UA News

UA's International Education Week events will be held Nov. 14-18, emphasizing the importance of supporting international students and also in sending students from the U.S. to study, collaborate and conduct research abroad.

The University of Arizona is participating in a nationwide event designed to recognize and promote the importance of global education and exchange. 

International Education Week, sponsored across the nation by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education, will be held Nov. 14-18. 

At UA, the Office of Outreach and Global Initiatives sponsors the week, which consists of about 60 events including lectures and panel discussions, film screenings, book discussions, art exhibitions, musical performances and information sessions on study abroad opportunities.

Those events are supported by student organizations, colleges, departments and museums on main campus and UA South.

In a statement announcing the 12th annual national event, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the week "celebrates the benefits of understanding the world around us so we can better communicate and collaborate with others from different cultures."

The UA maintains a strong practice of sending students abroad for studies, whether through University-sponsored programs or nationally competitive scholarships. 

For instance, UA has long been recognized as a top producer of Peace Corps fellows. And with Fulbright U.S. Student Program funding 16 UA student scholars for research abroad during the 2011-2012 year, this makes the University a top producer among higher education institutions in the U.S.

Duncan also said the week is designed to encourage students to invest in learning about other cultures and populations, in mastering other languages and also participating in international exchange. 

"We must work together to give all of our student an outstanding education, which includes learning about our global partners their cultures, histories, languages, values and viewpoints," Duncan said, adding that it is becoming nearly impossible to make clear distinctions between domestic and global issues.

But UA initiatives do not only send students abroad. 

Each year, the University draws thousands of international students who want to learn English at the Center for English as a Second Language or pursue undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees.

In recent years, UA's international student enrollment among new freshman has been on a slight incline. This fall, 3.4 percent of the new student population was comprised of international students like Soo Kim, a UA Honors College student.

Kim, a junior studying finance and management information systems, was born and raised in Daejeon, South Korea. She decided to move to Arizona to finish her high school education and to begin her undergraduate studies. 

"Getting an international experience was my dream. Since I was young, I would say, 'I am going to be out of the country someday,'" said Kim, who added that she has found it is easier to pursue her own ambitions since arriving in the U.S. five years ago.

Kim said she was especially drawn to the UA because of its programs and also because other family members studied at the institution. Since arriving at UA, she has been involved in several organizations that foster leadership while also promoting cultural preservation and awareness. She also co-founded the Korean-International Student Society.

"Here, there are more opportunities," said Kim, who wants to eventually own a Korea-themed hotel. "I think I can be very successful here and do what I want."  

While most UA international students are from countries like India, China, the Republic of Korea and Mexico, the institution also draws students from other countries like Malaysia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. 

Harare, Zimbabwe is home to UA student athlete Keegan Cooke, who moved to the states about two years ago to pursue a degree and a professional athletic career. 

Cooke said he has come to the United States – not Europe, Australia or elsewhere – because he wanted to experience a socially and politically different state. 

Intent on becoming an Olympian and with a desire to return to Zimbabwe to aid in the country's development, Cooke also wanted to study at a Division I institution where he felt he could have the most academic and athletic success. 

"I knew that if I had settled for something less than I had dreamed, it would become a pattern in my life," said Cooke, a global studies junior and Arizona track and field member who transferred to UA this year from a community college in California. 

Cooke has since met several families, faculty members and coaches who have helped him in his development. Along with support from his family and religious beliefs, Cooke said it is because of those people that he feels he will achieve all that he set out to do. 

"I feel blessed to be part of the Wildcat family," Cooke said, adding that he appreciates the support of others in California as well. "There have been so many people who have told me never to let go of the dream I've had and who have supported that dream."