Archive for the ‘Foreign exchange programs’ Category
Determination Can Overcome Everything!
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012Back home in Zimbabwe, Energy Maburutse‘s disability was blamed on witchcraft. But now this determined young man is living his version of the American dream — attending college and enjoying independence.
Check out this extremely inspiring video story here and here
“100,000 Strong” China Study Abroad Initiative Event
Thursday, January 20th, 2011
Remarks by the First Lady here
First Lady Michelle Obama: “When You Study Abroad, You’re Helping to Make America Stronger”
About the 100,000 Strong Initiative
The 100,000 Strong Initiative aims to increase significantly the number of Americans who have the opportunity to study in China. Citing the strategic importance of the U.S.-China relationship, President Obama announced the Initiative in Shanghai in November 2009, and Secretary Clinton officially launched the effort in May 2010. The Initiative is designed to help educational institutions establish or expand China study programs. It also seeks to reach communities that are traditionally underrepresented in study abroad, including minority, community college, and high school students, as well as students in the science and technology field and those pursuing advanced degrees in China studies. The Initiative relies exclusively on private-sector funds. More information about the Initiative can be found here
More Ties between American and Russian Universities
Saturday, November 27th, 2010Washington — Since the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission was formed by Presidents Obama and Medvedev in July 2009, the number of partnerships between American and Russian universities has nearly doubled, building opportunities for mutual understanding, collaboration on shared challenges of the 21st century, and closer ties between the future leaders of both countries. International education and exchange has been the key.
“Diplomacy does not just happen between government officials,” said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. “It also happens between individuals, through people-to-people connections and student exchanges. These are some of the most important people-to-people connections we can have.” Read more here
Source: America.gov
Akira Suzuki urged Japanese youngsters to study abroad
Monday, November 1st, 2010Nobel Prize laureate Akira Suzuki urged Japanese youngsters Monday to study abroad and broaden their views, just as more are growing hesitant to do so.
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| Nobel cause: Akira Suzuki, winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in chemistry and a professor emeritus at Hokkaido University, faces reporters Monday at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTO |
The chemist also called on senior academics to make greater efforts to instill in younger generations a sense that science and technology are interesting, as science is crucial to the country’s survival.
“(While I was abroad) I made many foreign friends. (I also got to know that) there is a world out there that we do not know,” Suzuki said at a luncheon at Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. He spent two years from 1963 as a doctoral research fellow at Purdue University. Continue here
Making life simplified for International and Exchange Students in the USA
Monday, September 27th, 2010Hello,
I hope you are enjoying your week and off to a great start.
Some month ago, I had the pleasure to be interviewed by France 5, a French National TV Network.
They were filming one of their most famous documentaries called “Echappées Belles” in California. The documentary consists of several French people who spoke about their American dreams and their experiences in California.
In the video below, I talk about my American Dream. I explained that I left my corporate job at HP France to move to Los Angeles as an international student. I wanted to improve my English language skills, learn about the American way of doing business and eventually start my own. More importantly, I was in search of making meaningful changes in my life in order to add value to my own existence while possibly making a positive difference in the lives of others.
I also mentionned the company that I founded, “U in the USA”, which simplifies international students’ and foreign exchange visitors’ lives, helps them interact more effectively with Americans, and assists them in achieving their goals. We encourage our students to take advantage of our services to create connections and even make lifelong friends.
I thank you for allowing me to enhance your American experience.
Enjoy the video.
Jean-Marc Dedeyne
What do you think about my French accent?
How to succeed as International Students in the USA?
Friday, August 27th, 2010Good-bye, summer — hello, school! The 2010-11 academic school year kicks off this week for most area schools.
Thousands of you from across the globe are traveling or returning to America in order to attend college or do internships. Congratulations on your achievements and first steps.
In the weeks and months to come, you will experience a wide variety of both encouraging and negative feelings, such as excitement, surprise, happiness, loss of identity, anxiety, disorientation and confusion, while facing language, academic and integration challenges. You will even sometimes feel like children.
Don’t worry. These feelings are normal. They don’t come to Stay. They come to Pass.
Be patient; your dreams will not come true overnight. But start now, and go with love and courage and confidence. It’s up to you what comes to pass, and if you keep your thoughts positive and strong: your dreams will come true. It’s just a Matter of Time.
As you might know, in 2006, I left my corporate job at HP France to move to Los Angeles as an international student. I wanted to improve my English language skills, learn about the American way of doing business and eventually start my own. More importantly, I was in search of making meaningful changes in my life in order to add value to my own existence while possibly making a positive difference in the lives of others.
My life in Los Angeles has been full of challenges, the biggest of which have been dealing with the unexpected, adjusting to my new environment and getting everything done within a time frame.
Thankfully, some great people both from my university, UCLA, and off campus taught me the skills that I needed, showed me around, helped me adjust to the American culture, and inspired me. Some also provided me knowledge and methods for a better understanding of the ins- and- outs of running a business in this country, encouraged me to challenge the conventional thinking, and helped me discover and articulate my greater purpose.
I am here today to share with you some my insights.
To reach your goals in the United States, I believe it’s important to:
- Believe in yourself
- Discover your driving motivation for action (purpose, cause or belief)
- Be disciplined and Stay on your chosen path
- Remain active
- Stay focused than to sit around complaining
- Speak up and Take Actions
- Take risks and be willing to lose yourself before reaping the fruits of your efforts
- Build your Network. “Your Network Determines Your Net Worth”
- Have an insatiable thirst for knowledge
- Be able to articulate clearly your value proposition
- Sharpen your personal brand to achieve career success
- Get out of your comfort zone
-Master Team working skills
- Familiarize yourself with the American business environment
- Challenge others and yourself to get results
- Don’t settle for anything less than your best
- Develop and master your capacity to think critically and independently
- Develop and master your ability to understand how people of different cultures and values think and behave
- Develop your communication skills
- Develop a global mindset
- Immerse yourself into the American Culture
- Volunteer into your communities
- Think out of the box
- Learn how to understand the greater context of problems
- Be intensely curious
- Accept others as they come
- Look at everything as an amazing learning experience
- See the opportunity in every difficulty
- Share your experience with others
- Be concerned with time limitations
- Listen up
- Read as much as you can –pick up books that you like, books you don’t like and books you never pictured yourself reading.
- Gain control over all the tasks and commitments that you need or want to get done
- Keep track of your goals
- Be accountable for your actions
- Have a stubborn insistence on pursuing our dreams.
Over all, it’s about maintaining a good life balance with the seven following building blocks :
1-Peace of Mind
2- Health and Fitness
3- Loving relationship
4- Control of my finance
5- Career goals that fit my personality
6- Pursuing my ultimate life goals
7- Life Balance (Career, Personal relationship, Friends and Family, Spiritual, Continuing education, Rest, Health and Fitness, Relaxation, Fun)
Finally, I will leave you with this quote that I learned from my mentor, Les Brown.
“If you want a thing bad enough to go out and fight for it, to work day and night for it, to give up your time, your peace and your sleep for it … if all that you dream and scheme is about it, and life seems useless and worthless without it … if you gladly sweat for it and fret for it and plan for it and lose all your terror of the opposition for it … if you simply go after that thing you want with all of your capacity, strength and sagacity, faith, hope and confidence and stern pertinacity … if neither cold, poverty, famine, nor gout, sickness nor pain, of body and brain, can keep you away from thing that you want … if dogged and grim you beseech and beset it, with the help of God, you WILL get it!” Written by author Berton Braley
Source : Les Brown – Live your Dreams. Click here to Listen to Les Brown.
Best Wishes,
Jean-Marc Dedeyne
contact us here.
Why Americans should host Foreign Exchange Students?
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010Each year, thousands of families, schools and communities across the United States welcome international students and visitors into their homes. They share holiday meals, discuss current events, and visit local sites together. They explore their differences, similarities, values, and beliefs. That person-to-person interaction, exemplifying citizen diplomacy, ensures that Americans and international visitors learn about each other’s culture and way of life…and creates lasting cross-cultural friendships.
Hosting an international exchange student in your home can enrich you, your family, school and community. Hosting international exchange visitors in your community ensures that community members become better informed about and connected to the world beyond U.S. borders.
Today, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton encourages Americans to host foreign exchange students!
Hosting Opportunities here
What do you think? Have you already hosted Foreign Exchange Students? Will you host a foreign exchange student? Tell us why.
Why International Students are coming to the U.S.?
Friday, May 28th, 2010The number of international students in the United States is at record levels. Last year, more than 670,000 foreign students attended an American college or university. The University of Southern California had the largest number for the eighth year in a row. VOA News’ correspondent paid a visit to the campus to learn why the students are coming and how they adapt. Continue reading here
International Fellowships Program Helps Disadvantaged Students from Around the World
Thursday, April 15th, 2010Unlike others, this program deliberately chooses among qualified applicants who are members of marginalized or disenfranchised groups in their societies.
The International Fellowships Program (IFP), which recently commemorated its ten year anniversary, has reason to celebrate. The program provides postgraduate fellowships for emerging leaders from marginalized or excluded communities throughout Africa, the Middle East, Russia, Asia, and Latin America. Thus far, IPF has selected nearly 4,000 fellows in 22 countries and will have supported approximately 4,300 when selections conclude in 2010. VOA’s Carol Castiel recently spoke with the program’s executive director, Joan Dassin, about the positive impact the program has had on the fellows and their respective communities. Continue reading here
Source : VOA NEWS
Listen to Joan Dassin, program’s executive director, here
The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program
Fulbright Scholar Learns About The Culture and History of America
Monday, April 12th, 2010Folake Oyedepo attends Fayetteville State University where she is teaching the Yoruba language to American students while learning more about the culture and history in America.
Folake Oyedepo is from Nigeria and she is very focus on what she will be doing while she is here in America. “I’m an English graduate from Nigeria so coming to America has helped me to share my language and culture with diverse people and to improve my English because I hear English from the native speakers. I was a teacher in Nigeria and that is my career; I want to become a teacher in a college, a professor,” she says. “So I came to America under the Fulbright scholarship and this award has given me an opportunity to get a global exposure about teaching and learning. It also awards me the opportunity to learn the American culture first hand apart from what I’ve read in books, what I’ve seen in movies and what I’ve heard in the media. I am in America to learn the American culture first hand.” Continue reading here
Listening to the story here
Source : VOA News
