Posts Tagged ‘Study Abroad’
5 African students studying in the US.
Friday, December 14th, 2012Please join me in supporting the Dream of this emerging filmmaker as he tells the compelling story of 5 African youths who pursued knowledge at an elite American university, MIT. Over 4 years they discovered engineering, the world, themselves. Help these young people who are working to make their own dreams come true.
Please help us spread the word about a documentary that follows 5 African students studying in the US. Start here
International Student Profile – Samia Bentot
Monday, April 11th, 2011To provide you with a better understanding of what it is like being an international student or foreign exchange student in the United States, we will now feature on our blog the profiles of some students.
Our first student profile is Samia Bentot, a student from France who did an internship in Los Angeles and is now studying in Southern California.
Your full name:
Samia BENTOT 
A brief bio about yourself – where you grew up, etc…
I was born and raised in the suburb of Paris, France. Younger I’ve always dreamed about traveling all over the world. At the age of 7, my mom bought me my first English book. She knew how much I loved this language, so she always supported me to learn it. Years later, I found myself working for international companies located in France such as 3M and Procter & Gamble.
Thanks to my parents, I have always cultivated a taste for traveling. They took me to the discovery of Europe, North Africa and Asia.
One day, I decided to move from France to have an experience in London, United Kingdom. I met so many different people from all over the world, Brazilians, Italians, and Canadians. I became eager to learn about cultural diversity.
After a year passing in London, I started to think about getting more valuable credit on my French resume. I took the steps to do an internship in the USA. I knew that this experience would be an added value on my resume in France. Companies in my home country would see me as an independent worker, eager to learn, some who is not afraid take on new challenges.
While doing my internship in Business administration in Los Angeles, I met many entrepreneurs who brought to my awareness the importance of new technologies and social medias. It gave me the willing to change my field of work, so I switched into the web design and social media field. I found an institute in Los Angeles that offers the program that I need to work as a Web Designer. As soon as I paid the institute fees, we started to change my J1 status for a F1 student status. The process took three months. I sent to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) all the documents requested to change my status. Two months later, USCIS requested me to provide more documents and to explain, “Why I wanted to study in the United of States instead of my home country?” They also requested some proofs of attachment to my home country, such as bills, home, car. After I sent out all the documents they needed, less than a week later, I received the letter from USCIS telling me that my new status was APPROVED. ☺
Your home country/ country of citizenship: France
Country you are currently studying in? USA/ California/Los Angeles
What school/ university are you studying in?
It’s an institute called ACI.
ACI Advanced Computing Institute
3470 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Tel.: 213 383 8999
Fax.: 213 383 5765
Email: aci_tci@yahoo.com
Contact: Vlad Chirinau
How long have you been abroad?
One year.
What was it like during the first week you arrive in your host country?
Everything is so different from my home country. This is a place for dreamers who work hard to achieve their dreams.
What has been your best moment while being abroad?
Meeting so many different people. The melting pot is awesome in Los Angeles.
How has your English improved?
My English improved very quickly as you don’t meet a lot of people from your own community. L.A. is such a huge city with different leisure and activities. You can meet so many different people with so many different backgrounds. That’s the wisdom of the City of Angels.
How have you handled language differences?
In the beginning it was hard because of my accent. More importantly, due to the fact that I was thinking in French, my English was not correct.
What are your activities?
There are plenty of events, concerts and shows in L.A. You can’t get bored in this city. I enjoy outdoor activities and Southern California beach weather.
How easy or difficult is making friends?
It really easy to make friends, but it is also hard to keep in touch with people, as everybody is always busy. I feel lucky to be surrounded by some very good friends.
What was your biggest obstacle while being abroad?
Being so far from my family and friends for such a long time is really hard.
You need to be psychologically prepared when you make the decision to live abroad. Thankfully, Facebook and especially Skype help me stay in touch regularly with my family.
Would you recommend studying abroad and why?
Yes! It is going to change your life!
Connect with Samia here
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“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
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