By Tina Rousselot de Saint Céran, International Services Advisor
Office of Global Engagement
Two weeks ago when snow blanketed the rolling hills of Clemson, Ivy Ebora, experienced it for the first time; one of many firsts at Clemson University for this International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP) Fellow. This time last year, Ebora was leading middle school Algebra classes in the tropics of the Philippines when she learned about the ILEP sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and IREX.
ILEP is a prestigious scholarship opportunity for talented international teachers to participate in U.S. classrooms while enrolled full time in educational leadership coursework at U.S. institutions to further their subject area expertise, broaden their teaching skills and introduce them to American culture. Clemson University is currently sponsoring 16 ILEP students from various parts of the world for the spring term. Of the many applicants who apply, few are selected and all must complete a rigorous application process. Those who are selected often make significant personal sacrifices to embark on this journey of professional and personal growth. Ebora left behind her family and classes of students so that she could participate in this development program.
“I pursue this travel to a foreign country, very far away from my family (with a 13-hour time zone difference) to make a difference,” she said. “I want to serve as a catalyst in my home institution. I want to acquire new knowledge, experiences and learning that can be shared with my fellowman when I go back home. My passion in the teaching profession and belief that I can make a difference brought me here in Clemson, South Carolina.”
Fulbright scholarship
Like Ebora, Daphne Tatiana T. Canlas, experienced many firsts and new challenges when she journeyed from her home country, the Philippines with the support of the U.S. Department of State under a different scholarship program, the Fulbright Foreign Student program. Canlas is one of 14 Fulbright scholarship recipients currently enrolled in Master’s and Ph.D. programs at Clemson and is impressed daily by the quality of the learning taking place in the Rhetorics, Communication and Information Design (RCID) program. An urbanite at heart, one of the biggest adjustments for Canlas was acclimating to the “wideness” of the rural town of Clemson and the more relaxed pace of life in the community.
Last year, Canlas and her Fulbright colleagues founded a Clemson University Fulbright chapter as a conduit to increase the connectedness of current Fulbright scholarship recipients, Fulbright alumni, and those interested in participating in the Fulbright program. When Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms in history, devastated communities in the central Philippines. Canlas reached out and received support from the Clemson community and members of the Fulbright chapter to provide water purification tables for victims of the typhoon. When asked to reflect on how her Fulbright experience has changed her, Canlas shared, “Things I thought I knew were all challenged, and the things I learned put me in a constant state of imbalance — both good things because I have come to not take anything for granted. In that space, there is so much room for possibility.”
- In celebration of the International Month of the Upstate the Fulbright and ILEP programs will provide two opportunities for the community to engage in discussion on international topics.
On March 7, the Fulbright Academic Symposium will unite Fulbright students and alumni from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina at the Fulbright Academic Symposium. This event will highlight research being conducted by Fulbright scholars at Clemson University and regional universities, and will feature opportunities for those interested in learning about the Fulbright program to interact with current scholarship recipients and alumni. - On March 11, Clemson University will host an afternoon of exploration on the relationship between education and industry with local industry leaders and ILEP students at the ILEP Academic Symposium, “The Confluence of Education and Industry.”
Both events are free and open to the public.
Other Upstate International Month events sponsored by Clemson include:
- On March 28, the international service learning and research colloquium will take place in the Hendrix Student Center. This free conference is open to all Clemson students, facility, staff and community. More info is available here.
- On March 22, Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research will host a free international car cruise on Millennium Boulevard on the CU-ICAR campus. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. vehicles showcasing the rich past and exciting future of the automobile will cruise the boulevard. Admission is free and will feature food trucks and live entertainment.
- A traditionally popular and well-attended event is the 2014 International Festival, which is a celebration of cultural awareness at Clemson. The March 30 festival will take place at Bowman Field, and feature volunteers and organizations representing their home country or state by preparing food and providing entertainment for guests. More info is available here. Want to represent your country at the festival? Register here.
