As part of the English Language Program, the Pittsburgh Pathways allows students to take a combination of ESL and other academic courses before full matriculation into a degree program. Credit-bearing courses will be transferred to the students’ degree program, saving students time in completing their college education. The addition of the program truly provides students with numerous pathways to fulfill their American education dream.
One of the students, Yushi Zhang, introduces herself and her educational goals here.
“My name is YuShi Zhang. I’m from China. Unlike most of the Chinese people, I’m a member in Sui, one of the fifty-five minority groups in China. I chose Chatham because it offers me numerous paths and opportunities both in the present and future. For instance, I want to go to Carnegie Mellon as a graduate student, and Chatham offers me a great opportunity to do so. I want to achieve good grades in Chatham in order to fulfill my dream as well as spreading my unique culture along the way.”
The students spent part of their classroom time on Chatham’s campus and the remaining part of it at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. When not in the classroom, students accompanied three English Language Program instructors ALL over Pittsburgh, exploring popular museums, local restaurants, ballparks, historical landmarks, shopping hotspots and much more. Some highlights of the tours have been visiting Mayor Peduto’s office, riding the new Steel Curtain roller coaster in Kennywood, having a tour of the Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill, and camping at Chatham’s Eden Hall campus to name a few.
Major Peduto’s OfficeKennywoodClass at East Liberty Presbyterian Church
During their time as Chatham students, they stayed with host families arranged through Global Pittsburgh. This proved to be a wonderful experience for all people to meet and enjoy learning from one another.
Host Family BBQ
The students were proud to be Chatham students for the month, and we thank everyone from Chatham who helped in welcoming them to Pittsburgh and our university.
Dr. Jennifer Zhang (Student Chaperone) said this about the program:
“For most of the students, this is their first time in US. Many experiences are brand new to them. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to get to know the world outside their home country. The students are having a wonderful time here in Chatham and in Pittsburgh. No matter their host family or the strangers they meet in the streets or buses, people offer all the help and hospitality they are able to. It makes the students feel at home. We do appreciate the devoted efforts Chatham faculties have put into this program.”
As you plan for your semester, academic year, and time at Chatham University, we encourage you to be more iEngaged (i.e., Engaged in more International activities) to expand your global thinking and skills and gain a competitive edge in the job market.
Why?
There’s an “edge effect,” which boosts creativity and innovation, when differences come into contact – Listen to this NPR’s Hidden Brain podcast to find out more.
Nine out of 10 employers say they rely on employees with language skills other than English. Read this full report by ACTFL.
International engagement like this increases your chance of being selected for prestigious scholarships, such as Fulbright student grants.
So will you …?
study abroad (many scholarships from Chatham and outside organizations are available)
participate in events with international students
learn a foreign language at Chatham or while study abroad and even add a minor in French, German, or Spanish
participate in the Conversation Partner Program – Apply here by September 6
participate in Global Focus activities
consider adding the International Studies Certificate
and ask your professor, advisor, and the Office of International Affairs (internationalaffairs@chatham.edu) to learn about these opportunities
Twelve English courses, nine field trips, 21 participants in the Conversation Partner Program, 28 short-term students, and 103 study abroad students are some statistics that describe the work of the Office of International Affairs, English Language Program, and affiliated departments in this summer 2019 semester. Despite the current uncertainties and turbulence in the international education field, we continued our commitment to running excellent programs and creating optimal learning opportunities to students.
As a final project for the Academic Lectures course, students worked in groups to create proposals to make Chatham a better place for everyone. They then presented their posters at the End-of-Term Celebration. Their poster presentations offered great recommendations to improving international programs and student experience, including:
Making Chatham cooler by creating “green curtains” from ivy plants and pergolas
Using the Carriage House as the Global Community Room where domestic and international students gather for conversations and activities – This emphasizes the importance of turning a space into a “place to be” for certain activities
Making Chatham attractive to international students by improving student experience, building more partnerships that work, and creating “friendlier” websites. The goal is to promote intercultural understanding, valuable experience, and a more diverse learning environment – a promise that Chatham is working hard on delivering
Providing international students with more opportunities to socialize and use English through “big events,” “small events,” day trips, and holiday parties – things that Chatham does very well in the fall and spring semesters, but may be lacking in the summer term
Students highlighted the importance of creating a social event in a relaxing environment at the beginning of the semester so that they could bond with others. Students reported forming closer friendships and doing more things together after the BBQ Party at Mr. Musick’s house.
Below are pictures of the highlights of these programs, followed by pictures of students’ posters, illustrating the suggestions students made.
End-of-Term CelebrationPicking apples on the Eden Hall campusWaking to the Three Rivers Arts FestivalHaving a Joint Class with Education StudentsTeam Purple at the Shadyside Scavenger HuntShort-term Students at the Point State ParkStudents presented their posters at the End-of-Term CelebrationMaking Chatham Cooler – A winning project by Ren, Fadia, Yuki, and YurikaA very well-prepared poster on student activities by Linh, Ayano, and Kan (LAK)Miyu, Moeko, and Mana proposed something similar to what they have at Kansai UniversityMikaella, Shodai, and Hinako made great suggestions on improving the website. They also highlighted very important aspects of what will make Chatham more attractive to international students.Ngoc, Miyako, and Takuto suggested more day trips beyond PittsburghVy, Ryota, and Shuta highlighted the importance of informal events that allow students to bond
The German classes that I took with Dr. Martina Wells from the Modern Languages Program at Chatham University have been my favorite classes. This summer I was lucky enough to spend two and a half months studying abroad in Germany. I stayed in a small town, Lohr am Main, situated about 50 minutes east of Frankfurt. The people I stayed with have been my family’s friends for all my life, but I hadn’t seen them in quite a few years. They have two sons, Max and Felix, who became my ‘adopted’ brothers for the summer. Max is my age, so he was kind enough to introduce me to all of his university friends! Over the eleven weeks, I made so many great friends who provided me with memories that I’ll never forget.
Aschaffenburg Volksfest with Family
The class that I took was German History from 1900 to 1970 and was held at the University of Wuerzburg. We met once a week on Tuesdays, but the class also offered optional extracurricular events like wine tastings and historical tours of the city. I really enjoyed the class despite it not being a part of my major, but I found that most of my learning occurred outside the classroom. My main reason for visiting Germany was to practice and improve my German speaking skills. I was able to do this on an everyday basis, whether it be ordering food or asking a passerby for directions. And while I did do my fair share of touring around (I was able to visit France, Luxembourg, and Belgium), I found that my favorite things to do revolved around whatever the locals did on a daily basis! In finding out that they, too, enjoy spending a day outdoors and then grilling hamburgers amongst friends, I realized that despite distance and language, we are all the same at our core.
My experiences!
• Went to a Champion’s League soccer game
• Visited the Cologne Cathedral and even heard someone playing the organ inside it
Cologne Cathedral
• Toured the Residenz in Wuerzburg, which contains the largest ceiling fresco painting in the world
The Residenz Wuerzburg
• Toured Luxembourg city and a castle in the country regions of Luxembourg
• Visited the World War I Memorial at the Battle of Verdun
• Enjoyed walks in the woods where I would stumble upon either a herd of goats or beautiful secluded church
• Became a surprise guest in a primary school’s English classroom
• Toured the European Parliament Building in Brussels, Belgium
• Watched the first two stages of the Tour de France in Belgium
Tour de France Stage in Brussels
• Ate the most wonderful Belgian waffle off of a street vendor, mmmm
• Tried seven different white wines native to Wuerzburg. Wuerzburg has Germany’s second, third, and fourth largest vineyards and specializes in white wines. The wine cellar underneath the Residenz holds up to 700,000 liters of wine!
• Watched people surf on the river Isar in Munich
• Stayed at a youth hostel and made some friends from the UK and Australia
• Visited the World War II Labor Camp Dachau
“Work sets you free” KZ Dachau
This study abroad experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to grow as a person. I would highly recommend anyone to study abroad if they get the chance!
Graduating seniors dream over the globe, February 2, 1950, Archival images provided by the Chatham University Archives & Special Collections.
In celebration of Chatham’s 150th anniversary, the Office of International Affairs, with the kind guidance of the JKM Library Archives, has been putting together a display to showcase some of the ways that Chatham, its students and faculty have been international through the years.
Look for our display in the Flat Panel of the JKM Library vestibule starting in late September!
Chatham field experiences (faculty-led) —Stay tuned for information on summer 2020 field experiences (under development) to Costa Rica, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Morocco.
For more information on study abroad and scholarships contact internationalaffairs@chatham.edu or make an advsing appointment: https://calendly.com/kchipman.
The bus ride from the Madrid airport to the city of Salamanca was quiet; the only sounds were snores. We had all been traveling for more than eighteen hours, and had little to no sleep. The “us” included myself and four other girls who attend Carroll University in Wisconsin. The five of us made up the Global Health Science (GHS) group, and we were together for the entire month. We arrived in Salamanca and were taken to our respective living arrangements. My “flat” came with three other students. As I walked in I was greeted with “Are you the American?” I was the only American in our apartment. Jacob was from the Netherlands, Alice from Taiwan, and Michelle from Germany. This was something I had not expected and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed living in a multi-country flat. My roommates were very inviting, happy, and interested in American life.
My flat was in the middle of beautiful Salamanca. The city was filled with shuffling of shoes on the narrow winding roads, laughter and chatter, and kisses on both cheeks. The city was overflowing with restaurants, cafes, markets, cathedrals and shops. It was breathtaking with old architecture, stone roads, parks, and lively people. My schedule while in Salamanca was class every day (M-F) and other activities four days a week (MWFSat). Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday were our independent days, in which I typically spent doing school work, exploring the city, or spending time with my roommates.
Churros y chocolate with my GHS friends.
Some of the many things I did in Spain included:
Tour of tapas: we went to restaurants around Salamanca with a local and were given different tapas to experience Spanish food (one of the best things we did).
Tapas!
Traveled to Segovia and Avila. Segovia had a castle where Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand lived and aqueducts that were built in the year 98! Avila was a city surrounded by a large stone wall.
Learned Flamenco and Salsa dances.
Visited la Clerecía church towers which overlooked all of Salamanca and contained many stork nests!
View of Salamanca from La Clerencía
Went to Málaga, Spain for a weekend visiting the beach on the Mediterranean Sea.
Visited the Old University of Salamanca founded in 1218, in which Christopher Columbus attended. It is also one of the oldest universities in the world.
Enjoyed churros with chocolate at Salamanca’s art deco museum.
Went to Madrid for the day. While in Madrid we went to two museums and a park. I liked Salamanca way more than Madrid.
Visited San Esteban Church as well as several other cathedrals.
Celebrated the week of Salamanca with fireworks over their river, and a light show on their major buildings.
Plaza Mayor in Salamanca
I did these activities with my GHS group and I became good friends with all the girls We did hang out outside of school and our activities. We went to shops, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, the swimming pool, markets, and we would even hang out in my apartment. I was very thankful to have such supportive and fun girls to be with. My classes were Aspects of Public Health and Alternative Medicine. Both classes were taught by wonderful instructors and were very eye opening. Going to class while in Spain never felt like a chore, I was always very excited to learn something new. My time in Spain was quite lovely, and I will never forget this amazing experience.
When will you study abroad? Contact internationalaffairs@chatham.edu with questions.
