Enjoy free live music every Friday in August with KEXP radio’s “Concerts at the Mural” series featuring local, Pacific Northwest bands like The Thermals and Radiation City. Now in its ninth year, this popular outdoor music series is a great way to experience some local culture while checking out one of Seattle’s most popular tourist destinations. Seattle Center is also home to the EMP Museum, the International Fountain, the Space Needle, and the Pacific Science Center with lots of great food options in and around the area.
The Summer 2016 International Student Orientation Program (ISOP) was off to a great start with the arrival of new students from all over the world! …China, Colombia, India, Nepal, Thailand and more. These young adults are already writing their own life stories that one day they will share with other new students coming to Shoreline Community College. Let the adventures begin!
I would like to introduce Blanche Cizubu, one of our new International Peer Mentors for 2016-2017. Blanche is from Kinshasa, Congo, and she began her studies at Shoreline Community College in Fall 2014.
Blanche chose Shoreline Community College because she liked the beautiful campus and found it to be a peaceful place to study. She also found that Shoreline Community College offered the major that she wanted to study, biochemistry.
Blanche is currently taking Calculus 152, which is her favorite class this quarter. Blanche likes to do really well in her classes so she visits the Math Learning Center to get extra help with some of her assignments and to prepare for tests. Blanche does a lot of studying and one of her favorite places to study on campus is the library. When she wants to study with classmates off campus, she likes to go to Rain Café, not far from the College.
Besides focusing on academic goals, she engages with other members of the campus community and has joined the African Student Club and the Science Club. Joining these clubs helped her to meet friends from the same continent and gave them a chance to share their stories about life in the United States. Through these clubs Blanche has also had an opportunity to meet many domestic students.
As a student leader, she encourages all students to get out and meet new people, participate in clubs and take advantage of all volunteer opportunities that are available.
Shoreline Community College welcomed twenty EducationUSA advisors from countries all over the world (including Zimbabwe, Peru, Pakistan, and Germany, to name a few) to partake in a training session titled “Study Options and Pathways at a Two-Year College,” a college fair, and an ice cream social with Shoreline faculty, staff and students on Tuesday, June 28.
EducationUSA is a part of the U.S. Department of State. It has a network of over 400 international student advising centers in more than 170 countries. These advising centers promote U.S. higher education and advise students interested in studying abroad. Shoreline often visits these offices to participate in seminars and fairs organized by EducationUSA.
The training sessions held on campus were part of a larger training institute that takes place annually in different cities across the U.S. to help advisors deepen their knowledge of key topics in relation to advising students. Shoreline was one of only two community colleges that were selected as hosts for such sessions.
EducationUSA advisors with Shoreline students and staff
The training session, led by Shoreline Faculty Academic Advisors Tiffany Meier and Cynthia Okawara, shared the benefits of studying at a community college and the many opportunities available after completing an associate’s degree. EducationUSA advisors remarked after the session of that visiting Shoreline opened their eyes to how community colleges could be a gateway to a top university that can help students save money.
The ice cream social allowed faculty, students, and staff to engage with the EducationUSA advisors to talk about experiences and hopefully potential opportunities for cross cultural exchange with students. It was a wonderful afternoon of learning for everyone involved and a great opportunity to showcase the amazing work Shoreline is doing in global engagement.
The Seattle Shakespeare Company will be performing Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, in parks in the Seattle area this summer. The performances are free to attend, although donations are welcomed.
If Hamlet is a little too heavy for you, they will also be doing one of Shakespeare’s comedies, Love’s Labours Lost. You can see the plays in July and August. For locations and times, check the schedule.
If that’s not enough theater for you, you can also go to the Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival at Volunteer Park on July 9 and 10. (Pro tip: Lake View Cemetery is right next to Volunteer Park, so you can also go visit Bruce Lee’s grave—李小龙的墓碑.) There will be sixteen (!) plays performed in those two days. Again, this is a totally free event, but they do accept donations.
On June 3rd 2016, the graduation BBQ was a success. We had about 300 students come to enjoy this event. It took place at the Carkeek Park. The International Education department, the Multicultural Center, the Athletic Department, International Peer Mentors (IPMs), and Associated Student Government (ASG) contributed to this event. The weather was very nice and we had a great beach view with a clear sky. Many students enjoyed eating kebabs and hamburgers at the same time enjoying some fresh air before their finals. Students were able to play badminton, volleyball, soccer, baseball, and other group activities. Shoreline students had a great time mingling and talking with their friends and International Education staff as well. It was also a great opportunity to get to know some new students. Students who were graduating happily talked about their transfer plans and reminisced on their times at Shoreline.
This event was the last event that the current IPMs planned and participated in as contributors, and they were sad to being saying good bye to Shoreline. The new IPMs volunteered and supported this event by helping prepare the food and encouraging students to join games and activities. A couple of students from the Ukulele club performed and started singing with everyone.
In May 2016, we celebrated the new look in the PUB! The information desk is custom-made of reclaimed wood and the colors of the furnishings and walls bring in the beauty of the outside campus. The PUB is the heart of the campus, creating lounge and study spaces for all Shoreline Community College students to use and enjoy!
On Saturday May 21, 2016 the student leader teams International Marketing Assistants (IMA) and International Peer Mentor (IPM) had their bi-annual retreat. To conclude the retreat we held a BBQ with the entire International Education department.
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At the retreat we welcomed and started training new team members, celebrated our achievements of the 2015-2016 academic year, and started planning for this upcoming 2016-2017 year. We also honored and congratulated the graduating and outgoing IMA and IPMs. Many of the student leaders will be transferring to schools all over the world including: University of Washington, Western Washington University, Seattle University, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, University of Minnesota, California State University Northridge, and Monash University in Australia.
The International Peer Mentors (IPMs) held an Ice Skating & Bubble Tea Social on the afternoon of Friday, January 22. The event involved a lot of fun and free stuff. All Shoreline students were invited to join the event for $6.25 to rent ice skates. The IPMs provided bubble tea in different flavors from a local Taiwanese restaurant, Looking For Chai (找茶), and plenty of snacks for everyone.
About 100 students came and enjoyed the event. For many students, it was their first time ice skating. Some people had trouble staying on their feet, but it’s always fun to try something new!
Some students who didn’t want to find out the hard way whether they were good at skating or not just came for the free bubble tea, snacks, and a chance to hang out with friends.
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