Events

International Education Week 2020

November 16-20, 2020

International Education Week poster

International Education Week (IEW) is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education promotes programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences.

At PCC, International Education Week is usually a week-long, district-wide celebration of world cultures and internationalization on our campuses and in our communities. There is typically a variety of internationally-focused programming (events, speakers, workshops, and more) on each campus for students, staff, faculty, and community members to be involved in. Because of our remote status due to COVID-19, IEW will look different this year. All activities and events will be held online (see details by day below). Coordinated by the Office of International Student Services and planned mostly by PCC’s international student leaders, IEW features internationally-focused activities and events happening each day – check the schedule below to see how many you can join! In addition, we’ve added sections below for on-demand learning and resources so you can expand your knowledge of international education topics on your own.

If you’d like more information about IEW events around the country, check the US Department of State’s IEW website. And if you’d like more information about IEW related readings, research topics, and more, check the PCC Library’s special IEW page.

For more information, contact Tiff Hayes or visit the Office of International Student Services website.

Schedule

Monday
PCC’s OISS, Supporting International Students and Bringing the Globe to our Community

11am-12 noon via Zoo
Learn more about the services that the Office of International Student Services (OISS) offers to support international students, how we advocate for them, and how we bring the world to our community. The past few years have been quite turbulent for international education, but we have remained strong and are looking with hope to 2021.

Talk Time Café

12-1pm via Zoom
Join our English conversation group where students gather online via Zoom to chat, meet new friends, and practice English in a relaxed and informal environment. Talk Time Café is open to all students – international, immigrant, refugee, domestic, etc., and all faculty and staff. Talk Time Café is led by our International Peer Leaders, who focus each Café on a topic of interest – everything from American pop culture to holiday traditions in different countries and many things in between.

OISS Talk Show with Special Guest PCC President Mark Mitsui

5-5:30pm via Instagram Live
OISS International Peer Leader Ken Nguyen hosts a biweekly talk show with guests. PCC President Mark Mitsui will join us this week to help us celebrate International Education Week! Join us on Instagram Live (and make sure to follow us while you’re there) to learn a little more about our fantastic leader, Mark!

Talk Time Café – Evening Edition

7-8pm via Zoom
Join our English conversation group where students gather online via Zoom to chat, meet new friends, and practice English in a relaxed and informal environment. Talk Time Café is open to all students – international, immigrant, refugee, domestic, etc., and all faculty and staff. Talk Time Café is led by our International Peer Leaders, who focus each Café on a topic of interest – everything from American pop culture to holiday traditions in different countries and many things in between.

Tuesday
Talk Time Café

2-3pm via Zoom
Join our English conversation group where students gather online via Zoom to chat, meet new friends, and practice English in a relaxed and informal environment. Talk Time Café is open to all students – international, immigrant, refugee, domestic, etc., and all faculty and staff. Talk Time Café is led by our International Peer Leaders, who focus each Café on a topic of interest – everything from American pop culture to holiday traditions in different countries and many things in between.

Exploring the Culture of Weddings and Marriage Through the Film “Father of the Bride”

6-8pm via Kast
Weddings and marriage are important institutions in most cultures around the world. We’ll watch “Father of the Bride” together and discuss how the portrayal of the American couple/family in the film is similar to and different from weddings and marriage in other countries and cultures. Important: you must create a free account with Kast before the showing.

Wednesday
Talk Time Café

11am-12 noon via Zoom
Join our English conversation group where students gather online via Zoom to chat, meet new friends, and practice English in a relaxed and informal environment. Talk Time Café is open to all students – international, immigrant, refugee, domestic, etc., and all faculty and staff. Talk Time Café is led by our International Peer Leaders, who focus each Café on a topic of interest – everything from American pop culture to holiday traditions in different countries and many things in between.

  • Facilitated by OISS
  • Contact: Yen Le, yen.le3@pcc.edu, OISS International Peer Leader
Korean Language School

2-4pm via Zoom
Korean Language School (한국어학당 – hangugeo hakdang – in Korean) is an amazing opportunity to learn some basic Korean. We’ll go over the Hangeul, or Korean alphabet, and practice having basic conversations using simple expressions. We’ll also play some fun games based on Korean letters. Join to start learning the Korean language, have fun, meet new people, and win prizes!

  • Facilitated by ASPCC
  • Contact: TJ Kim, taejin.kim@pcc.edu, International Student Advocate
Thursday
Talk Time Café

3-4pm via Zoom
Join our English conversation group where students gather online via Zoom to chat, meet new friends, and practice English in a relaxed and informal environment. Talk Time Café is open to all students – international, immigrant, refugee, domestic, etc., and all faculty and staff. Talk Time Café is led by our International Peer Leaders, who focus each Café on a topic of interest – everything from American pop culture to holiday traditions in different countries and many things in between.

Fulbright: A World of Opportunities

4-5pm via Zoom
As PCC’s Fulbright Representative, I would like to tell you about Fulbright and the opportunities it makes possible for students, faculty, and staff. I would also like to share my Fulbright experience as a participant in the International Education Administrator Program in Russia in 2019.

Friday
PCC Internationalization Workshop

12-2pm, via Zoom
Learn how to add an internationalization component to your course, and how to apply for an ISC mini-grant! There will be a workshop each term this year. Each workshop will feature two speakers who received ISC grants, talking about what they have done in their courses related to Internationalization, followed by a brainstorming session where faculty can share ideas for adding an international component to one of their courses. Funding available to the first 10 part-time instructors to register.

  • Facilitated by PCC’s Internationalization Initiative
  • Contact: Ron Bekey, rbekey@pcc.edu, Internationalization Steering Committee Chair
Learn to Make Donuts from Burkina Faso! – canceled

3-5pm via Google Meet
International Peer Leader Nadege will teach you how to make traditional donuts from her home country, Burkina Faso! Even though you won’t get to taste Nadege’s delicious creations, you’ll get the recipe, watch a video of her making them, ask questions to help prepare you to make your own donuts, and even share your own special family or cultural recipes.

Manga Show: Demon Slayer

5-7pm via Kast
Join Yen, International Peer Leader, for the second viewing in a 4-part series of manga shows, Demon Slayer. This incredibly popular Japanese show is about a family that is attacked by demons and only two members survive – Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko, who is slowly turning into a demon. Tanjiro sets out to become a demon slayer to avenge his family and cure his sister. Important: you must create a free account with Kast before the showing.

  • Facilitated by OISS
  • Contact: Yen Le, yen.le3@pcc.edu, OISS International Peer Leader
Chat & Chew

5-7pm via Zoom
Sign up for dinner and intercultural conversations! Domestic students and international students gather to eat dinner together (dinner is provided – we’ll order from Door Dash and have it delivered to you!) and get to know each other.

  • Facilitated by OISS
  • Contact: Yen Le, yen.le3@pcc.edu, OISS International Peer Leader

On-demand learning

Stories from All Over the World

Get to know PCC students, staff, and faculty by reading their stories (PDF) and connecting to their international experiences. Students at PCC are from all over the world and have many different backgrounds – learn more about them and feel the importance of intercultural connections from these stories, collected during International Education Week 2019 by International Peer Leader May von der Kammer.

PCC International Students and the Impacts of COVID-19

International Student Leader Grace hosted a conversation with the Sylvania Multicultural Center and the OISS (video) in spring 2020 about the unique challenges international students faced at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and how the OISS supported students through PCC’s transition to remote operations in spring term. We also discussed resources available to students dealing with xenophobia and financial difficulties, changes to ESOL classes, planning for the fall term, and what to do about stimulus checks.

PCC International Student Alumni Panel

In spring 2020, International Student Ambassador Phuong Vo hosted a panel of former PCC international students (video). They discussed what it was like to come to the U.S. as an international student, shared about some of their challenges and achievements, and encouraged current students to keep working towards success.

Get to Know PCC’s International Students!

Filmed for International Education Week 2019 by PCC international students, this video introduces us to some of PCC’s international students. We also learn about some of the things domestic students think and know about international students.

Resources

Want to learn more about international education, international students, and global issues? Check out these great resources!