Arabia<\/td>\nVenezuela<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bulgaria<\/td>\nEl Salvador<\/td>\nIndonesia<\/td>\nLithuania<\/td>\nSouth Africa<\/td>\nVietnam<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Burkina<\/td>\nEthiopia<\/td>\nIran<\/td>\nMali<\/td>\nSpain<\/td>\nZambia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cameroon<\/td>\nFinland<\/td>\nIreland<\/td>\nMexico<\/td>\nSri Lanka<\/td>\nZimbabwe<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Canada<\/td>\nFrance<\/td>\nIsrael<\/td>\nMoldova<\/td>\nSweden<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n

\"OneStudentBody-IEF\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Family Life<\/h2>\n

How would you like to \u201cadopt\u201d an international student? The International Extended Families Program (IEF) connects local families to international students at Georgia Southern so they can see what American family life is like. Your international student will spend occasional time with you and your family participating in activities such as going to the movies, shopping, dining out, cooking a meal together, traveling out of town, enjoying day trips to the beach, or going to a sporting event. If you are interested in becoming a “host” family to an international student, visit International Extended Families<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

International Student Enrollment Reaches 89 Countries<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1971,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[43],"class_list":["post-1583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-spring-2014"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}