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December 12, 2017 – Davidson-Davie Community College emphasizes international education and embraces opportunities to host international students and scholars on campus. Through several targeted international programs, Davidson-Davie is hosting six students and scholars from Ireland, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, and Germany. Each visiting international student and scholar bring their own unique perspective and experiences which helps to expose Davidson-Davie students and the campus to different cultures and ideas. An enhanced global presence also helps students increase cultural awareness and gain a competitive advantage among their peers.
This year’s student scholars include Leonard Kimmel of Germany; Achraf Hajjej of Tunisia; Hamza Messaoud of Tunisia; and Great Lawrence of Nigeria. Davidson-Davie is also hosting two Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs): Jamie McGarrigle, Irish Language FLTA from Letterkenny, Ireland and Abdelkarim Amzil, Arabic Language FLTA from Tiznit, Morocco. Both scholars will teach language courses at the college in the spring semester. Courses are offered through continuing education and open to the public. The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 to provide opportunities for students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists to study, teach, conduct research, and work toward solutions related to international concerns. Nearly 4,000 educators from 50 countries will travel to the U.S. this academic year to participate in the Fulbright program.
Davidson-Davie has hosted Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants for the past six years. The college is one of the few community colleges in the US that hosts the FLTA program. Around 400 FLTAs come to the U.S. from dozens of countries from around the world each year and serve as teachers and teacher assistants, mainly at universities. According to Davidson-Davie Director of International Education Suzanne LaVenture, Davidson-Davie has also hosted Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence from China and Macedonia.
Amzil, who will be teaching an Arabic language course, said one of his main objectives for coming to Davidson-Davie is to exchange cultural experiences within and outside the classroom and to bridge the gap between different cultures. “The biggest lesson I have learned so far is that there is always something new to learn. No one today is the same tomorrow,” said Amzil. “Language is a work that is always in progress.”
For many of the students, it is their first time away from their home countries. Hajjej of Tunisia said he finds that very few people have heard of his home country of Tunisia in Northern Africa. His experience at Davidson-Davie has challenged his own stereotypes. “I watched a lot of movies and I expected a little bit of discrimination, but I didn’t find that,” said Hajjej. “I hope others will learn from me and want to find out what the world looks like, so they can experience different points of view.”
Davidson-Davie plans to continue the tradition of hosting international students. “We are committed to providing the best possible education through many unique opportunities that not all community colleges offer,” said LaVenture.
Arabic language classes will be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:00 p.m. -12:45 p.m. starting on January 8th. Participants can enroll at DavidsonCCC.edu/arabic-for-beginners. Irish language will be offered on Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:00-12:45 starting on January 10th. There will also be an evening class on Tuesdays from 6:00-8:00 p.m. starting on January 16th. Participants can enroll at DavidsonCCC.edu/irish-for-beginners.
Photo Caption: Left to right: Achraf Hajjej, Leonard Kimmel, Hamza Messaoud, Jamie McGarrigle and Abdelkarim Amzil.