The Easy Button

Staples has a commercial out - well, an entire brand actually - centered on "the easy button." Besides wondering how they managed to get cake batter to shoot up about 4-feet onto the actress's face after dropping to the floor, it's striking that the idea of purchasing school supplies needs an easy button. In fact, it seems the whole process of getting ready for school needs an "easy button". There seems to be little that is easy about preparing for a full year of college - undergraduate or graduate. And for those students who are coming from another country, there's a whole extra layer of adjustments to make.

Lucky for you, there's an easy way to get your international perspective throughout your UNC Charlotte years - actually, several easy ways. We have various programs, events, websites and initiatives going throughout the year for students to participate in depending on what you're comfortable with and/or interested in. We'll post these options here and also on our calendar of events so there's no reason you shouldn't know about how easy it is to include some intercultural learning in many of the activities that you already consider important: traveling, making new friends, having new experiences and graduating as a competitive job seeker.

So, we'll have plenty about "how" to do it. Let's take a minute to talk about "why" do it. For that, we'll rely on outside sources so as not to "toot our own horn/button."

• From the NY Times - a business bio - it's the 2nd page that has the good stuff.
• This one requires some extrapolation (7 Skills Every Worker Needs), but if you're not sure how having an international experience can develop your "marketability" in these areas, ask anyone in the International Programs' offices.

So, while you're gearing up for the demands of another busy year, consider how you can easily gain international learning (and why you should) just by doing the things you'll be doing anyway.

Int'l Education for Future of Charlotte

Want to hear what business and community leaders think about having an international perspective upon graduation? Perhaps you'd rather hear it from a student? We've invited a panel of four people to reflect upon the changing nature of Charlotte and the realities of an international Charlotte - what can we do to be effective citizens and employees of the city? Though they'll be giving their perspective and opinions, the purpose of the Community Conversations program, with the Levine Museum of the New South and UNC Charlotte, is to engage in discussion about the topic at hand. So you'll have plenty of opportunity to ask question, debate or just listen to ideas about an international future for Charlotte and for UNC Charlotte students.

Panelists include:

Kurt Waldthausen, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany (North Carolina) & Founder and Chairman of the German Language and Culture Foundation

Alina MacNichol - Executive Director, Charlotte International Cabinet

Kareem Abdelnabi - Study Abroad Alumnus, UNC Charlotte

Lalit Mandel - international graduate student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, UNC Charlotte

Plan to attend on Wednesday, July 21 from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Levine Museum of the New South (200 E Seventh St.). The event is free and open to the public, but you do need to register. To see the invite and to register, click here.

Oh, and there's a reception included.

Student Profile: Lina Garcia

During the interview with NI, Lina mentioned “another change” multiple times. It seems her life has been a steady stream of events that would shake most people. Instead, Lina, over and over again, identifies the challenges, creates solutions and works through it – as a good engineer would – and then passes on her lessons learned to others. Her life, her academic pursuits and her leadership in the College of Engineering earned her recognition at the UNC Charlotte International Women’s Day ceremony and caught the attention of NI. This is her story.

Lina's life started in New Jersey for a few years before her parents decided to move to Colombia when she was seven. Though she knew of Colombia from her parents, “knowing and going are completely different.” A quick adapter, she made friends, went to school and embraced life in South America for five years. At twelve, a sensitive time for most middle-schoolers, Lina’s family moved again – back to the United States – to North Carolina. Another change. Lina again adapted to a new life, a new set of rules and norms and new friends. She added another skill to her portfolio as well: “the ability to appreciate what she has here as well as to distinguish between cultures.” This skill would surface throughout her time in college.

The oldest of two girls, Lina was the first to navigate the college decision and application process. Her dad sat with her as they looked at Lina’s strengths and interests to determine a career path. One application went in: to UNC Charlotte. Specifically to the Lee College of Engineering. She was accepted and went through another change: entering college. And, her parents and sister moved back to Colombia at the same time. Another change. She accepted her independence with a resolve to successfully navigate her college career in computer engineering.

Another change. After three years she decided computer engineering wasn’t the best fit and switched to systems engineering. In her words, systems engineering is “engineering with business decision-making involved.” It added more time to her anticipated graduation date, but would give her a degree in a field to which she could commit to a professional career. A tough decision, and phone call to her family, but the right decision for her.

With a significant background in change management, MAPS was a natural place for Lina to get involved to share her experience with other students. Committed to “students helping students succeed”, MAPS is a program for engineers to develop skills beyond the classroom to further enhance their careers. Students have the opportunity to be coached by other students in areas of leadership, global skills, transitioning to college and employability/internships. Small groups meet weekly to discuss areas pertinent to the track they chose.

Obviously, NI is most interested in the global track. Each session, students look at the business practices of a different country. The countries are selected based on industry leaders, particularly those with offices in Charlotte – France, Germany, Korea and Russia being among those mentioned. The sessions explore such components as history, keys to success, travelling, behavior and body language. For Lina, the giving and receiving of business cards with two hands when in Japan stood out as a salient example of a small cultural difference that could have a big impact for a graduate looking for a job with a Japanese firm.

A trip to Germany over spring break (part of Global Perspectives in Engineering) – another change – was another opportunity to enhance her skills and portfolio for a more competitive skill-set upon graduation.

Another change – graduation May 2011. Lina is prepared to navigate the global market, to rely on her skills to recognize and appreciate cultural differences, to adapt and to lead.

Matt Damon Performs Declaration of Independence

Happy 4th of July to those who are celebrating. Here's a reading of the Declaration of Independence by Matt Damon from the History Channel.

Next week: student profile of an Engineering Student at UNC Charlotte.

Mama always said...

Here are some selected proverbs from around the world. No doubt some of these thoughtful sayings are common in many countries - feel free to add your own in the comments.


"Many complain of their looks, but none of their brains." (Yiddish Proverb)

"Who seeks a faultless friend remains friendless." (Turkish Proverb)

"If three people say you're an ass, put on a bridle." (Spanish Proverb)

"Being young is a fault which improves daily." (Swedish Proverb)

"After dark, all cats are leopards." (Native American Proverb - Zuni)

"All roads lead to Rome." (Roman Proverb)

"All roads do not lead to Rome." (Slovenian Proverb)

"All things good to know are difficult to learn." (Greek Proverb)

"Bad is never good until worse happens." (Danish Proverb)

"Every beetle is a gazelle in the eyes of its mother." (Moroccan Proverb)

"Fall seven times, stand up eight." (Japanese Proverb)

"A father is a banker provided by nature." (French Proverb)

"Goodness shouts. Evil whispers." (Balinese Proverb)

"Goodness speaks in a whispher, evil shouts." (Tibetan Proverb)

"If work were good for you, the rich would leave none for the poor." (Haitian Proverb)

"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors." (African Proverb)

"When spiders unite they can tie down a lion." (Ethiopian Proverb)



This could go on and on. Here are the two sources, from the thousands that came up from google, that were used for this list:

http://www.memorablequotations.com/proverb.html

http://www.quotesandsayings.com/proverbial.htm.

Do Sports Have a Stage in International Peace?

Unless you live under a rock, you've likely seen mention of the upcoming 2010 World Cup being held in South Africa this month. Facebook is buzzing with posts and reposts of the Nike commercial - Write The Future - along with some trash-talking and team cheering. ESPN has a page of World Cup posts that then expands to a full page of rumors, blogs, stats, scores, flags and all the latest - they've also come up with some creative commercials, as one would expect.

If you do live under a rock, here are the two commercials and then on to the point.



And this one from ESPN, which leads in to the broader point....



The ancient Olympics were started as a religious celebration to Zeus. It was during this time that all wars ceased - weapons were not allowed in the stadium - and ample time was provided for returning home without fear of attack or provocation. It was a sacred time to honor Zeus with the ultimate of human performance. Since it was believed that Zeus had predetermined the winner, judges were present to gauge the moral and ethical performance - cheating was absolutely not tolerated.

And throughout the years, there have been other efforts to use athletic competition as a way to slowly bridge the gap between war and peace. Consider the article from The Atlantic, "Can Sports Bring World Peace?" that considers the suggestion - with examples supporting and contradicting the statement. Is it fair to place such expectation on competition? Is it reasonable to place such expectations on the athletes?

Student Spotlight: Briana Jordan

Briana Jordan of UNC Charlotte has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to Turkey on an English Teaching Assistantship. Jordan is one of over 1,500 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2010-2011 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. She is a graduate student in UNC Charlotte's TESL program with a wide range of experiences. According to Brad Sekulich, Director of the Office of Education Abroad, "Briana is an excellent candidate and well-deserving of this award. She will represent global UNC Charlotte well."

In her own words, here is Briana's perspective on the opportunity.

"My love of learning and desire to explore the world comes from my family background. My mother, a 30-year teacher, taught me the love of learning. My father, an Army medic, taught me the joy of exploring. Because my father was in the Army for 22 years, my childhood was spent in such diverse places as Colorado, Germany, Alabama and Texas. I feel blessed to have been exposed to so many different regions and people as a child. Being open to new people and cultures was a prerequisite for being an army brat. My parents were the primary influences on my intellectual development because they wer both very adamant about learning and education. Although not wealthy, my parents never let me go without any book, microscope, chemistry set or computer that I might have wanted. Even though neither of my parents received a university degree, they instilled in my siblings and me the importance of education.

My educational background is quite varied for someone who is now looking to be a teacher. After falling for fashion in high school, I went to college to study apparel and textile merchandising. Upon completing a BS in that field, I wanted to gain more business knowledge and took advantage of an accelerated MBA program East Carolina offers. I completed my MBA in 2004 and started as an executive trainee for a major department store. While, I have been working in fashion retail for the past 10 years, I have realized that my thoughts always return to my original love of cultures, specifically art and religions, history and education. A year ago I decided to leave the sometimes shallow world of fashion and start down a career path that will be more rewarding and meaningful to me.

As an adult, I have traveled to quite a few interesting places including Hong Kong, Italy, Costa Rica and Turkey. Through these experiences, I have gained a wider perspective of the world that we live in and the great diversity of the people who inhabit it. A particular experience that I had in Turkey that I found to be compelling was the day that I was touring the famous Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. While staring at the ceiling, I did not notice the group of children gathering around me. I looked down and all of a sudden there was a group of about 30 kids staring up at me and pointing. They tried to say hello to me and take my picture. It was not until this happened coupled with the fact that they were more surprised to see me and not my very blonde friend that I realized that I did not see anyone else in that large city of African descent or with dark skin. At that moment, I realized they were just as intrigued by me and my culture as I was with theirs. I want to return to Turkey because I have never been to a place where I felt so welcomed and yet so different. I think of it as a personal challenge to have the opportunity to be the first African American that some have seen outside of television adn to be able to make the first impression of a culture that they have only watched from afar. I am the type of person who is always willing to educate others about my culture and background adn in fact encourage conversations about the differences and similarities between people. I believe that the more we know and understand about one another, the better we can work together.

In the immediate future upon finishing the program for TESL, I plan to teach ESL in primary or middle school for a few years in North Carolina. I would like to eventually earn an advanced degree in TESL and teach at the community college level. My main goal is to be a positive and motivational figure in the lives of people who are trying to better their lives through education and cultural understanding."

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please visit: http://fulbright.state.gov/. For information about Student Fulbright opportunities, contact the UNC Charlotte Office of Education Abroad at 704-687-7747.