Nov. 14 to Nov. 18 is International Education Week across the U.S., a week instituted by the U.S. Department of State and Department of Education. This emphasis was implemented to help accustom students in the U.S. to the global environment they will be a part of in their career.
At Samford, the Global Engagement Office is planning to partner with organizations on campus to host events and experiences so that Samford students can learn more about international education.
Ella Ford, a junior political science and history major, serves as an International Ambassador.
“The Global Engagement Office is meant to serve as liaison between Samford’s community and international groups,” she said. “So whether that be international students coming to Samford, […] or whether it be encouraging Samford students to have cultural experiences outside of the US through study abroad, or even bringing cultural, international experiences to campus.”
Shaun O’Neil, a senior International Ambassador, has been involved in putting together IEW and has worked on communicating and coordinating with the cafeteria to serve global cuisine each day of the IEW week.
“We (the Global Engagement Office) sort of fill those two main purposes, to basically unite the rest of the world with Samford,” O’Neil said. “So we both receive international students and launch Samford students to the whole world.”
Ford is also the Global Engagement Office’s Communications Coordinator, working to connect the office with other groups on campus. In preparation for IEW, she has been recruiting and reaching out to the groups hosting events.
The events of the week include a panel about cross-cultural business, a trivia night, and a Spanish worship night.
“I think that the work that Samford does with international Education Week and with study abroad is very important for creating a well-rounded student that can work and live in a global environment,” she said.
International ambassadors both encourage and conduct peer advising for study abroad, as well as assisting and welcoming Samford’s international students. Not only do they help the students acquire the proper documentation and help orient them to the community around Samford, they also seek to welcome and befriend students who are far from home.
“It (international education) is really to remind us that wherever we’re studying, we’re bringing our own cultural upbringing to it,” O’Neil said. “But there is something deeper about us as humans that unites us with unique cultures all around the world. And I hope it makes us better humans, to look outside of our own culture.”
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