“Many students went home and they finished courses, if they’re taking CSUB courses, online from their home countries. Then some of them actually, exchange students and study abroad students, study at CSUB, they ended up staying at the dorms until May,” said Yuri Sakamaki, director of American Language Institute and International Student Success and director of Study Abroad Programs.
Although studying abroad and connecting internationally is a primary focus that was halted due to the pandemic, Global Outreach hasn’t let that slow down the department during the time at home.
In February, Helen Hawk Honors Program students from CSUB, Katie Gonzalez and Uchechi Okey-Dike, participated in an event with one of CSUB’s university partners. The Toyo University United Nations event took place in the virtual space from Toyo University in Tokyo, Japan.
While Gonzalez and Okey-Dike might not have been able to study abroad just yet, it did confirm their interest and passion for the idea.
“It really confirmed that studying abroad is something I'm interested in, even though Tokyo university is in Japan and I'm interested in South Korea. It really confirms that you can collaborate with people of different nationalities and different cultures and work towards a common, sustainable interest,” said Katie Gonzalez.
Uchechi Okey-Dike has had a different experience in that she moved to the United States from Nigeria when she was 10 years old.
“I have the mindset of having different cultural background in a sense. Having lived there for a couple of years and then doing most of my education here, I have had the opportunity to see both. This has also fueled my desire to travel more and explore other countries because that opportunity is available,” said Okey-Dike.
Okey-Dike also encourages those in the Hawk Honors program to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. It’s something they emphasize in the program and save funds for.
“I personally feel like the great thing about this country specifically is that there are a lot of opportunities – if there’s something you really want, you can find someone who can guide you on the right path or find the right information to make sure you get what you’re looking for,” said Okey-Dike.
“I'm also a big believer of you get what you put in as well. If students are involved in the program and are interested in traveling abroad, the Honors Program works closely with students to provide them the opportunity to study abroad through a scholarship,” added Okey-Dike.
Working with Global Outreach has helped students have experiences outside of the classroom and broaden horizons outside of their comfort zones.
Gonzalez also credits collaborating with other universities for being able to experience other perspectives, different than just the normal college career.
“We go from studying novels from African countries to novels about different cultures and backgrounds here in America. I really like the idea of intersectionality — how a person's race, sex, gender, class, geography, how this all comes together and shapes their ultimate identity and experience,” said Gonzalez, as an English major.
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