During the Spring of 2009, an exciting new award was offered for Chinese students at PUC.  The Swan Citizenship Award was provided through donated funds from a PUC parent.  The award focuses on the achievements of PUC Chinese students in the areas of academics and community service.  The Swan Citizenship Award selection was coordinated and awards were distributed during the Spring of 2009 by the International Programs Office. The selection committee consisted of the members below. Each member was given a set of copies of the applications along with an evaluation rubric to be used for evaluating the applicants in the areas of scholastic achievements, recommendations, cover letter, and community service.

The Swan Award Ceremony was held on April 30, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. in the Calumet Conference Center. Chancellor Howard Cohen and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Ralph Rogers presented the Award Certificates to the students.

There were a total of 22 applicants for the Swan Citizenship Award. Applicants included students from all levels within the university.

List of Winners

Qian Xu $1500

Qian Xu, first place winner, has obtained several awards including the Outstanding Student Award in 2009, the Presnak Scholarship in Fall 2008 and Spring 2009, Dean’s List and Semester Honors Awards, and the Young and Beyond Award for College Mentors for Kids. Qian has also been volunteering as a Chinese tutor for a local American family for over two year. Qian’s involvement in the PUC and local community make her a superior first place winner.

Kan Wu $1000

Kan Wu has made the Dean’s List and Semester Honor’s list at PUC and has also won the Outstanding Student Award as well as the Communication 114 Scholarship in 2008 and the Sydney Smith Talent Scholarship in 2009.

Yunzhu Zhang $1000

Yunzhu Zhang’s accomplishments range from performing Traditional Peking Opera throughout the year, to mentoring children. Her passion for Communication and Journalism, also her major, has prompted her to get involved throughout the campus. She currently writes for the school newspaper and has been awarded Semester Honors and Dean’s List Awards.

Zheng Gong $500

Zheng Gong has been at Purdue University Calumet since 2007 and has served as the Vice President for the Chinese Students Association, an active student organization on campus. Through the organization, Zheng has helped organize Chinese New Year and Moon Festivals and a prayer vigil for the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008.

Li Jin $500

Li Jin is an Electrical Engineering student at PUC and an avid photographer. Throughout the year he volunteers to photograph various events such as the Chinese New Year and Moon Festival Celebrations. For the past semester, Li has been volunteering as a teacher in the Northwest Indiana Chinese School. He works with children and teaches them the Chinese language. He has used his interest in photography and his own Chinese culture to become part of the local community.

Teng Ma $500

Teng Ma has carried several student employee positions at PUC and is well integrated into the campus community. His accomplishments include participating in a community renovation in Texas and offering presentations about Chinese culture at local elementary schools.

Submitted by:

Rasha Abed

Coordinator, International Program

abedr@calumet.purdue.edu

219.989.2502

As the students arrived at the restaurant, they were greeted by members of the faculty and student mentors. After a quick meet-and-greet, everyone was treated to a buffet of Middle Eastern dishes, including such specialties as baba ghanoush, falafel, and Shawarma. The menu of food served was both delicious and educational. For many students, this was their very first encounter with Middle Eastern cuisine and culture.

After sampling a good helping of the different dishes, everyone was entertained by a short program hosted by ELP Teacher, Beth Lair, and IPO Mentor, Ivan Guerrero. The hosts first invited everyone to participate in karaoke games. Though most of the students were quite shy, a handful of them were won over and were persuaded to perform a couple of Chinese pop songs. Their performances were warmly received by all guests.

After the singing, Beth and Ivan then invited the students to join in on an Xbox dance-off competition. Student mentor Kenny Pettigrew took the lead and wowed everyone with his dance moves. Many students were impressed by the game and attempted to dance to hip-hop, electronic, and rock n’ roll music.

As the festivities slowly drew to a close, the hosts thanked the faculty and the students for the fun-filled semester. Everybody went home with high spirits and stuffed tummies.

Written by Ivan Guerrero

IPO Mentor

On March 13, 2009 a group of ELP students and mentors went for a trip to the Portage 16 Imax theatre. On the agenda was a movie screening and lunch at a nearby Restaurant. The group’s first stop was at the Great Wall Restaurant where the students were treated to a scrumptious buffet of Asian cuisine. After lunch, the group then proceeded to the theater to watch the ‘first-day’ screening of the Disney film, Race to Witch Mountain. The movie was a sci-fi-adventure flick easily accessible to viewers of all ages. It was very entertaining and action-packed.

On the way out of the theater, the group spent their remaining minutes waiting for the bus by playing at the in-house arcade. A particular favorite was the air hockey table where the students competed against each others’ reflex skills.

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. Its focus is to both prepare Americans for interactions in a constantly shrinking global world and allow future foreign leaders to participate in American experiences.

In accordance with that ideal, the International Programs Office has coordinated a week-long celebration throughout the campus.  There will be daily prizes in the SULB concourse, interesting display cases, an essay contest, discussion panels, student presentations, study abroad information, and more. Please join us in this recognition of these wonderful learning opportunities and keep a look out for flyers and announcements.  We look forward to seeing you in November.

Click below to view the calendar, restaurant discount list, DANS Cultural show, and essay contest information!

International Education Week Calendar

Restaurant Discount List

DANS Cultural Dance

Essay Contest Information