Success on a worldwide scale at De Anza open house
November 21, 2016
Bemesgana Alemu, 19, chemistry major, points to her home-town of Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, on the world map. The map’s caption reads: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
International students celebrated how far they had traveled in distance as well as in their personal journeys amongst refreshments and photo opportunities at the De Anza College International Student Program, or ISP, Open House.
Lorenzo Duarte Móre, 18, film major was a Brazilian high school senior from Porto Alegre studying abroad in Arkansas when he heard of De Anza’s Film and TV program.
Bemesgana Alemu, 19, chemistry major left Addis Adaba, capital of Ethiopia, and heard from her cousins about De Anza College. She decided to enroll and is now in her second year.
Students like Alemu and Duarte Móre are success stories of international students coming to study at De Anza to find a new life and opportunities. They decided to volunteer to greet students and help out at the Open House on Nov. 14.
They said they volunteered at the event to offer support and inspiration to the new incoming international students.
The ISP’s open house was De Anza’s kick-off event for International Education Week. According to the ISP’s flyers, International Education Week, or IEW, celebrates the importance and benefits of international education in the U.S. and around the world. The goals of the office of ISP and this week’s events are to make international students aware of their options and resources, as well as making them feel welcome and supported, according to Hayley Davidson, the program coordinator of the ISP.
The ISP office seeks to bring together international students, new and old, and American students thinking about studying abroad.
The rest of the week’s events included recruiters from UCs, CSUs and local private universities, as well as talks on De Anza’s London study abroad opportunities. There was also a workshop on employment and also for keeping track of one’s immigration status.
