The Department of World Languages and Office of International Initiatives hosted an International Experience Forum at the Student Center on Thursday that discussed the Fulbright Scholarship and other opportunities to study abroad.
The Fulbright Scholarship is a prestigious fellowship offered annually to students around the country.
The scholarship offers students the opportunity to teach English as a second language in another country, or study abroad at numerous universities around the world.
“So many students aren’t aware of the many opportunities there are to study abroad,” Naomi Palosaari, the international projects manager at Eastern Michigan University said “There are so many chances for motivated students to study abroad and learn new things about different lifestyles and cultures.”
Palosaari studied in Korea and did extensive research for her Ph.D in Mexico. She said the experiences she had overseas inspired her to motivate other students to study in a foreign country.
EMU students Daniel Hayes and Carla Damiano talked to the audience about their involvements in the Fulbright program.
According to Hayes and Damiano, some countries require prior knowledge of the native language upon visiting. Other countries offer opportunities to learn the language in a classroom setting.
Hayes studied the Korean language for 100 hours during her time abroad in Korea.
Chiri Davis and Hiroki Tanabe are members of the Japanese Student Association on campus. Davis is originally from Japan and Tanabe is originally from the U.S.
“Just do it,” Davis said. “Get out of your comfort zone and try something new.”
Tanabe compared English to an onion during his presentation.
“I hated English like I hate onions,” Tanabe said. “Once I came here, I started liking English. I had more opportunities to practice the language.”
Kimberly Specht talked about her experiences with the DAAD (German Academic Exchange) and CBYX (Congress Bundestag Exchange for Young Professionals).
Specht said that the U.S. and Germany work together so that “students from the U.S. can come to Germany to teach and learn and vice versa.”
For more information about studying abroad, contact Naomi Palosaari at npalosaa@emich.edu.
