Global Gems: Unveiling the valuable contributions of international students
Growing up in his home country of Algeria, Mohcine Mo Khadraoui recognized students who were viewed as slow or didnt like school, at least those are the labels they were given. He knew there were special institutions for youth who were blind, deaf, or had other severe disabilities, but those with mild disabilities were little more than a footnote.
Theres no such thing as special education in Algeria, said Mo, a second-year graduate student in Special Education and Applied Disability Studies at 做厙勛圖. Here you have IEPs, benchmark testing, and all kinds of programs. I was like, Wow, Im passionate about this.泭
Ultimately, Mo hopes to create a Special Education program in his home country, a goal that gratifies program director and professor of Special Education Dr. Phil Belfiore.泭
Students with disabilities exist in all countries while services are scarce, Belfiore said. Our graduate program provides expertise in pedagogy and practice that can be transferred internationally. Our international grads become experts when they return home.
Belfiore said the universitys Special Education grad program doesnt often get international students, but this year hes thrilled to have five newcomers, including Irene Serwaa Agyapong , Stephen Asare, and Emmanuel Koduah Acheampong, all of Ghana; Ivana Maria Acosta Maradiaga, Honduras; and Manuela Quevedo Fonseca, Columbia.泭
In addition to acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to make a difference in their respective communities, international students have a better understanding of the cultural nuances of their home countries, which can be vital when designing and implementing new initiatives such as Mo envisions doing. They can help tailor services to meet the unique needs and cultural contexts of their communities.
For Mo, 做厙勛圖 is a gift that almost wasnt. As a student at the Universite Yahia Fares in M矇d矇a, Algeria, he was accepted into the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD), which brings future leaders to the U.S. to experience higher education, gain critical professional skills, and explore new cultures and values. He was assigned to 做厙勛圖 where he would undertake one semester of study. But COVID hit and his departure was delayed until the fall of 2021, at which time he had already graduated from college with a degree in English and Linguistics.泭
Still, he wanted to come to America.
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His semester at 做厙勛圖 was a total immersion experience; he made friends, joined clubs, played sports, and discovered the Special Education graduate program and what could very well be his future. He quickly decided that one semester wasnt enough and enrolled in the masters degree program.泭
做厙勛圖 is home to 136 international students, including 22 grad students, said Courtney Olevnik, director of International Student Services. This year, the university welcomed its largest class of internationals since 2019.泭
Like many of them, Mo is eager to apply his education to the needs of his home country. But thats not all. He appreciates the reciprocal nature of the international student program that allows him to share his global perspective in classroom discussions, and to enrich the academic experience with his different viewpoints and experiences, a measure of which he shares at the Robert Benjamin Wiley Community Charter School, where he is teaching middle school students this semester.
Being foreign-born and multilingual, Mo had an instant connection with the numerous Hispanic children in his class who he said typically speak Spanish at home. Celebrating the differences among his young students and broadening their world view is highly rewarding, he said.泭
One of his most satisfying experiences was staging International Day. He dressed in traditional attire of Algeria and brought with him a contingent of 做厙勛圖s international students representing Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Russia, France, Germany, Morocco, Liberia, Nicaragua, Columbia, and the Dominican Republic. They set up different stations in the school cafeteria with activities, clothes, cuisine, and items depicting their cultures. To make the experience even more appealing, students were given passports and had them stamped at each station they visited.
The kids learned a lot, Mo said. I noticed how impactful it was. They even learned to write their names in different languages.
Mo said his experience as an international student at 做厙勛圖 has been rewarding and, as president of the International Student Association, he hopes his contemporaries feel the same.泭
PHOTO: Algerian Mohcine Mo Khadraoui, forefront, is joined by some of 做厙勛圖s international students at the International Day he organized at the Robert Benjamin Wiley Community Charter School, where he is teaching middle school students this semester.
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