Going P laces BAYLOR UNIVERSITY Center for Global Engagement
Fall 2018
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BLESSED ARE THE CURIOUS, FOR THEY SHALL HAVE ADVENTURES. Lovelle Drachman
Photo Courtesy Jon Davis
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GO is all about Baylor students travelling and living abroad. 7 Unexpected Discoveries 13 Down Under 17 Live Love Europe 23 The Business of Sharing the Gospel 26 Spreading Light 29 Beyond the Baylor
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ONTENTS STAY
SHOW
35 New Assistant Director of International Students and Scholars
53 Photo Contest
STAY has stories of students and faculty coming to Baylor.
36 Going Places Globally While Staying in Waco 37 Ndidi Akahara 39 Bridging the Barrier 41 Learning 46 Marieke Van Der Mark 49 Home Away From Home
SHOW captures the memories of students abroad with photos.
55 Landscapes 61 Art/Architecture 69 People
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UNEXPECTED
DISCOVERIES
How the Baylor in Italy program discovered a 3,000 year old woman
ALEXIS KONOVODOFF Writer
On a study abroad trip to Italy in the summer of 2018, a team of 20 Baylor students and professors discovered the remains of a 3,000-year-old woman while recovering looted tombs. The fascinating discovery proved to be life-changing for all the students, including Anna Catherine Gibbs, a junior who has gone on the trip twice. “I love archaeology, I love being in the dirt, and I love seeing all these things,” Gibbs said. “The thought was that nobody has seen this since it went under the dirt thousands
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of years ago, which is awe-inspiring. The stuff we pulled out of that grave was just incredible.” The trip is guided by Drs. Davide and Colleen Zori, professors in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core program and Anthropology. This was their third trip back to the town of San Giuliano, where they have been excavating ancient tombs believed to be used throughout the Etruscan Period. The research accumulated over the years, through The San Giuliano Archaeological Research Project, directed the group to an area of looted tombs that were believed to have been previously raided; however, the discovery surpassed all expectations.
“Each piece was amazing, because it knocked the timeline we had for this site way older than we believed because her grave is so different from what we had seen before,” Gibbs said. The Etruscan tombs previously excavated were carved into rock and contained multiple family members. The woman discovered was different, changing the direction of the project. “This one was in the ground by itself like a grave in a cemetery. And that tells us that it’s way older than anything else we were digging, which is so exciting because it means we’re in a different civilization and a different time period,” Gibbs said. “Also, the
fact that she’s a woman and was with all of these incredible artifacts — she had jewelry and all these vessels — we knew she was wealthy. And she got her own grave that was filled with all these wonderful things making us ask about her status.” For Gibbs, this experience made her think about the effect this discovery had on San Giuliano. On the last night of the trip, she had the honor of hearing the mayor recognize the students for allowing them to learn a piece of their history. “He gave a speech that thanked us for giving a voice to the people who lived there so long ago,” Gibbs said. “He thought that people should know about them, people
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should understand them and people should value their culture and the way that culture has evolved.” This huge discovery shows the abundance of information archaeology can reveal about past civilizations. Gibbs states that the small discoveries are just as important, revealing tiny parts of a bigger story. One of her favorite memories during her time in Italy was when she found a small pottery shard in the first tomb she excavated. “It was non-diagnostic, which means there are no markings on it, edges,
striations or colorings, and so essentially we can’t tell anything about this piece of pottery,” Gibbs said. “But I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life.” As she plans to return for her third year this summer, Gibbs is excited to continue the project and see what future discoveries will reveal about this civilization. Whether it be large or small, Gibbs plans on making the most of each find. “When you’re digging something up,” Gibbs said, “there’s always the potential for it to be significant.”
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WHEN YOU’RE DIGGING SOMETHING UP, THERE’S ALWAYS THE POTENTIAL FOR IT TO BE SIGNIFICANT. GO | 12
DOWN UNDER MICHAELA DUDROW Writer
Baylor students can travel with Baylor in Australia and receive credit throughout the summer and academic year. This program allows students to explore the culture and land Australia has to offer without falling behind in school. These study abroad programs are opportunities to raise cultural awareness and involve oneself in a new land while growing personal skills. “I learned more about people and types of teamwork because we had some team projects throughout the trip. I also learned more about how to work well on a team while traveling to new cities and getting along with different personalities,” Anna Lovell, a Washington senior, said. Lovell was a part of the Baylor in Australia program focusing on natural resource management, which traveled up the coast for a month. In this program, students did not have a typical classroom, but an on-the-
go style of learning. This could range from learning on a bus, in a rainforest or maybe even on a beach. The students who traveled together grew their relationships and became like a family. Lovell’s experience was an incredible period of growth, she said. She highly recommends studying abroad for all students. The experience and knowledge that she gained was nothing like being on Baylor’s campus. To be out in a different continent was eye-opening and humbling. Baylor’s two other Australia study abroad programs include Baylor Business in Sydney as well as purely doing an exchange at the University of Sydney. The difference in the exchange program is a student will enroll into the University of Sydney and spend a semester as a Sydney student. Both programs enable students to see how things are done in Australia as compared in the U.S. “The biggest benefit of studying abroad is just growth. I think it really stretches you a bit, puts you in situations that are a little unusual for you and requires you to adapt
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I LEARNED MORE ABOUT HOW TO WORK WELL ON A TEAM WHILE TRAVELING TO NEW CITIES and think on your feet,” Chris Pullig, Baylor professor and chair of marketing, said. Australia is unique in the way there is still an American presence, but it is different enough to set it apart. “It’s very much like an American experience, but on the other side of the world. You can see that it’s an English place, very western European kind of influence, but also Pacific Rim influence,” Pullig said. Pullig also notes of the Baylor bubble or Baylor presence that follows when a student does Baylor Business in Sydney and Baylor in Sydney programs. Both programs have a group of Baylor students explore the new place, as well
as have a Baylor faculty member present. This is one of the big differences those programs have compared to doing an exchange and enrolling at the University of Sydney. There are many ways to find out more information regarding the study abroad programs in Australia. Students can talk to advisers and apply for these programs online at www.bearsabroad.baylor.edu. Informational Sessions are also available for students to attend to clarify what requirements each program has for students before they can join. This fun and exciting opportunity can be the next big thing on students’ agendas.
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Student rediscovers her roots SARAH HOUSER Writer
courage it takes for international students to come to a place where Grace Stotlemyer is a junior at Baylor there are language barriers and cultural differences and learn to adapt to a University, majoring in international foreign environment. studies, and is a part of the student “I think it’s really important to push ambassador program in the Center yourself and make yourself feel really for Global Engagement. Stotlemyer uncomfortable,” Stotlemyer said. was born and raised to age seven in In addition to Stotlemyer’s passion London, England, before spending of exploring cultural diversity around the remainder of her life in the United Baylor, she has also studied abroad States. herself. “Going back, I just love getting to “I traveled alone around Europe. experience, it is insanely diverse over And it was kind of the scariest thing there, and insanely rich with different I had ever done, and there were cultures,” she said. “And it’s done definitely a lot of scary moments of in such a way that nothing is really like, ‘I am a young girl all alone in this competing too much with each other foreign country,’” Stotlemyer said. … we all kind of celebrate and eat “But it also taught me a new level of each other’s food and listen to each independence. other’s music and that sort of thing,” “You learn more about yourself, you Stotlemyer has a passion for international students. She is interested learn how to adapt, you learn how you respond to differences and challenges, in learning about their backgrounds how you respond to other people, how and culture and appreciates their you respond to stress,” she said. willingness to go out of their own In America, we can be very bubble to experience different cultures. complacent in what we do, she said. “I have so much respect for [the Everyone stays in their own little international students] for putting bubble, doing what makes them themselves in such an uncomfortable comfortable and not really thinking position for their education or cultural about what is happening in the world exchange experience,” Stotlemyer around them. In Stotlemyer’s opinion, said. that is a huge disservice. It is something that she thinks most “When you grow up without seeing Americans don’t value as much. Her that stuff all the time you just kind of role as an ambassador is to make accept it. It’s just kind of life, but here sure the international students are it’s a much bigger deal,” Stotlemyer comfortable and help with their transition to a new country. Stotlemyer said. While she only lived in England for said most people don’t realize the
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I’VE ALWAYS VALUED A CULTURAL EXPERIENCE.
seven years, her time spent in another country is something that would later help her to realize her passion and devotion to exploring cultural differences. “I’ve always valued a diverse cultural experience,� Stotlemyer said. She understands that cultural transition is an experience that occurs
often for domestic Baylor University students, but more so for international students. Stotlemyer hopes Baylor can become a place full of people who are accepting, aware and socially conscious, and who are interested and committed to bridging gaps between what is culturally familiar and unknown.
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The business of sharing the Gospel BAYLOR BEARS IN MANCHESTER SUMMER 2018
BETHANY NEUBERT Writer
Baylor University students are finding new ways to share Christ’s love abroad through a business mission trip to Manchester, United Kingdom. Two professors led a team of students on an exploratory trip in May of 2018, and hope to have paved the way for future trips like it. By using the skills the students learned from their classes at Baylor, the team partnered with an ongoing ministry in the
United Kingdom, working with entrepreneurs and hosting ethics seminars. “In the UK, they don’t talk as much about ethics, so it was a unique thing to offer them, these kind of training seminars on ethics,” Dr. Mitchell Neubert, Chavanne Chair of Christian Ethics in Business and professor of management, said. Having already helped lead a study abroad trip to the UK, Neubert noticed the post-
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Christian culture and felt a call to return and share the gospel. “My idea was that I would want to go back and use that business platform that opens up conversations when you’re trying to help people through business to allow conversations then about faith,� Neubert said. He looked into the possibility of leading a mission trip to a high growth area of the
UK and got in touch with a partner who was eager to incorporate business students into their ministry. Because it was an exploratory trip, the team was small: only seven students and two professors. For the almost two-week duration of the trip, a typical day was spent working with new entrepreneurs and small businesses, advising them and opening up channels for talking about faith and sharing
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Baylor students meet for class while studying abroad in Manchester. Photo courtesy | Dr. Mitchell Nuebert how they were excited about that,” Neubert said. Through Baylor mission trips such as this one, students are given the unique opportunity to serve within their vocation and think about how their faith will be integrated into their career for the rest of their lives. “You get to take that skill you have, maybe even that passion you have, and you use it to benefit somebody else or to solve a particular problem, and in doing so people trust you more,” Neubert said. “You’re coming not just with words, but you’re coming with deeds. You’re coming with serving them and then they’re more open to the gospel because they see that you’re loving them.” By sending students on mission trips such as the one to Manchester, Baylor prepares students for worldwide ministry and introduces them to a new
culture. At the beginning and end of the trip, time was set aside for the students to explore the community they served. The first days of the trip were spent getting over the jetlag, becoming acquainted with the team and seeing the famous sites. The tail end of the trip was a two-day trip to Wales. “It’s fun to be out with students outside of the classroom, and you get to know students in a much deeper way than you would in the classroom… that’s the best part about it. That time to laugh, to learn, to pray together, to do things that don’t revolve around a grade,” Neubert said. While plans are still in the works, Neubert intends on leading another trip to Manchester this May and hopes to expand the trip to other high growth areas such as Liverpool in the near future.
SPREADING
LIGHT
SION FIREW Writer Baylor in Sicily is a cultural exploration program that allows students to soak in the culture of Sicily, Italy, while also developing their photography and storytelling skills to understand and write about the migrant crisis in that area. This program, which began last May, is part of the Baylor Missions initiative. The Baylor Missions website says the program is an opportunity for Christians to take their responsibility of caring for people within and outside of their own community. It allows students to understand Sicily historically while also looking at the challenges the area faces today.
Corrie Coleman, a senior journalism major, attended the inaugural trip to Sicily, and said her experience changed her life. Coleman was able to immerse herself in the beautiful Sicilian culture during the first of the two weeks her group spent there. She and her group were able to learn how to make meatballs with an Italian chef, they swam in the sea and they got to walk around and see the architecture in that area. The second week, on the other hand, was more directed toward talking to the North African immigrants who passed through Sicily. “The second half [of the trip] we were in a city called Catania… that’s where a lot of
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the migrant camps are,” Coleman said. “So, the second half we were meeting with NGOs and nonprofits, and they were telling us how they were responding to this huge number of migrants that are coming through all the time. We learned a lot about the things that they faced in their home countries, on their journey and once they arrived, because once they arrived there were still so many things happening.” Coleman said she wants to work with creative storytelling of immigrants and refugees for nonprofits in the future, so through this trip she was able to understand the importance of really engaging with the people she met. The students had to challenge themselves in order to not simply sneak a picture of the migrants, but actually talk to them and understand their stories. Dr. Clark Baker, associate professor in the department of journalism at Baylor, led the trip. Baker said the students learned to be resourceful, while also keeping an open mind and an open heart about the people who faced such hardships. “My favorite part is engaging with the migrants and refugees
and just sharing who we are with one another,” Baker said. “I always like that moment where we realize some of our similarities: we may be parents, we are all children of somebody. These are people who have had absolutely life-altering experiences, there are many there in Italy who would really love to be back, to not have made the journey. There are others who have a great deal of hope for the future, and again that’s like all of us. We all have our hopes, we all have those things we want our lives to become.” Throughout this trip, Baker and his students were able to see another side to the beautiful Italy that the world knows. They all learned more about their world and about themselves through this experience, and were able to minister to the people they met while also learning about the importance of photojournalism. “There is a unique opportunity to engage with those who really appreciate that type of interaction,” Baker said. “These are people who want to tell their stories and I can’t think of a better way to have that particular experience than with a trip like this through Baylor Missions.”
Photo Courtesy | Sion Firew
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WE ALL HAVE THOSE HOPES, WE ALL HAVE THOSE THINGS WE WANT OUR LIVES TO BECOME.
Beyond the Baylor Boundaries
KAILEY SHANKS Writer
little town. In other places your jaw drops when you look at the architecture ... Prague is just so much more homey and small town feeling,” Coulter said. Prague is known for its old cities, each with a varied culture. Coulter can experience various lifestyles by traveling only minutes away. Prague’s centrality has allowed the couple to travel to different countries on the weekends. They have been to Budapest,
A quaint European city sits frozen in time. Filled with architectural wonders, every angle holds a breathtaking view. The Vltava river runs through the picture-perfect castles, bridges and churches. Caroline Coulter, a Baylor junior, leads an exceptional life in Prague, Czechia. Every day she and her husband, Liam Langdon, explore this hidden jewel. Coulter is studying independently at AngloAmerican University and is majoring in communication sciences and disorders. All of her professors are English speakers from Prague. “Since I was a freshman in high school, I knew I wanted to go to Baylor and it was almost a given that I would study abroad,” Coulter said. Liam and Caroline got married two months before leaving for Prague. They arrived in late July and will be in Europe until late December. “We kind of wanted to go to a place that was maybe Photos from Prague, Czechia. Courtesy of Caroline Coulter less popular. It's kind of underrated,”Coulter said. “Before hearing about the program, Vienna, Amsterdam and Sicily. “I love seeing I really knew nothing about the Czech other towns. It’s been awesome staying in Republic or Prague and so we were excited Prague, but it’s also such an adventure to go about the idea of going and learning more.” out on a weekend and see a new place and They are staying in Prague 2, a district on experience a new culture,” Coulter said. They the outskirt of the main city. “Prague has have visited Scotland, where Liam was born. this Disneyland feel that I haven’t gotten They explored Dunnottar Castle, a medieval anywhere else. I know it sounds strange but fortress by the North Sea. Its walls were it’s ... so colorful and it’s just like this cute once occupied by a wealthy Scottish family.
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Coulter said one of her favorite memories was exploring these ruins. Although Coulter said it was not hard to leave Waco, she does miss some of the college experience. “It’s sad that I’m missing out with fun activities going on. But at the same time, I’m probably on the biggest adventure I ever have been on and ever will go on,” Coulter said. Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Coulter said she has noticed both similarities and differences between Prague and the U.S. Most of the people in Prague speak English, eliminating the language barrier. Coulter said this helps when asking questions at stores or markets. Although she is the only student from Baylor in the program, everyone speaking English has allowed her to easily make friends at school. Anglo-American University has students from all around the world. Coulter has the opportunity to interact with a diverse community and make unique connections. “It’s been a fairly easy adjustment and I think the language has really helped with that because it feels like everyone is on the same page,” said Coulter. She had difficulty adjusting to the main mode of public transportation, buses and trams.
In Amsterdam, the couple was separated for several hours after Coulter accidentally boarded a train without Liam. As they searched for places with cellular connection, it started raining. Coulter described it as one of the most stressful yet memorable days. Throughout the trip, they have met locals who have impacted their experience in ways that might seem unusual to Americans. During their honeymoon in Sicily, Coulter got sick. They searched for a doctor online and found a man named Mario. He arrived to their home on a moped and performed all medical services for free. He found Coulter medicine and cooked for the couple. Coulter said the greatest impact of this trip would be experiencing different cultures. She said experiences like trying new foods, meeting people and exploring cities are what make her feel most alive. “I think your perspective of the world is going to be incomplete if you don’t get a chance to see it yourself. It builds independence and fosters personal growth,” Coulter said. Through this program, Coulter is broadening her world. She has the daily opportunity to grow with a culture that is not her own.
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I THINK YOUR PERSPECTIVE OF THE WORLD IS GOING TO BE INCOMPLETE IF YOU DON’T GET A CHANCE TO SEE IT YOURSELF. IT BUILDS INDEPENDENCE AND FOSTERS PERSONAL GROWTH
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New Assistant Director of International Students and Scholars TAYLOR PETRY Writer
working in the Office of the Provost at the University of Houston as a senior international student counselor where she spent nine years The Center for Global Engagement welcomes before coming to Baylor in June of 2018. Grace Semple-Paul as the new Assistant Director The Center for Global Engagement assists of International Student and Scholar Services international students and scholars in adjusting (ISSS). Semple-Paul is an immigrant from Guyana, to life in Waco. Many programs and events are South America who spent the past nine years planned to help them feel even more connected working in the field of international education. to the community. This year, the center hosted Semple-Paul’s global experience while living and working in several countries is what drew YOU GET TO POUR INTO her to the profession of international education. THE LIFE OF SOMEBODY She moved from South America to Boston, MA during the fall of 1990, which she says was quid WHO IS STARTING ALL an adjustment, due to the extreme cold of the OVER AGAIN AT THIS POINT New England area. She shared that her own experiences have given her a certain sensitivity IN THEIR LIVES. to the needs of international students and the adjustments that they must make to succeed at a its first retreat for international students. ThirtyU.S. institution. eight incoming students attended the retreat “it is such an inspiring profession because held in September at a Christian camp site. you get to pour into the life of somebody who Presentations on inter-cultural adjustments, is starting all over again at this point in their stereotyping, and culture shock were made life and having to make so many adjustments during the two-day stay. The department and changes. To see them succeed is truly also hosts monthly trips. In late September, rewarding,” Semple-Paul says. international students were accompanied on a The Assistant Director position that Sempletrip to Austin where they explored outlet mall Paul took on, is a newly created position that and local cultural markets to purchase foods from includes responsibilities for the Exchange their own culture. Visitor’s Program, and she oversees the A program that Semple-Paul greatly processing of documents for exchange visitors appreciates is the Ambassador’s program. Fifteen who come to Baylor to participate in various students were selected to be Ambassadors this academic research and teaching assignments. year. These are students who have either studied She also supervises the Program Coordinator abroad or are also international students. They and the Graduate Apprentice of the office and are matched with incoming international student. works closely with the Director, Dr. Mark Bryant They assist students and ISSS through the to support the programs. Orientation process and throughout the year at Semple-Paul earned a Bachelor of Arts degree the various events and trips. in Religious Education, and a J.D. from Yeshiva “To me, that is very special,” Semple-Paul University School of Law in New York. She first said. “It takes a special group of students to worked in the field of law in New York and had commit themselves to giving freely to assist various internships, including at the New York fellow students in their cultural adjustment and Attorney General’s Office. In 2009, she began experience here at Baylor.”
International wives group started in Waco GRACE NEGEM Writer Two Acts Church members, Kim Booker and Melissa Sloan, have used their connections to act as Christian global influencers while staying in the Waco community. Booker and Sloan started the International Wives Group in Jan. 2018. The mission group was started as something for wives with husbands who attend Baylor; the women were from all over including China, Portugal, Russia, India and Canada. “It’s a program where Baylor pairs international students with people in Waco that act as kind of a host home. Not in the sense of they don’t stay with us but we just become kind of a family for them,” Sloan said. These women left their culture behind to start over in a new country all to be with their husbands while they are at school. Having spent most of their times at home because of the cultural and language barriers, the women do not have a lot of hobbies or activities that they are involved with in Waco. Because of this, Booker and Sloan thought this would be an opportunity for them to do global mission work by getting to know these global women. “I am director of our ministry school here at Acts, and so our women every Tuesday… go out into the neighborhood and into the nations and just get to know people like Jesus did,” Booker said. Booker and Sloan thought the best way to start serving these women was to reflect on Matthew 25. By reflecting on Matthew 25 and the fact that as Christians you should invite the stranger in, they decided to meet every other Tuesday and get to know one another. They
would go on adventures around Waco, such as to Magnolia and Spice Village, along with helping the women with whatever they needed throughout the week. They helped the women obtain a driver’s license and offered them rides to events, just like any family member would. After meeting with the women for a few weeks this past Spring, Sloan decided to offer a Bible Study on the Tuesdays that they do not meet. This gave the women another opportunity to grow deeper in their relationships with others and explore faith. Currently, the International Wives Group is meeting every Tuesday and has the possibility to add another Bible Study to the schedule related to how they did last year. “We have more women, new women that are coming and so at some point it may be something that we offer in addition to the other,” Sloan said. The International Wives Group is constantly growing in the Waco community and always looking for more people to become a part of their family.
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Ndidi Akahara A Center for Global Engagement Ambassador
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LILLY PRICE Writer The Center for Global Engagement strives to create a team of ambassadors who welcome international students into the Baylor family, and this semester Ndidi Isabella Akahara has been doing just that. Akahara, a junior Economics major from Nigeria, and her fellow ambassadors play a key role in helping students from around the globe with their transition to life at Baylor. “One of the most important things we do is facilitate Welcome Week for international students, that’s called Global Bears Week,” Akahara said. “International students come in early and, the Center for Global Engagement helps them get settled and takes them on shopping trips to Walmart. We have immigration sessions that teach them about what life in America will be like.” The group organizes dinners during Global Bears Week to help international students meet one another before Welcome Week starts. They also plan and attend trips with the international students during the semester, such as going to Asian markets in the Dallas and Austin areas. Akahara remembers going to the State Fair with ambassadors and fellow international students when she was a freshman, and said she appreciated how those experiences made moving to Waco easier. “There’s been people in my life, who, when I was a freshman, helped me transition well, and made me feel like Baylor was my home,” Akahara said. And for her, that is what being a Center for Global Engagement ambassador is all about, being someone who welcomes others into the Baylor family. “Ultimately what we’re here to do is just make people feel like Baylor is their home and they belong here,” Akahara said. So when Akahara found out that she could help other international students through a change with which she was very familiar, she knew it was a perfect position for her. This is Akahara’s first semester as an ambassador, but it is also the first semester ever where international students themselves are able to be CGE ambassadors. “It’s been more productive and just more effective to have international students be ambassadors because they’ve navigated this transition so they’re the best people to help bridge the gap even more,” Akahara said. This addition of international students
into the group of ambassadors has made it about half American students and half international students. The group is more diverse, both racially and culturally. “That is honestly the best way to cater to the international community,” Akahara said. Exposure to diversity during different parts of her life allowed Akahara to build a foundation for being a global ambassador. She grew up in Nigeria for most of her life, where she was surrounded with people of different religious and ethnic backgrounds. “There are a lot of Muslims where I live, and I’m Christian and there’s so many ethnic groups because we’re in the capital which is Abuja, so because of that I’ve had cross-ethnic relationships and interreligious relationships,” Akahara said. She gained even more exposure to different cultures when she moved to England to attend
THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT UNITE YOU MORE THAN MAKE YOU DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER. DIFFERENCE ISN’T NECESSARILY A BAD THING,” boarding school two years before coming to Baylor. “Going to England helped on a different level. I had to learn how to interact with people who didn’t speak my language, who didn’t have the same culture as me,” Akahara said. “Some parts of it are always hard, but I think ultimately it was just wonderful … There are a lot of things that unite you more than make you different from each other. Difference isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” For Akahara, a diverse community will always be necessary. “I’ve already seen the beauty of having friends from all over the world, there’s no going back to homogenous community, it’s less rich,” Akahara said. This passion for diversity has allowed Akahara to join the 2018-2019 group of CGE ambassadors, who are committed to making a home for those from all over the world.
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MOST INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS THAT I HAVE INTERACTIONS WITH LIKE BAYLOR, THEY KIND OF THINK BAYLOR IS A LIKE BIG FAMILY. CAITLIN CONSOLVER Writer China was all that Qingqing Chen knew before first coming to the United States in 2010 to study. It’s no surprise that she has a passion for students like her: students who have come from other countries, trying to find their place in a new land. Chen’s ESL class for international graduate students at Baylor is dedicated to helping students not only to improve their Englishspeaking skills, but to helping them feel at home in another country. “Most international students that I have interactions with like Baylor, they kind of think Baylor is a like big family,” Chen said. “Maybe in the first semester, many students are struggling with language barriers and culture shock, but gradually, they have a sense of belonging at Baylor.” Chen’s students vary from intermediate to advanced proficiency in English. Her goal for this semester is not only to improve their understanding, but also to help them learn to communicate their own ideas better through teaching. “Each class meeting is composed of two parts. So, the first part is to help students with their pronunciation, and some students have issues with some sounds in American English, so we do some practice. The other part is about improving students’ communication skills . . . most of my students are teaching assistants,” Chen said. Chen’s class focuses both on learning English and learning more about American culture.The
aim is not only to improve language skills, but a more broad understanding of American life in general. “In addition to improving their language proficiency, we also talk a lot about campus culture, to help my students to improve their interactions and also communications with other students. I hope they can develop a better understanding of the campus culture here,” Chen said. After beginning to work on her Ph.D. at Baylor, Chen taught English in China before returning in 2016 to improve her own English skills and help others. She says Baylor is a great place for international students to succeed. “I can tell that Baylor is working hard to provide the best assistance to international students,” Chen said.Chen has a passion for helping others to be the best that they can be. After studying at Baylor, her students can go out and be successful here, or anywhere in the world. “Some of them go back to their home countries, and some stay here,” Chen said. Chen believes that Baylor is not only a place where international graduate students can come to get a good education, but also a place where they can feel accepted by the community, regardless of nationality. The ISSS office is responsible for helping international students transition to life in the United States.“The ISSS office at Baylor, they provide different kinds of activities and also events for international students . . . I think they are very nice and friendly,” Chen said.
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HOW ONE RESIDENCE HALL IS CHANGING THE WORLD STAY | 42
SARAH PINKERTON Writer
Living on-campus during freshmen year is a requirement for many college students. However, very few students are offered the ability to have an international impact while living average dorm life. Baylor’s North Russell Hall gives students an opportunity to engage in international outreach and cultural understanding through their Baylor and Beyond Living Learning Center Program. “There are students from all walks of life, so we try really hard to get international students as well as students who maybe have never left
the state of Texas and want that opportunity to live in shared community and get a chance to try all these different things,” Holly Joyner, Baylor and Beyond Program Director, said. From weekly service opportunities, weekend cultural excursions and annual events, students involved are able to create relationships with others from different cultures and backgrounds as they live beside them each day. “It definitely feels more like a community rather than just a normal residence hall. And all the activities that are unique to Baylor and Beyond are so special,” freshman resident Layton Coker said. Along with cultural events, North Russell
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residents are able to choose a “neighborhood.” From Pre-Law to Spanish, students decipher which area best fits with their majors or interests. Through weekly meetings and activities with their neighborhoods, resident relationship and understanding is created. “It’s one of our most successful programs,” Joyner said. “They have what’s called a neighborhood leader which is an upperclassmen student who is willing to lead the neighborhood and liaison with faculty and staff members. We give them $10 per person in order to get a chance to have events of their own.” Different neighborhoods involve themselves in various activities. From trips to Austin to eat
at an authentic Chinese restaurant to group study sessions, the leaders of the neighborhoods strive to build this cultural understanding within their groups. “I love the international focus of it. We have ‘Cultural Fridays’ every week where we do some kind of cultural event [such as] sushi rolling and Turkish coffee and there are lots of study abroad opportunities,” Coker said. In addition, each year during Spring Break, the program schedules a mission trip. This year, students will be traveling to Puerto Rico to assist with repairs after the effects of Hurricane Maria on the community. “A lot of our Spanish speakers are excited
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to go because they will get to practice their Spanish,� Joyner said. Baylor and Beyond has an unusual history. After originating as the Global Community in Brooks Flats in 2008, the program then moved to North Russell in 2014 after renovations to the building. The only big difference is the size, offering a wider variety of opportunity. Since Brooks Flats has apartment-style living, four people learning the same thing,
French for example, would be put into the same suite to live together, Joyner said. A majority of students involved are freshmen, with only 50 spots available for upperclassmen. This allows freshmen to meet students in their same stage of life from different cultural backgrounds, offering a twist on normal freshman-year relationships. Students are able to find a way to relate to each other while also learning how to co-exist and learn from students from different backgrounds.
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MARIEKE VAN DER MARK The Netherlands to Baylor Volleyball
The professors are teaching in your second language, coaches are using terms you’ve never heard before and no one on your team understands what it’s like to grow up overseas. Baylor Women’s Volleyball player Marieke van der Mark has had to overcome all of these challenges but has not let any of this stop her from building a second family here at Baylor University. Van der Mark started playing volleyball at the age of 6 in Papendrecht, The Netherlands. Her parents both played and met at the same volleyball club where their family would spend for most of their children’s years growing up. “I grew up in a gym,” van der Mark said. She played on the same team as her mom, and her dad was her coach for her volleyball career until coming to Baylor. Before moving to Connecticut for her father’s work two years before going to college, van der Mark had no idea collegiate volleyball even existed. There are no high school or college sports in The Netherlands; students have to belong to a club outside of school in order to play and compete. Van der Mark was getting calls from schools all across the United States. The family atmosphere at Baylor and quickly connecting with head coach Ryan McGuyre made her decision easy to be a bear. Van der Mark and her teammates grew up in two completely different volleyball worlds. The team being able to joke around about her foreign accent allows conversations to come
up about their separate backgrounds. But, being the only international player on the team can be challenging with not having people to relate to, “You don’t have anyone else to talk about [volleyball in Europe] with, who has had the same experience as you … but I love every single one of my
I LOVE IT HERE BECAUSE I CAN HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH MY TEAMMATES. teammates and they make fun of me because they love me,” van der Mark said. Van der Mark’s skill level exceeded her age group, so she was playing with the highest seed her club offered which were mainly adults in their 30s. “I love it here because I can have a relationship with my teammates. Like in Holland … yes I was their teammate, yes I talked to them, but I never told them what was going on in my life,” van der Mark said. “My life was so different than theirs I couldn’t really relate. You only see each other twice a week, and here I live with my teammates … and basically live the same life as my teammates, so that’s pretty awesome.”
Head Coach Ryan McGuyre has pushed her not only athletically but
IT’S JUST A JOY. socially and believes in making his players better and more well-rounded. McGuyre doesn’t just want a
winning team, he wants to produce spiritually mature individuals on and off the court. Baylor’s atmosphere and family- like environment have changed van der Mark in all the ways her coach and teammates guided her to. Van der Mark wants people to know that she really has fun with what she does. “It’s just joy,” she said.
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HOME AWAY FROM HOME
IMAGINE traveling
across the world for the first time, leaving your home, family and friends, and creating a completely new life for yourself in a foreign country. Some could never imagine doing this. However, for the Baylor Men’s Tennis team, more than half of the players have experienced just that. Six out of the ten players on the Baylor Men’s Tennis team are international student-athletes, and they represent Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Chile and England. Sven Lah, a sophomore from Slovenia, made his journey to the United States for the first time in August 2017, to attend Baylor as a student-athlete. Growing up in Europe with the dream of becoming a professional tennis player, he dedicated his whole life to the sport. “The U.S has a really good system of connecting sports with school. If you go to college in Europe, there are no college sports. I would have to choose between tennis or school,” Lah said.
TYLER BUL Writer
Choosing to pursue a career as a professional tennis player, Lah quickly found himself being recruited by many schools and saw the perfect opportunity to combine school and tennis together. Now that he has spent over a year at Baylor, he said he has fallen in love with not only the school, but the culture as well. Specifically, his team, where many of his teammates have shared similar experiences being international students as well. “I think it’s really good that so many of us are international, it takes a lot to make a good team,” Lah said. “I think every guy brings something different to the table- different culture, different experiences, everyone likes different things but once we figure each other out we connect more as a team and find ways to be better on and off the court.” Bjoern Peterson, a junior on the team, came to Waco from Germany almost three years ago. Similar to Lah, he was faced with the decision to continue his education in Europe or play tennis as a professional after high school. “Having a high-class education and playing on a high level with the chance of turning pro afterwards are the best opportunity in my opinion,” Peterson said.
After arriving at Baylor as a freshman, Peterson said he felt that being a student-athlete helped him
ATHLETES AT BAYLOR ARE LIKE A BIG FAMILY AND ESPECIALLY OUR TEAM IS SUPER CLOSE. accommodate quickly to the new environment. “Athletes at Baylor are like a big family and especially our team is super close. It helped a lot with getting helpful tips for school and finding new friends,” Peterson said. Coming from a different country, Peterson faced a few difficulties with the language barrier. “In Germany my English was always one of the best in class but coming to an English-speaking country and taking all classes in a foreign language was a struggle in the beginning,” Peterson said. He found that having teammates who also are far from home helped him make Baylor like a second home to him. “Almost everyone is super far away
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from home and it’s become a second family to me. Also, no one is judging my English,” Peterson said. Tomislav Podvinski, former player on the Baylor Men’s Tennis team and current staff member, is also an international student from Croatia. As the current manager of the team, he has not only had the perspective of a student-athlete and teammate, but also the ability to look at the team from more of an outside standpoint. “I think it is really special to have a
lot of internationals on a team. Coming from different parts of the world and being so far from home, we feel more comfortable around each other,” Podvinski said. “As international I can tell how each of us are different our own specific way but that is what adds value to the team, not only on the tennis court but off the court as well.”
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SHOW
Study Abroad P
Each year, students that have studied abroad on any Baylor program sub to which a student’s photo can place in: Architecture and
Photo Contest
bmin their best photos from their trip. There are three different categories d Art, Landscape and People. Here are this year’s winners
LANDS
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3rd Place Joe Welsh | CEA Prague “It was a dream come true for me to visit the picturesque town of Halstatt. Riding in on a ferry was a remarkable sight because of the vast mountains surrounding me and the glass water below.�
2nd Place Vanessa Martinez Entreprenurship & International Business “Exploring the canyons in Southern Iceland.�
1st Place Daniel Zhang | Corporate Communication “The Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the west Highland line in Glenfinnan, Inverness-Shirt, Scotland. It is also known as the “Harry Potter Bridge” where the Hogwarts Express travels from the London station (Platform 9 ¾) to take students to Hogwarts castle.”
ART ARCHITE
T& ECTURE SHOW | 62
3rd Place Nathan Bean MIS & Marketing “It is time to put on your adventure shoes! See what it is like, in the shoes of a study abroad student, even if it is in a pair of clogs.�
2nd Place Lizzie Roberts | Anthropology “Changdeokgung Palace is one of the ‘Five Grand Palaces’ built during the Joseon Dynasty. This palace is the most well-preserved, and in my opinion the most beautiful palace in Seoul. Many tourists, including myself, rent a hanbok (Korean traditional dress) for the day to gain free entrance in to the Changdeokgung and its gardens.”
1st Place Ellie Thorne Photography & Studio Art “I passed by Agostino’s shop every day on my way to class. I knew from the moment I came across the enticing shop, I had to photograph this man and his art.”
PEO PEO 67
OPLE OPLE SHOW | 70
3rd Place Tristan Coffee Journalism & Public Relations “I was indulging in the best gelato I’ve ever had when I looked up and saw this daily-choreturned-photograph. It was worth setting my gelato down.”
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2nd Place Kaiden Johnson
International Studies & Economics “Our first week in Denia, there was an annual festival, full of music, fireworks, and of course, the ‘running of the bulls.’ After running through the streets, some 200 brave soul’s decided to be in the arena with the bulls. Whether for fun or purely for the rush., it was fun to watch. I captured this image as a bull had chased multiple competitors in the adjacent Mediterranean Sea.”
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1st Place Devon Morris | Statistics
“The people are what make this city beautiful.�
CONTRI EDITOR IN CHIEF & CO-CREATIVE DIRECTOR
WRITER
Kaitlyn DeHaven
Michaela Dudrow
CO-CREATIVE DIRECTOR
WRITER
Grace Bryan
Grace Negem
DESIGNER
WRITER
Sydney Richburg
Sarah Houser
DESIGNER
WRITER
Lauren Noble
Taylor Petry
EDITOR
WRITER
Carol Perry
Kailey Shanks
EDITOR
WRITER
Amber Adamson
Bethany Neubert
WRITER
WRITER
Caitlin Consolver
Lilly Price
IBUTORS WRITER
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
Sarah Pinkerton
Devon Morris
WRITER
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
Tyler Bui WRITER Alexis Konovodoff WRITER Gia Gulino PHOTO CONTEST WINNER Daniel Zhang PHOTO CONTEST WINNER Vanessa Martinez PHOTO CONTEST WINNER Joe Welsh
Kaiden Johnson PHOTO CONTEST WINNER Tristen Coffee PHOTO CONTEST WINNER Ellie Thorne PHOTO CONTEST WINNER Lizzie Roberts PHOTO CONTEST WINNER Nathan Bean
I DO NOT WISH TO TAKE A CABIN PASSAGE, BUT RATHER TO GO BEFORE THE MAST AND ON THE DECK OF THE WORLD. HENRY DAVID THOREAU