Students from the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla pose for a photo with the Pig statue along with program leaders from the U of A.
Thanks to a grant from the U.S. State Department, the U of A is hosting eight students from Puebla, Mexico this summer in a new five-week study abroad experience that marks an expansion of an existing international partnership.
While the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla, the home university of Mexican students, has organized and hosted summer study abroad programs for U of A students in Mexico for more than 10 years, for the first time the partner universities were able to transform their collaboration into a mutual, two-way exchange by adding an innovative northbound component to the well-established and highly successful southbound program.
Students from UPAEP arrived on campus in early July and have engaged in a multi-faceted program that combines cultural activities with community excursions, complemented by intensive morning English language courses run by the Spring International Language Center.
In afternoon classes, UPAEP students work together in teams with U of A advanced students completing Spanish majors and minors on service-learning projects that address the needs of the Latino community and their reception and inclusion in Northwest Arkansas.
A pair of UPAEP-UA students, both majoring in health care-related fields, are developing workshops and materials to educate the Latino community on how to prevent heart disease and diabetes. Another group of students is focusing on dental health issues among Latino children. Other projects include an after-school program focused on helping bilingual children maintain and expand their Spanish-speaking skills, and a podcast compiling interviews conducted with Latinos who work in law enforcement and local government.
“Our hope is to develop partnerships with our students and community,” said Raquel Castro Salas, assistant professor in the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures, who teaches afternoon service-learning courses.
“The combination of their life experiences, academic knowledge and diverse experiences and cultures gives them a vantage point from which to investigate social and community needs,” she added. “Their approach to these needs will be different and innovative, as the opportunity to collaborate with students from other countries is unique and special. They have had the opportunity to make connections, and compare, contrast and evaluate the culture of their peers. of the class.”
This expansion of international collaboration is made possible by a $25,000 grant awarded to a faculty team from the U of A and UPAEP from the US State Department’s 100,000 Strong Across the Americas Innovation Fund program, administered by America’s Partners, and signed this cycle by the Mary Steet Jenkins Foundation.
The goal of the Jenkins family grant cycle, widely recognized for their philanthropic support of education in Mexico, was to encourage collaboration between US and Mexican partners toward the goal of expanding north-south mobility in international education through innovative study abroad programs. and international education with a specific fee to reach students from groups traditionally underrepresented in opportunities for international educational enrichment.
Steve Bell, associate professor of Spanish and in the Latin American and Latino studies program, was the investigator and lead author of the winning proposal, working in collaboration with Octavio Gonzalez, of the Office of International Programs at UPAEP, and Juan Jose. Bustamante, associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and Latin American and Latino Studies at the U of A.
Although the grant award was initially announced at a ceremony in Mexico City in the fall of 2019, with the execution of the grant initiatives planned for the summer of 2020, the implementation of the grant-sponsored activities had to be postponed until this year due to restrictions of the COVID pandemic.
However, the grantmakers remain confident that their grantmaking efforts will succeed in expanding our pool of bilingual and bicultural students prepared for effective global leadership in the 21st century and in the broader enhancement of quality values. of life in Northwest Arkansas, the Puebla region of Mexico, and, by extension, across the face of America.
The program at the U of A is a replication and northward extension of the experiential service-learning program that was launched in 2014 at UPAEP for U of A summer students in southern Mexico in health care, business, education, engineering and community service. It has provided practical Spanish-language preparation for U of A students for integration into a global workforce and a full immersion in Mexican life and culture, which have proven transformative for nearly all U of A student participants in recent years. .
It is the success of this innovative, comprehensive, service-learning approach that the new Northbound program for UPAEP students at the U of A seeks to emulate and build upon.
“This program not only enriches our Northwest Arkansas area by identifying and addressing issues facing the Latino community, but also serves as a transformative experience for these students from Mexico,” Bell said. “Most of the Mexican students heading north are first-generation students who have never traveled outside of Mexico. They are selected by a special UPAEP scholarship program for students from rural communities underserved in higher education, called “Apuesta de futuro” (bet on the future).”
“Our effort thus aims to fulfill the goal of the Jenkins Foundation Innovation Fund to reach student groups that are not typically touched by existing international educational opportunities,” Bell said. “This is, we hope, an immersive cultural experience that will develop leadership skills and experiences that students will take back to Mexico and that will prepare them well for leadership positions in their communities.”
Namiko Bagirimvano, director of the Office of Sponsored Students and Programs in the Graduate School and International Education, agreed with Bell and added, “We are proud to offer well-rounded support services for smooth attainment and transitions for international short-term program participants. . “
Bagirimvano and the Office of Students and Sponsored Programs have coordinated and executed programming on the U of A campus for the new Northbound program.
“The goal of the SSSP is to assist faculty with logistical planning and to provide global learning opportunities on top of what they want to accomplish through their academic experiences so that we can maximize learning during their limited tenure. short term,” said Bagirimvano.
Bagirimvano said many campus offices have been key collaborators in the effort, notably including the Spring International Learning Center, the Office of International Students and Scholars, University Housing, the Multicultural Center and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, in addition to participating. faculty from the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and the Latin American and Latino Studies program, and the Office of Sponsored Students and Special Programs.
“It really does take a village to welcome each group of international visitors we receive at the University of Arkansas,” Bagirimvano said.
The Office of Sponsored Students and Special Programs provides support to international visitors through customized short-term programs and plans to expand collaboration with academic departments on campus moving forward. Those interested in partnering with Sponsored Students and Special Programs can contact Bagirimvano at 479-575-6861 or [email protected].
