A Life Changing EducationUSA Academy Experience in Colorado

An Interview with Yousra Boulal
By EducationUSA Adviser Elisabeth Bloxam
Belgian student Yousra Boulal had never been to the United States before she traveled to Boulder, Colorado, as a 2019 EducationUSA Academy Scholar. “I had so many expectations … but at the same time I didn’t really know what to expect!”

Yousra’s month in Colorado wound up being better than she could have expected — what she called “a life-changing, once in a lifetime experience.” Over the course of just four weeks, she explained, “I got the opportunity to learn so much about the typical American college life [and] got to learn even more about different cultures alongside my new friends from all over the world. I visited Colorado, going from the cities and universities to the breathtaking landscapes during numerous hikes.”For Yousra, one of the highlights of the EducationUSA Academy was getting to know the American education system and visiting campuses like Colorado College where she could envision herself one day studying. “Before the program I never thought I would ever study in the U.S. — not because I didn’t want to but rather because I thought it was out of my reach. After visiting different campuses and after learning so much about the American college life, it feels like an almost natural choice to decide to study in the U.S. at some point. Now I’m thinking about doing my undergraduate studies here in Belgium and then pursuing my academic career path as a graduate student in the USA.”

On campus at CU Boulder, students at the EducationUSA Academy took a number of challenging courses. Yousra’s favorite was a course on entrepreneurship. “In that class we learned problem-solving, leadership and even got to make our own company! Alongside our wonderful teacher Tim O’Shea, who is an entrepreneur himself, we managed to all create our companies in groups with the main idea of making a significant change in the world by solving an important problem. On the last day we presented our companies to some of his friends who were fictional investors. They each invested in the companies that they thought were worth it. I’m proud to say mine got $175,000!”

Learning doesn’t just happen inside the classroom, and spending a month in Colorado provided Yousra the opportunity to test her theories about the United States … from American culture and food to the furniture inside her new classroom.

“All I knew about the USA came from entertainment or from the news. I was really excited about the food especially (…) and as odd as it might sound, I was impatient to see if we would have those typical American school desks. (We had them and I had a tiny fangirl moment!) I was [also] curious to find out if American people were really as nice as they’re often portrayed and YES they are, at least in Boulder. I got stopped a couple of times in the middle of the street by people who complimented my outfit or that were curious to know if we were from a different country. Everyone is so positive and supportive. It was also way easier to make friends at the ice cream social with American students than it is here in Belgium, for example.”Her time in the USA was also an opportunity to educate. “Talking about Belgium happened in a much more informal way than I expected,” Yousra said. “We were never asked to give some kind of presentation about our country whatsoever. It all happened in a very chill way between regular students who discussed their countries’ politics [and current events].”

And what did her fellow students find most interesting about Yousra’s home country? “They were all amazed to know that Belgium is one of the only six countries in the world that paid men and women equally. I told them about Brussels and how wonderful it is to live in a country with three national languages but how it could be a struggle sometimes. They were all quick to make fun of how small Belgium was but I defended my country by reminding them that it was easy and cheap for me to visit my entire country in a matter of hours. At the end of the program I was voted ‘most loving of her own country’ so I believe I did a relatively good job at promoting Belgium to the rest of the students!”

“As the only European student in the program, I had the privilege to not only give my fellow students an insight of what life in Belgium is like but also about what life in Europe is like,” Yousra reflected.Many students worry about experiencing feelings of homesickness and culture shock upon arrival in a new country, but reverse culture shock is an equally common phenomenon … and after returning to Belgium to start her final year of secondary school, Yousra can’t help but feel a little homesick for Colorado. What are the three things she misses most?

First, her fellow Academy participants. “Whenever I think about the United States, I think about the wonderful friends I made. I’m not an outsider or a misfit in general but I’ve never felt so understood in my life than with my fellow students of the program. The people I’ve lived with in Colorado are truly like a second family to me! I miss them a lot. Even though we kept contact, I miss living with them and seeing them pretty much all the time.”

Second, she misses the locals in Boulder. “I miss the positivity! People always made sure to make you feel as good as possible and it was not only the staff or people from the program it could also be a cashier with whom I talked for almost 10 minutes about random things in life or a bus driver that offered me Goldfish cookies or the friend I made at the Planetarium.”

Finally, Yousra has found herself missing Colorado itself. “I also miss the magnitude of pretty much anything: the stores are gigantic and don’t even get me started about the the food. The recreation center was so big I got lost a couple of times. And I obviously can’t speak about greatness in Colorado without mentioning the mountains … I miss the beautiful views I had from my room or my classroom or after a long hike!”In our interview, Yousra described her time in the USA as an EducationUSA Academy Scholar as “a life-changing, once in a lifetime experience”. When pressed further, she explained: “When I say life-changing I obviously think about the many things I’ve learned academically that will undoubtedly help me in the future, but I’m also thinking about how much I’ve grown as a human being. Spending so much time, so far away from home, in a new environment and with new people really gives anyone the chance to discover who they really are and most importantly who they want to be.”

The EducationUSA Advising Team in Belgium would like to thank the EducationUSA Academy at the University of Colorado – Boulder, the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and particularly the U.S. Embassy to Belgium for their support of the EducationUSA Academy Scholarship Program.

The EducationUSA Academy is a pre-college academic enrichment program for international high school students offering specialized college preparatory content, college-level writing workshops, campus visits, and cultural activities. Students gain an insider’s perspective on higher education in the United States while getting the chance to experience and enjoy campus life. To learn more about the EducationUSA Academy Program and scholarships available for Belgian students, please visit www.educationusa.be/edusaacademy.

Attending a Jesuit University

Attending a Jesuit University
Shelby White| Autumn 2019 EducationUSA Intern
Having gone to public school my entire life, I did not know what to expect attending a Jesuit institution — ironic, considering that the Jesuit core value of educating the whole person is initially what attracted me to Santa Clara University. But what does it mean to be a Jesuit school? Would I see strange men in black dotting the campus? Would I be pressured into adopting Catholic practices? What even was a Jesuit?? These questions were pushed aside in favor of the more immediate pressures of move-in day and adjusting to campus life, but they never quite faded.

As time wore on and I acclimated to the college scene, this question — what does it mean to be a Jesuit school — reared its head in the form of friends at large, public universities wanting to know all about my experience at the small school in the Bay. I didn’t have answers for them at first: this being the only university I have ever attended, I didn’t have anything else to compare it to. I assumed that the things I took for granted at Santa Clara were all apart of the standard college experience. It was not until returning home from winter break and hearing the ways my life at SCU differed from that of my friends that I really began to understand the uniqueness of my college experience.For one, going to a Jesuit College means that the majority of our buildings — or at least something in them — are named after or related to the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit religious order) in some way. It influences the very presentation of our campus, both artistically and structurally. For instance, one of the residential learning communities is named Loyola (or Sobrato) in honor of the Jesuit founder’s birthplace. Several other things on campus bear direct relation to the saint himself, such as the statue of the man on a patch of grass deemed Saint Ignatius Lawn (pictured above).

On top of that, the Jesuits are actual people. With only 41 Jesuits on a campus of over 5,000 students they are not seen on every corner, but they do their best to make their presence known. I was surprised to learn how ingrained the Jesuits are in SCU’s daily life, working everywhere from Campus Ministry to the Ignatian Center (an office unique to SCU that is responsible for things like immersion trips.). One Jesuit in particular makes a point to sit in the student union every week day with a sign that reads simply “I’m a Jesuit … ask me anything you want!” My residence hall also hosted a casual conversation night where students were welcome to come and go as they pleased while four of the Jesuits lounged in our building’s basement, eating Chick-Fil-A and talking about everything you could imagine — it was not the type of environment in which I ever pictured meeting a religious figure. However, they were friendly and engaging: they wanted to know our opinion as students and people, actively encouraging us to answer the same questions we asked them. It wasn’t long before conversation turned from pop culture to theology, with all of us taking turns defining what religion and God meant to us. I left that night feeling invigorated, as if I had made four new friends as opposed to some ambiguously authoritative figure.Residence life is different at Santa Clara because of the college’s emphasis on cultivating Jesuit values. Instead of Resident Advisors (RAs), we have a staff of Community Facilitators (CFs) and Spiritual Facilitators (SFs) working together to create an environment that is less like a dorm and more like a community. Many social events are centered around the Jesuit values of social justice and service or open dialogue and free-thinking in an effort to promote the education of the whole person. From my residence hall alone, I have seen a wide array of events; some aiming to provoke conversation — like “Is there a correct way to protest?” — others, simply to give back. But more than that, one of the biggest constants for my residential learning community has been our Spiritual Facilitator, Yoojin’s hospitality hours. Every Wednesday night, Yoojin bakes cookies in his small room on the 2nd floor, luring in dozens of students with the promising smell of freshly melted chocolate chips. Even if you only stop by for a cookie, Yoojin (a former Jesuit himself) makes sure to offer you a smile and ask about your day. If you stay past that initial hour, you’ll find a smaller group of students curled up on his couch and floor talking about issues like race relations in America, the pitfalls of the education system, and the like — once more paying homage to the Jesuit nature of our institution

Universities like mine also offer quite a few amenities that are more obviously “Jesuit”. Known as the centers of distinction at Santa Clara, they combine the best of the Jesuit philosophy with what students actually want; this results in programs that bring in riveting guest speakers (the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics), send students abroad for project-based learning (the Miller Center), and invite students to learn about other cultures through their own eyes (the Ignatian Center). Through one of these programs, I traveled to Guyana two summers ago to work with a local Jesuit organization and learn about the faith of the local people through the indigenous tribes of the Amazon. Considering the national average for college students studying abroad is less than 4%, this international opportunity is extraordinary.

Academically speaking, the Jesuit emphasis on discussion based learning is something I have found in nearly every class I’ve taken in my time at SCU. Teachers don’t want to lecture at you: they want to discuss with you. Many of my classes were arranged in a (semi) circle in order to promote this type of academic conversation. Of course, classes vary across majors and emphases (and yes, there are still some standard lecture-based classes!) but the core curriculum holds students accountable for their education in that it forces you to take classes outside of your chosen field. This liberal arts approach to education is a large part of what makes SCU unique and is something I come to appreciate with each passing quarter because I am exposed to concepts I never would have learned about otherwise.So, what does it mean to attend a Jesuit school? This answer will not be the same for everyone, but for me, the biggest way I see the Jesuit philosophy at SCU is in its people. The core curriculum, residence life, centers of distinction, and the Jesuits themselves all promote a culture that encourages thinking for yourself and using that ability to give back to those who need it most. However, the students and staff of SCU truly embody this ideal. The people at this university were all attracted by its values, meaning we all want to be here, we all want to change the world in some way. This commonality makes the student body in particular powerful because our strength comes from the belief that free-thinking and the fight for social justice are not luxuries, but, rather, necessary. In short, being a Jesuit school means less about religion than it does wholeness and growth — there is nowhere else I’d rather be.

Find Your Fit on Campus with a Student Club or Organization

Find Your Fit on Campus with a Student Club or Organization
Liesl Greider | Spring 2020 EducationUSA Intern
One of the most important parts of the college application process is “finding the right fit.” But while it is important to figure out what college or university is the best fit for you, the process doesn’t stop once you arrive on campus in the fall. Participating in student clubs and organizations can help you to find your fit on campus!

One of the biggest draws for an American college or university is the amount of on-campus clubs and organizations that are offered. Most American colleges boast having many clubs and organizations that add to the overall educational experience. While even a small college like my own, Roanoke College, has over one hundred clubs, bigger universities might have up to a thousand different organizations of all shapes and sizes.When I chose my college I expected there to be the typical organizations like sororities and fraternities, and then maybe a few others that centered around general common interests. What surprised me when I finally arrived on campus was just how broad the clubs actually were. From the Harry Potter Club to the Outdoor Adventures Club, they covered drastically different interests, hobbies, and passions. With so many offerings, the typical response is one of excitement at the ample opportunities available. However, this excitement can very quickly turn to a feeling of being overwhelmed; how can anyone possibly pick which clubs to join when there are so many options? Fortunately, the choice was actually quite simple for me, and it can be for anyone who approaches clubs with an open mind.

Most colleges start the fall semester with a big activity fair, staffed by representatives of various student clubs and organizations. They cover their tables with information packets, sign-up sheets, free trinkets like t-shirts and candy, and then they do everything they can to get you to come over and join their club — including promising pizza or fast food at their meetings. It worked on me! As I walked around my activity fair as a freshman in college, the loud thrill of people from every direction calling me over to join resulted in me writing down my name and email for dozens of clubs, certainly more than I could ever have time for.

The first two weeks following the activity fair, my calendar was booked up with info sessions and club meetings. I went to info sessions for the Debate Club, the Environmental Club, the Beekeeping Society, the Women’s Tennis Club, the Outdoor Adventures Club, the Cinema Club, the Knitting Club, the Group Fitness Exercise Club, the Best Buddies Chapter, a service fraternity called Alpha Phi Omega, a social sorority called Chi Omega, a Christian Bible Study Club, the History Club, the French Club, and the Nerf Gun Wars Club. Signing up for dozens of clubs and approaching them with an open mind allowed me to check out all my options so that I could determine what groups I clicked with the best and what activities I enjoyed the most, at which point I would focus my time and energy on those.

I found that some of these clubs were quite small due to the nature of my college’s tiny student body. (Did you know that Roanoke College only has about 2,000 students?) For example, the Knitting Club was run by a lady who was always knitting during lunch time and so created the club as a means to invite others to join her. The Cinema Club turned out to be a group of friends who loved watching movies together, so they created the club to draw other fellow-movie lovers that they could share their evenings with. On the flip side, other organizations — like the sororities and fraternities on campus — turned out to be quite massive and well-established, drawing upwards of seventy or eighty participants. The size of a particular club or group depends on the size of the university, but it can generally be said that there are always small organizations and large ones. What I enjoyed most was taking advantage of the benefits of each type.

After a successful first meeting with the Beekeeping Society — which I found to be a small group of only six students who loved honey, the environment, and all things bees — I found that I really enjoyed this tight-knit group of passionate people. The size of the group made it easier for me to really leave my mark on the club. I was able to play a bigger role in planning our trips to bee sanctuaries and managing the club’s finances as treasurer, and was able to learn so much more about beekeeping than I would have had there been a massive group of people crowding around the hives each week.

A similar experience with another organization, Best Buddies, allowed me to take on an even bigger — and unexpected — leadership role. . Best Buddies International sets up chapters on college campuses where students are encouraged to include people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by being their “buddy.” At the informational session for this club, I was surprised to find that I was the only person who showed up. The presenter, a graduating senior, spent the session trying to convince me, the only person there, to take over the club as the new president. Excited about this leadership opportunity and having found a passion in the cause that Best Buddies represents, I agreed to be the new president of the club. This turned out to be an amazing opportunity since it gave me the chance to grow this club on campus thus improving my advertising and recruitment skills. I have also learned so much about leadership from being the president of this club, something that can be hard to learn unless you are in a leadership position in the first place.

While I have had terrific experiences in small clubs, I think that larger organizations come with their own advantages as well. The largest organization I am a part of at my college is a co-ed service fraternity called Alpha Phi Omega (APO). Despite being a co-ed fraternity, there are ironically far more girls than there are guys … but what is most important is that we all care deeply about making service a big part of our lives. We all commit to serving in our communities for at least thirty-five hours per semester. My favorite types of service include working in the local soup kitchen and volunteering to clean trash from the Appalachian trails right nearby my school. Joining APO has given me the chance to experience the aspects of Greek Life that appealed to me. I have been able to pursue my passion of service with like-minded people and to develop lasting friendships with my fellow members. The majority of my greatest college friends come from APO, and despite being miles apart, we still keep in touch and laugh about our fun memories shared through the organization.

The best advice I received when I first arrived at college was to get involved. By doing so, I have been able to enrich my college experience and find my fit at Roanoke College. My advice to international students arriving at a U.S. university would be to explore the club offerings on your campus. With these, you have the chance to expand your horizons beyond just your coursework. You can learn a new skill — like how to keep bees! — while also enjoying time with people who just might become your lifelong friends.

An intern at the Fulbright Commission in Brussels, Liesl Greider is a junior at Roanoke College majoring in History with a minor in French. The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect the views of the EducationUSA Advising Center or of the U.S. Department of State.

Balancing Studies with a Part-Time Job

Balancing Studies with a Part-Time Job
Liesl Greider | Spring 2020 EducationUSA Intern
Time at college is consumed by homework, extracurriculars, social activities, and — for many students — jobs. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 43% of full-time college students are also employed, mostly in part-time, on-campus jobs. Juggling a part-time job with a full-time education can be difficult, but it is also extremely rewarding. It has helped me during my college career by teaching me time management, assisting me financially, and giving me invaluable work experience that will prove helpful for life after college.

I had no intention of getting a job during my college years. During my first year of college, I filled up my schedule with clubs and extra classes. I thought I wouldn’t have the time for a job, and did not think I would be a competitive enough candidate to land a position. However, this quickly changed during the last few weeks of my freshman year. A friend of mine told me that she wanted to recommend me for a job at the Center for Learning and Teaching, which provides accessible education services to students at Roanoke College. Landing a part-time job can be a bit difficult, but with the right connections and lots of motivation it is absolutely possible. Getting my job at the Center for Learning and Teaching was a result of me knowing someone who worked there who put in a good word for me. Having connections like this can prove very helpful, as a future employer relies heavily on previous recommendations to feel confident they have found the right person for the job. For new students or those without these connections, it’s a good idea to talk to people you might know who have a job similar to what you are trying to get. You can learn a lot by asking this person what the specific application process looks like, what a typical day on the job is, and what to expect from the supervisor.

One of the biggest benefits of holding a part-time job during college is the lesson of time management. Juggling courses, homework, extracurricular activities, and a social life with several hours per week of a part-time job can be done … it simply needs to be done in an organized way! I suggest keeping some sort of planner, agenda, or calendar that you can clearly follow for each day’s schedule. Keeping this sort of organizational system helped me to keep sane despite my fluid work schedule that would change from week to week. Time management is especially important when you consider that the types of part-time jobs that are common among college students tend to be jobs with schedules that can change each week. These include off-campus positions like waitressing, working in retail, and babysitting and common on-campus jobs like being a resident advisor (RA), an academic tutor, a tour guide, or an office assistant (which, given strict visa restrictions, are often a better fit for international students). Due to the nature of part-time work, the hours that are available to part-time college employees tend to be those that could not be filled by full-time workers. This makes them perfect for college students who can pick the times that work with their class schedule. For my two college jobs, I found myself going straight from class to work, and straight from work to another class or extracurricular. In keeping busy, I learned to make the most of my free time and to use my leftover time productively. Although managing a constantly-changing schedule can be an added challenge, there are many benefits to these sorts of positions. In fact, many on-campus jobs are referred to as “work-study” jobs, since they are designed to be the type of job where you can work part of the time, but also study part of the time. Not all colleges offer these (and sometimes they are only available to certain students depending on their financial need) but if you are eligible then these are a great way to use your time even more productively: why not get paid for doing your homework?!

Another benefit of having a part-time job during college is perhaps the primary reason many of us consider it — because of finances! College, especially in America, is expensive, and it can put many young and naive students into a huge amount of debt before they ever set foot out into the working world. Working your way through college, even with a part-time or low-paying job, is a great way to alleviate this burden and can help you crack away at that hefty tuition bill. (International students should keep in mind, however, that on-campus employment shouldn’t be relied upon to pay for essentials, like tuition and housing, or to provide proof of funding for visas. Rather, think of an on-campus job as a way to pay for non-essentials, like late-night snacks or spring break trips.) As an undergraduate student at Roanoke College in Virginia, I spend my earnings on gas, food, and other living expenses. I find that when I am earning my own money, I spend it a lot more wisely since I understand how hard it was to earn it. Learning to be savvy with finances early on is crucial, and working through college is a great way to learn how and when to spend money, and how and when to save it as well.

A final benefit of working while studying is the professional experience that an on- or off-campus job can provide: while making my own money doing part-time work, I am able to gain valuable work experience at the same time. I only had experience working in retail prior to college, but through my part-time work in Roanoke College’s academic centers, I have had the opportunity to develop my skills in fields that are closely related to my future career. For example, I love teaching and I can see myself becoming a teacher after college, so working one-on-one with my fellow students to help them with their papers in our Writing Center is not only super fun for me, but it is also teaching me valuable skills.

When approached in this way, part-time work during undergraduate or graduate studies can complement the college experience quite nicely. Classes are of course important to learn and grow in knowledge of your field of study but work experience is ultimately what will set your resume apart from other recent graduates and prove especially valuable for life after college. I encourage you to consider fitting in a job alongside your busy academic schedule. It will pay off — and not just financially!

An intern at the Fulbright Commission in Brussels, Liesl Greider is a junior at Roanoke College majoring in History with a minor in French. The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect the views of the EducationUSA Advising Center or of the U.S. Department of State.