Winners of the International Student Essay Contest are, from left, Olga Parshina, Byron Acosta and Yuqing Wang.

Second annual essay contest

International students recognized for sharing their stories

TEXT SIZE

4:19 p.m., Nov. 25, 2014--The University of Delaware Office for International Students and Scholars(OISS) hosted the second annual International Student Essay Contest reception, cosponsored by the Division of Student Life, on Friday, Nov. 21, at the Wright House.

The top three winners -- Olga Parshina from Russia, Byron Acosta from Colombia and Yuqing Wang from China -- read their essays as the crowd enjoyed refreshments at the reception, which recognized all participants, followed by International Coffee Hour. 

Global Stories

Fulbright awards

Three University of Delaware students and an alumna have received word this spring that they will travel abroad as part of the newest class of Fulbright Student Program award winners.

Peace Corps plans

Two University of Delaware students, John McCarron and Bridgette Spritz, have been selected as Peace Corps volunteers and will serve in Ghana and Rwanda.

The annual essay contest was held the last day of International Education Week during Global Month at UD. 

The purpose of the contest was to give international students an opportunity to tell their stories and share their experiences of being an international visitor with the larger University community. OISS is committed to fostering international understanding and cross-cultural awareness on campus and in the community. 

More than 100 essays were submitted by undergraduate, graduate and English Language Institute students, more than doubling last year’s submissions.  Students represented more than 29 different countries and wrote of experiences from adjusting to American food and culture shock, to the struggles of isolation and understanding peers in conversations.

"I found that I needed to share my story because it is so unique. I became very involved, and it is not as scary as it might seem,” said first-place essay contest winner Parshina, a graduate linguistics student and Fulbright Scholar from Russia.

Parshina is on the UD Swing Team and said she found that being involved in a club greatly enriched her experience at UD. Within just a couple weeks of joining, she had traveled to Baltimore and Philadelphia, won medals and found herself helping to teach in the club.

“[This] of course helped to gain a lot of confidence and a feeling that you are needed (this is extremely important!),” Parshina wrote. “Actually, it doesn’t matter what kind of activity you choose to do, the key is not to hide behind closed doors.”

“Misunderstandings have become part of my natural process of learning English, one that I now confess to actually enjoy. If we want to adapt to another country, we shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes, which is the best way to learn,” wrote second-place winner Acosta, an ELI student from Colombia.

Third-place winner Wang from China wrote of her experiences that first began with a misunderstanding on plane but led to taking thought-provoking classes and having an internship with Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library.

“During this study abroad journey, I harvested priceless knowledge and mentalities, from understanding the culture of drinking ice water, to critical thinking, self-discipline and open-mindedness -- and they will continue to benefit me in the rest of my life and career,” wrote Wang.

“Living and studying away from home can be a challenging experience for many of our international students. Through their stories and reflections, we are able to better understand their needs and in turn provide the best support services necessary for them to be successful during their stay at the University,” said Ravi Ammigan, director of OISS. “We received a great set of essays this year creating another wonderful opportunity for cross-culturing learning on campus and in the community.”

Judges -- including Katherine Connolly, assistant dean of students; Mary Martin, associate vice provost for graduate and professional education; Joyce Hill Stoner, Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Material Culture; and Anne McCullin, OISS adviser -- were given a chance to walk in the shoes of their students.  

To read the top three winning essays, visit www.udel.edu/oiss/essay/.

Members of the University community include more than 4,250 students, scholars and family members from more than 100 countries outside the U.S.

OISS is committed to providing quality advising services and supportive programming to students and scholars during their stay at the University and in the U.S. This fall, OISS hosted more than 40 programs for students providing opportunities to contribute to the internationalization of UD, and the well-being of the international community. More information is available on the OISS website

Article and photos by Elizabeth Adams

News Media Contact

University of Delaware
Communications and Public Affairs
302-831-NEWS
publicaffairs@udel.edu

UDaily is produced by
Communications and Public Affairs

The Academy Building
105 East Main Street
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716 | USA
Phone: (302) 831-2792
email: publicaffairs@udel.edu
www.udel.edu/cpa