Our Global Campus: Engage the World Through Illinois

On the heels of the holidays, we sat down with four Illini students to discuss their conceptualization of home. We invited student representatives from Illinois, out of state, and outside of the country. In this show, you will learn that as domestic and international students cross national and cultural borders, they develop transnational identities and are able to find a sense of home among diverse places and people. Listen in as our students tell it all...here. 

A few months ago, I became quickly acquainted with Assel Aryn, the Vice-Rector at Almaty Management University, also referred to as AlmaU, in Kazakhstan. According to the QS World University Rankings, AlmaU is among the top universities in Central Asia. In this episode, you will hear Assel describe what it’s like to push pause on her career and embark on a study abroad experience later in life. At the time of our conversation, Assel had been studying at UIUC since February 2021 as part of the Bolashak International Scholarship program. From learning how to manage a team remotely to developing strategies and best practices that will enhance online instruction at AlmaU, Assel tells it all...here.

Dr. Isabel Molina-Guzmán joined Our Global Campus for a candid conversation about her personal and professional journey to becoming the Associate Dean of Diversity & Inclusion for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. While an early love for writing and stories initially led her to journalism, an unexpected conversation inspired her to pursue a career in academia. From the hard truths about being a woman of color in the academy, to the need for inclusion initiatives that represent the diversity of our campus, Dean Molina-Guzmán tells it all…here.

How did 6 months turn into 10 years? Angelique Evans, doctoral student in U of I’s College of Education, takes us on her incredible journey as an international student and Black professional in China. When it was presented to her that Mandarin was one of the hardest languages to learn, she pondered for a second and responded, “Challenge accepted.” She pushed her Latin books to the side and embarked on a profound exploration of Chinese culture and language as well as many other world adventures. Angelique is currently enrolled in the Education Policy, Organization & Leadership program and is the proud founder of Hei Butterfly The Initiative—an organization that supports students of color with research and resources for their experiences abroad. You will laugh, you will smile, and you will have some long thoughtful pauses as Angelique tells it all…here.

On March 20, 2021, the LAS Global Leaders Pilot Program culminated in a  Social Innovation Forum that reminded us of the important values of  diversity, inclusion, resilience, and empathy. Over the course of 8  weeks, students immersed themselves in the global challenges of Covid-19  mitigation and refugee integration using a Human-Centered Design  framework. Keynote speaker, Christopher Earney, Head of the UN Secretary  General’s Crisis Insights Team, championed the efforts of the students  and challenged them to center the core value of togetherness in social  change and innovation. He spoke of the critical interplay of mental  health and innovation and the need to interrogate the assumptions of  those who have gone before us. From the diversity of technology to the  divergent thoughts needed to remedy world problems, Chris Earney  illuminates it all…here.

“I love the place I am in. I love the person I am becoming. But I know  eventually the fairytale must come to an end.” These are the bittersweet  words LAS global studies alumna, Emily Freiburger, offered when  describing her study abroad experience in Vienna, Austria. While it  wasn’t necessarily love for the German language that led her to Austria  the first time, enchantment of the country and culture ensured her  second return as a working professional. In this episode, Emily takes us  on a journey from the 49 tram in Vienna to her latest adventure as a  graduate student in the Gies College of Business. Recounting all the  ways German shifted from a language to a relationship, Emily tells it  all here.

“Ich liebe den Ort, an dem ich bin. Ich liebe die Person, die ich werde.  Aber ich weiß, dass dieses Märchen irgendwann ein Ende haben muss.“  Dies warendie Worte von LAS Global Studies Absolventin Emily Freiburger,  als sie ihr Auslandssemester in Wien beschrieb. Obwohles nicht  unbedingt die Liebe zur deutschenSprache war, die Emily zum ersten  Malnach Österreich geführt hat, hat ihre Bewunderung der  österreichischen Kultur dazu geführt, dass Emily nach ihrem  Auslandssemester erneut nach Österreich gezogen ist. In dieser Folge  begleitet uns Emily auf eine Reise, welche in der 49-er Straßenbahn in  Wien beginntund in ihrem aktuellen Abenteuer als Masterstudentin im Gies  College of Business endet. Wie Deutsch von einer einfachen Sprache zu  einer regelrechten Beziehung wurde, erzählt uns Emily heute.

在2020秋季學期開始之前，張雨農(Yunong Zhang)及戴毅然(Yiren Dai)分別在兩塊不同的土地上學習，彼此並不相識。雨農完成了他在美國的高中學業，而毅然也滿心期待的，準備前往美國伊利諾伊大學就讀。雖然因為全球疫情的關係，無法順利前往美國就讀，但這兩位來自中國的留學生，不僅分享著共同的興趣，更因此成為了彼此的最佳夥伴。這兩位社會學專業的大一新生，都參加了伊利諾伊大學，與浙江大學海寧國際校區合作的學術橋梁項目，這 “有趣”且別有一番風味的難忘大一新生體驗，也讓兩位同學始料未及。在此集的播客當中，雨農及毅然分享了他們從一開始的極度失望，到後來他們得知，有機會同時吸取東西方兩個世界中，那最豐沛的養分，進而鬆了一口氣的這段心路歷程。例如從一開始他們共同創辦了股票研究社團，到後來參加了精彩刺激的籃球比賽，並同時體驗了在中國校園的線下面授課程，以及和美國伊利諾伊大學同學們的在線討論，這些難能可貴的混和學習經驗，雨農及毅然都將在以下的節目當中，娓娓道來。

Before the start of Fall 2020, Yunong Zhang and Yiren Dai studied on two different continents and had no prior knowledge of each other. Yunong was completing his final year at high school in America while Yiren was preparing for his long-anticipated move from China to Illinois for college. The two were united through the unfortunate circumstance of a global pandemic and their commonalities became quickly apparent. They both are first-year international students from China. They both are sociology majors studying at UIUC’s Academic Bridge Program, Zhejian University, in Haining China. And, they both had no idea that their first year in university would be “interesting” to say the least. In this episode, Yunong and Yiren express how their feelings shifted from deep disappointment to great relief once they learned they could have the best of both worlds. From stock market debriefs to late-night hoops, and live classes in China to online discussions with their Illini peers. Yunong and Yiren tell it all…here.

Six countries and three education systems later, Third Culture Kid, Katrina Rbeiz, shares her diverse experiences growing up as a Lebanese-American in the Middle East. In this episode, she describes how her double major in psychology and global studies enables her to pursue research at the intersection of cultural identity and mental disorders. She also discusses how she uses her lived experiences in the Middle East to counter misrepresentations portrayed by the media. Illustrating what it looks like to navigate worlds while living in a state of in-between, Katrina Rbeiz tells it all…here.