2009 Spring - Star Magazine

8/6/2019 2009 Spring - Star Magazine

1/121

University of North Texas

Intensive English Language Institute

In This Issue:

Since 1977, the mission

of IELI has been to:

Teach academic English

Provide excellent student

service

We hope you will enjoy

reading our students work.

IELI Students Spend a Day

at Circle R Ranch

IELI StarSpring 2009

Ranch Stories ................2-3

Language Poem................4

An Unusual Person ...........4

Teacher Interview ..... .......5One Minute Vacation ........5

Easter Egg Hunting ..........6

Cool Jobs ..........................6

IELI Soccer Team ...............6

Learning English ..............7

Environment Survey.........7

Interior Design .................8

Cell Phone Survey ............8

Dear Abby ........................9

If I Were an Animal ...........9

Supermarket Trip ...........10

Flag Parade ....................11

Student Counselor .........11

Alumni Corner ................12

IELI Student Kai-Ling Wu rode a horse or

the frst time at Circle R Ranch. For her

story, see page 2.


2/122

IELI had a special welcome

party for Spring II at the Circle

R Ranch. We were very excited

about the outdoor activities.

There were only 54 horseback

riding tickets, and we were two

lucky girls who had tickets.

This was our rst time to ride

horses, and we were nervous

about controlling them. For-

tunately, our horses were very

friendly and tame. We enjoyed

riding the horses and looking

like cowgirls.

Not only did we ride horses,

but also we played the Maze.

It was another exciting game.

We had to nd the four letters

and punch them on the sheet;

in addition, we had to nish

the mission and nd the exit

as soon as possible. We were

lucky girls again! Both of us

spent 10 minutes nding the

letters and the exit. Besides the

outdoor activities, we learned

the chicken dance, which is

popular in American culture

We had fun dancing with other

IELI students and teachers

Furthermore, we made some

new friends at the Ranch.

Finally, we were tired and

exhausted, but we had an un-

forgettable welcome party.

By Hsiao Man Lin (Taiwan)

and Kai-Ling Wu (Taiwan)

4.5 Writing

Our Unforgettable Welcome Party at the Ranch

Horseback riding was a re-

ally awesome experience for

me. I had never ridden a horse.

When I had a chance to ride a

horse in Circle R Ranch, I felt

excited and happy. On the other

hand, I also felt nervous, be

cause I was afraid that I migh

fall off the horse. Whatever!

did it.

I want to say one thing

horseback riding is so cool

What a wonderful experience

You should go to Circle R

Ranch and go horseback riding

Horseback RidingBy Cheng Tsung Chen (Tai-

wan) 4.6 Writing

Hsiao Man Lin on her horse at Circle R Ranch.

Cheng Tsung Chen was excited to ride a horse for the rst time.

Students raced through a giant maze in record time.

Students enjoyed tractor rides around the ranch.


3/123

Student in Writing 2.1 and2.2 came up with a list of ad-

jectives to describe their day at

the ranch:

Fun

Joyful/joyous

Happy

Sunny

Hot

Interesting

Exciting

Surprising

Enjoyable

Delicious

Beautiful

Tired

Peaceful

Fantastic

Impossible

Warm

Complex

Amazing

Adjective

Practice

It was sunny and windy.

When I arrived at the Ranch,

I was surprised because it had

a lot of open space, fresh air,

and many horses. Also, people

were ying kites. When I was

young, I used to y kites. How-

ever, nowadays, I dont y kites

a lot. At the Ranch, my friends

and I were interested in ying a

kite, so we tried. It was difcult

for us. My friend ran with the

kite. Finally, the kite went up,

and my friend was ying it. It

was exciting; also, it made me

happy. Then we ew a different

kite, and we fought with anoth

er kite, but our kite lost! It wa

so interesting. Next time, I wil

go again, and I hope to ride a

horse. This picnic was good fo

me because I could make many

friends and be relaxed.

Its a Beautiful Day to Fly a KiteHana Hwang (Korea)

4.6 Writing

The egg toss game was very

fun. All we needed were un-

cooked eggs and people. At

least twenty pairs of people

began the competition. At the

beginning, it was easy because

the distance to throw the egg

between one of the partners

and the other was short. How-

ever, when the distance becamelonger and longer, the eggs

began to break in the hands of

the receivers, on the oor, and

on their t-shirts. At the end, I

realized that we were nalists,

and we had to play like Ameri-

can Football, but instead of a

football we threw uncooked

eggs. This part was unexpected

because the other nalist pair

threw the egg, and it immedi-

ately broke. However, our turnwas fun because my partner

threw the egg backwards into

a group of people. However, it

didnt break, so we called our

egg the lucky egg and, as a

result, we won!

The Lucky Egg: Egg Toss Competition

By Alexandra Villamarin(Colombia) 4.6 Writing

Fun and Games at the RanchIELI students participated in sack races, three-legged races, and egg tosses in the afternoon

at Circle R Ranch. In addition, the ranch offerred tractor rides, horse-back riding, volleyball,

basketball, ping pong, air hockey, a giant maze, and lots of food to eat.


4/124

At IELILoving English,

Envyingsix-year-oldAmericankids,

Askinganyquestionthatweareinterestedin,ReadingfamousmagazinesandnewspapersinEnglish,

Needingtoenhanceourability,

Imaginingapictureofwhattheteacheristalkingabout,

Nappingintheclass,dreamingofsexy,blonde-hairedmacho-men,

Growinginourknowledge,

Learningknowledgeaboutdierentculturesindierentcountries,

Abandoningallourbelongingsinourcountries,

Notwritinginournativelanguage,

GettingadegreeinAmerica,

Undertakingtoworkfortheworld,

Acceptingtheglobaleconomicsituation,

Goingbacktoourcountriesasalastresort,

Endingourpleasantjourneywithagoodgrade,

We learn language.

By Writing Level 5.3 and 5.4

There are many people in th

world. Sometimes we meet an

unusual person. I think that my

boyfriend is a remarkable man

He has three unique character

istics.

First of all, he has an intel

ligent brain. He is called a man

of genius. For example, my

boyfriends major is busines

economics, and he receives an

A credit for every test andterm. Also, when he was an

IELI student, he graduated in

two months.

Second of all, he can play

guitar very well, and he is a

good singer. For example

he participates in his band in

church. Sometimes he play

guitar or sings a song in the

band. He has many talents i

music.

Third of all, he has sensitivi

ty. For instance, he is a poet anda novelist. He is writing a fanta

sy novel this term. The novel i

going to be published this fall

In addition, he has written po

ems since he was 15 years old.

In conclusion, my boyfriend

has an intelligent brain, and

music talent, and he is rich in

sensitivity, so he is a man of un

usual ability.

An Unusual

PersonBy Hannah Kim (Korea)

Writing 2.3

HannahKim

Jeff Raschs Writing 5.3 class

Jeff Raschs Writing 5.4 class


5/125

Since last October, I havestudied in IELI. My commu-

nication teacher now is Laura.

I remember the rst time I met

her. She looked like a kinder-

garten teacher because she is

very kind and cute, and she

was very friendly and warm

to me. She lived in Korea for

two years. Actually, Laura and

I lived in the same neighbor-

hood! She had taught English

as an instructor for two years in

Dongduck Womens Universitybefore teaching at IELI.

Naturally, by studying with

her, I heard her stories about

when she lived in Korea. I was

very curious to know about her

life in Korea. Whenever I have

free time, I like to listen to her

Korean stories. She had several

interesting events to talk about,

such as teaching Korean stu-

dents, going to spa areas, shop-

ping for noodles and shoes, and

having delicious food.

She was interested in differ-

ences between Korean students

and American students in the

university. In Korea, university

students usually pay attention

to their appearance when they

go to school. They wear thingssuch as high heels, mini skirts,

and beautiful make-up. On the

other hand, American students

do not care much about their

appearance, so they just wear

casual things like T-shirts and

jeans.

In Korea, there are a lot of

spa areas. Going to spa areas is

very common in my country.

One day, Laura went to a spa

area with her friends. When she

went to the spa area, she got auniform of yellow color. Her

friends got gray ones because

there are different colors for

men and women. When they

changed into the given clothes,

Laura realized that she was the

only woman wearing yellow.

After that she was very embar-

rassed because women were

wearing purple uniforms. Ac-

tually, only children wore yel-

low uniforms. She felt a sense

of alienation at that time, but

she enjoyed her time with her

friends at the spa anyway.

While she was staying in

Korea, she liked to eat noodles.

Also, she liked to buy noodles

at Costco. Once, she did not

have a lot of money for buyingnoodles. At that time she also

did not understand the words

in Korean on the

noodle box. She

bought the cheap-

est one, but when

she opened the

noodle box she

was very aston-

ished that there

was no sauce.

Normally noodles

include noodlesand sauce. She

didnt know how

to x the noodles

without sauce be-

cause she was not

familiar with Korean foods yet.

Now, she loves Korean food.

Laura also liked going to buy

shoes which have unique and

gorgeous styles. There are a lot

of shoe shops on the street in

Korea, so people can buy shoes

anywhereeven in the sub-

way. Also, the shoes are very

cheap, and there are diverse

styles. That is why her favorite

shoes were made in Korea.

When she came to Korea

she received culture shock

like loneliness in public, because Korean people usually

like to get together in groups

therefore, Laura felt a sense o

alienation. However, she over

came all situations in Korea. A

she was a foreigner in Korea

we are foreigners in the United

States. I think IELI teachers

can understand IELI students

as IELI instructors have had

identical experiences in foreign

countries.

IELI Teacher Has Cross-Cultural Experience in KoreaBy Eun Jin Kim (Korea)

Communication 5. 2

During Spring 1, Tamara

Taylors Level 4 Writing

students took one minutevacations by listening

to 60 seconds of sound at

http://www.quietamerican.

org/vacation.html. After

listening to different sounds

from Africa, China, and the

U.S., they wrote paragraphs

about sounds that they

thought people would enjoy

listening to.

One minute is a very short

time, but I want to share a

sound for one minute. It is the

sound of the beach. If you hear

the sound of the beach, thesound of the water striking the

rocks or the sound of the birds,

you will nd your troubles

going away and your mood

becoming bright. Enjoying

yourself for this one minute,

you will be relaxed for awhile.

By Zhewei Zhang (China)

Because a lot of IELI students

are tired and stressed, I would

like to share with them a min-

ute of beautiful sounds of the

typical music from my country.

While students and I are listen-

ing to the Bolivian music, wewill probably forget our stress

and smile and want to listen for

another minute. A one-minute

vacation is a wonderful idea to

escape stress.

By Reynaldo Quiroz (Bolivia)

I would like to send my

friends the sound of my little

sister because she is a little girl

who is good at singing. In my

opinion, childrens voices are

different from adults. There

is something natural in their

voices. It helps people feel re-

laxed, comfortable, and happy.By Weiran Guo (China)

If I can choose a one minute

vacation sound, I would want

to listen to the sound of an

airplane because this sound

makes me imagine the start

of something. It gives me

condence.

By Min Kyung Kim (Korea)

By Writing 3.5

One Minute Vacations: Where Would You Go?

Laura and her friend ar the Korean spa.


6/126

In our Communications 2 class

we read a story about a guy who

had a cool job of testing video

games. We split into groups and

came up with our own ideas of

what a cool job would be.

We think being a ight atten

dant would be a cool job be

cause ight attendants can trav

el to a lot of places and have

lots of vacations.

By Xiaoshan Lin (China), Kao

ri Obana (Japan), and KyungjinKim (Korea)

We think a cool job would be

to be a journalist. First, jour

nalists have a lot of chances to

travel around the world. Next

journalists collect a lot of news

stories. Also, journalists can

discover a lot of different cul

tures around the world.

By Esther Redji (Chad), Qian

Wang (China), and Elmahd

Ahmuda (Libya)

We think a cool job would be

to be a singer. Singers make lots

of money and everyone listens

to your songs. Also, you can

become famous. By Soyombo

Ganbold (Mongolia) and Eun

Seo Park (Korea)

Cool JobsBy Communication 2.3

My communication teachers name is Ms. Gillian Grant. She is very nice. One day we were

surprised. When we came into class, she said, Today we will be Easter egg hunters, so lets go

outside. We felt excited when we were looking for eggs. I opened my eyes big and found a lot

of eggs. I found the most eggs in my class, so I was happy. We took a picture after looking for

eggs. That day was very fun and wonderful.

Easter is an important day. Last week was Easter. All my classmates and I went outside the IELI

building with our teacher. We looked for Easter eggs. I found four eggs. They were four differ-

ent colors. Min Joo found six eggs. Aimi found three eggs. Hajer found four eggs like me. Saad

found only one egg. Hassan was absent so he did not nd any eggs. After that, we took a picture

with our eggs and our teacher. Then, we went to the class and began the lesson. In conclusion,

hunting for Easter eggs is important and interesting.

Easter Egg HuntingBy Min Joo Kim (Korea)

Communication 0.1

The Egg HuntersBy Afnan Omar Deebani (Saudi Arabia)

Communication 0.1

IELI has a very competetive

soccer team that participated

in the UNT soccer chamion-

ship. Unfortunately, we were

defeated in the nal match for

Group B. However, before

that match our team had great

results. In the semi nal match,

we won 10-6. Some team

members were Nabil, Talal,

Hamza, Abdullah, Mahdi, Mu-

taz, and Ali. We wish that we

could have won the chamion-

ship, but sometimes destiny

is an obstacle.

IELI Soccer Team Plays In Intramural Championships

By Ali Abushaheen

(Saudi Arabia)

Grad Writing 6.7

Students in Communication 0.1 show off the Easter eggs they found outside.


7/127

Nowadays, English is a

global language. People in

many countries want to learn

English. Also, I have learned

English since last August be-

cause English is helpful. How-

ever, some people dont know

how English is helpful. Learn-

ing English is very helpful for

three reasons.

First, English helps us to get

a good job. If someone speaks

English well, he will be ableto get a good job in my coun-

try. For example, my cousin in

Korea entered Sam Sung three

years ago. He had studied Eng-

lish for ve years before he

joined that company. He is stillworking. In my country, us-

ing English is very important

for entering great companies

because many big companies

require fundamental English

skills.

Second, English helps us to

travel to other countries. I cant

speak Japanese, but I can trav-

el to Japan. In addition, I can

use English in Japan because

English is a world-famous lan-

guage. Therefore, some Japa-nese people also can use Eng-

lish, so I can travel to Japan.

For this reason, I can travel to

many other countries, too.

Finally, English helps us to

make foreign friends. I like tomeet new friends, and I am cu-

rious about them. When I lived

in Korea, I saw some foreign

people. At that time, I wanted

to be a friend to them, but I

couldnt speak English, so I

could not talk with them. As a

result, I intended to learn Eng-

lish for making foreign friends,

so I have been studying English

since I came to the U.S. Fur-

thermore, I have many foreign

friends.In conclusion, English helps

us get a good job, travel to oth-

er countries, and make foreign

friends. I am learning English

now for these three reasons. If

you want to get a good job, to

travel to a foreign country, orto make foreign friends, you

should start to learn English

right now.

By Sull Kim (Korea)

Writing 3.3

Learning English is Very Helpful

Students in Communication 5.1 and 5.2 classes interviewed students on the UNT campus about their view on the environmen-

tal problems the world faces today. Here are the results of their survey and the responses they collected in their interviews:

What can we do as UNT students to help the environment?

Top5responses

1. Reuse and recycle our stuff (e.g. buy used books, compost, recycle plastic things)

2. Cut back on water usage (e.g. turn off the water when you brush your teeth, use a low-ow shower head)

3. Use better transportation (e.g. increase use of public transportation likes buses or shared transportation like car pools, or

walk)

4. Teach people that the most important thing we have is our environment

5. Always throw your trash away and pick up trash when you see it

Communication class surveys UNT students about the Environment

Sull Kim

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

air pollution water pollution shortage of

water

shortage of

natural

resources

over-population global warming

What is the biggest environmental problem facing

the whole world?

Women

Men


8/128

Throughout history, humanshave decorated their houses

and temples by using tools and

equipment that existed in the

past. People nowadays feel the

need to enhance their interior

environments by studying a sci-

ence called interior design.

Interior design is a profes-

sion linked with interior space,

such as walls, windows, doors,

nishes, textures, light, furnish-

ings, and furniture. In addition,

interior design deals with plan-ning hotels, corporate spaces,

schools, hospitals, private resi-

dences, shopping malls, res-

taurants, theaters, and airport

terminals. Choosing the tting

colors, styles, oors, and space

organizations are some of the

interior designers work. Inte-

rior designers are able to epito-

mize and harmonize the interior

spaces, which make them func-tional and secure. An interior

designer, for example, is able to

plan a living room efciently by

choosing the appropriate color,

lighting, and style. Also, he can

arrange the room according to

its activity purpose, so people

can communicate and interact

with each other efciently.

Interior designers are cre-

ative, imaginative, and artistic.

They also need to be disci-

plined, organized, and skilled business people. Combining

knowledge with aesthetic vi-

sion, interior designers work

with clients and other design

professionals to develop design

solutions that are safe, function-

al, and attractive and that meet

the needs of the people using

the space. Solving interior envi-

ronment problems is a principle

work for interior designers. Notonly do interior designers plan

normal peoples environments,

but also they develop solutions

to improve the living environ-

ment of the elderly population,

which takes into account health

and accessibility issues that can

affect the design. Awareness of

the ability of

interior spaces

to create posi-

tive changes in

peoples lives isincreasing.

Studying the Science of Interior DesignBy Ahmad Alansari (Kuwait)

Communication 5.8

48 Level 6 Writing students responded to a survey about their cell phone company. They were asked what

company they used, what some good and bad things about the company were, and if they would recom-

mend it to a friend. Here are the results.

What Cell Phone Company is Best?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

T-Mobile AT&T Metro PCS Verizon Others

27 have T-Mobile.

9 have AT&T.

3 have Metro PCS.

3 have Verizon.

6 have other companies.

Positive comments about T-Mobile:

I like the cheap cost. (x8)

Friends and family plan. (x7)

Good signal strength. (x2)

No need for a contract. (x4)

Negative comments about T-Mobile:

I dont like the price. (x7)

The fee doesnt include messaging.

The service of representatives.

Signal is weak. (x4)

IELI student Ahmad Alan-

sari studies interior design.

One of the luxurious rooms Alansari has studied.


9/129

I would like to be a bird

because I like birds. Birds are

very free. In addition, they can

y in the sky. Especially, I like

the eagle best because it is very

fast, strong, and nice. However,

I dont like earthworms be-

cause they are creepy. Also, the

earthworms dont see the sun-

shine because they live inside

the earth. Therefore, I wouldhate being an earthworm. By

Kyungjin Kim (Korea)

My favorite animal is a

monkey. Because monkeys are

cute in appearance and cute in

acting, I like them. Also, mon-

keys are crafty. Monkeys have

long arms, so they can grab

food and climb trees easily.

However, they have bad things,

too. They have a bad smell. Al-

though monkeys are a crafty

and cute animal, I would rather

live as a human than a monkey.

Im satised with my life. By

Eun Seo Park (Korea)

I do not want to be any kind

of animal, but I like lions. The

lion is the forest monarch. In

fact, I like kings. They have a

loud voice that horries every

animal in the forest. Also, they

can defend themselves andtheir family from any dangers.

The lion is very strong. One

bad thing is that it kills other

animals for food, but it is the

ruler of the forest. By Elmahdi

Ahmuda (Libya)

I would like to be a bee for

three reasons. First, they give

people honey. Honey is very

useful, and it helps people to

get better from some sickness-

es. For example, it is very use-

ful for a stomachache. Second,

bees have a perfect system.

They work together. People

can learn from the bees system.

Third, they are active. They are

not lazy. The bees like to work.

For example, they work all day.

Each bee has specic work to

do. In short, I like honeybeesfor these reasons. By Meftah Al

Hamrouni (Libya)

I would like to be a bird. I

usually dream of owning wings.

It makes me y everywhere I

want to go. I can freely y and

sing in the blue sky, enjoying

the beautiful landscape. Also,

I can y all over the world, to

different cities and different

skies. If I am a bird, I can have

a free life, with no pressure and

no restriction. I will sing in the

tree every morning. Forget all

the vexation and unhappiness.

Its wonderful being a bird!

But sometimes the birds face

dangers, for example, hunters,

storms, and threats from other

animals. They face deadly dan-

ger every moment. At that time

I hope to have a warm and safe

home to stay in. In conclu-

sion, to be a kind of animal isnot easy and happy like in our

imagination. It hides the unbe-

lievable risks of freedom. Their

lives are so fragile and short.

By Qian Wang(China)

If I am an animal, I will

enjoy it, but I will also feel a

little bored. First, I dont like to

study, so if I am an animal, I will

not study. Maybe, I will sleep

every day because I like sleep-

ing. I am lazy, so I will spend

my days like Im dead. Second,

I like talking with my friends,

so I will cry every day because

I cant talk to them. My mother

will be angered by neighbors

because my crying will be very

noisy. Finally, I will feel bored

a little. I like shopping, but if I

am an animal, I cant go shop-

ping. I will feel sad. Also I cant

walk when I want to walk. In

short, if I am an animal, I will

spend time eating, sleeping,

crying, and walking. By Kaori

Obana (Japan)

I want to be a bird because

I want to y. I think that ying

is a perfect feeling. I will travel

to Paris. I will stand at the top

of the Eiffel Tower and look at

the beautiful men and women.If I am angry, I will go to a big

square. There are lots of people

who will give birds food there.

At night, I am going to sleep in

a tree. Maybe I will know the

birds language and talk with

them. That would be an inter-

esting experience. Now, I am

about to sleep. I want to have a

dream that I become a bird.By

Xiaoshan Lin (China)

I would like to be a bird for

three specic reasons. First,

would like to be a bird because

I can travel freely. Also, I can

see around the world when

y. Second, I can be able to ea

free food unlike humans, who

have to pay for something they

want. For instance, people have

to buy food when they need to

eat, or they have to buy a po

to cook food. Finally, people

have to work because they need

money to take care of them

selves, but the animals don

have to work. In short, I would

like to be a bird because I can

move to many places, I can

have free food, and I dont have

to work like humans.By Esther

Redji (Chad)

Human beings have been

dreaming of ying since theysaw birds. I really would like to

be a bird, especially an eagle

Eagles can y fast and high

I could go home whenever

wanted to. I live in North Bell

and its too far away from my

school. Every day I take a bus

to school. I wish to be an eagle

when I wait for the bus for a

long time! By Soyombo Gan

bold (Mongolia)

If I Were an Animal ...By Communication 2.3

Communication 2.3 Class

In our Password 2 book, we read a story about how animals com-

municate. Then everyone in the class reected on what animal they

would like to be and why. Here are some responses:


10/12


11/1211

IELI Students Participate in Flag Parade

On Monday, March 30th, the rst thing we did in class was a spelling quiz. Then we took a vocabulary test. After that wedid something really fun. We carried ags from all over the world for a parade. We started in our building and outside andwalked into the union and then out of the union. We stopped and then listened to the president of the university, Dr. Bataille. Then

we listed to Dr. Gibbons, Dr. Suleha, and the mayor of Denton. Then we introduced ourselves to the audience and told them which

countries we represented. Afnan carried the ag of Jordan. Min Joo carried Indonesian ag. Hajer carried her countrys ag fromLibya. Saad carried the ag from the UAE, and Hassan carried Omans ag. We really had a great time.

By Communication 0.1 Class

Students in Communication 0.1 carry

their countrys ag in the parade.

Today I am writing about

a great person whom I met inIELI. Her name is Meghan

Merchant. She has been work-

ing in IELI for 8 months as the

student counselor. She likes to

meet with international students

because she likes to learn about

many cultures from around the

world. She has been an interna-

tional student before and knows

what it is like.

Meghan graduated from

Baylor University with a bach-

elors in international studies

and journalism. In addition, she

has a masters degree in inter-

national communication fromthe University of Leeds in Eng-

land.

She likes to travel a lot. She

has been to more than 18 coun-

tries, and most of them were in

Europe. For now, she is plan-

ning to travel to Asia next. In

her free time, she likes to do

many things, for example,

spending time outdoors, hik-

ing, and playing volleyball. She

likes to go shopping, hang out

with friends, and watch movies.

An amazing thing I know

about her is that in high school

she liked to hear the BackstreetBoys. Actually, I like them too.

She has been to a Backstreet

Boys concert. She said that she

still likes them, but she doesnt

want anyone to know about

that.

Meghan also likes to cook

,but not all the time. She likes

to make desserts very much,

and that is really cool. Now I

feel that Im hungry. I want to

try Meghans desserts.

Her future dream is to trave

around the whole world. Actu

ally, the real dream for her is to

be happy all the time and havegood friends and a good family

Interview: Getting to Know the New IELI Student CounselorBy Mahdi Alhassan (Saudi

Arabia) Communication 3.4

Mahdi Alhassan and Ayana Ishiguro

interviewing the IELI Student Coun-

selor.

Gideon Alorwoyie and the African Ensemble led the processional that marked the start of UNTs International Week.


12/1212

Since 1977, thousands of stu-

dents have graduated from

IELI. Many have entered UNT

or other American universities

to complete bachelors, mas-

ters, and doctoral degrees.

Others return to their home

country to fnish school orwork. Staff members in IELI

love to hear from former stu-

dents and fnd out what they

have been doing since leaving

the program. Here are some

stories from three of our former

students.

Mai Kokubo

Japan

When Mai rst arrived in the

U.S. from Japan, she says her

English speaking skills were

very limited. I used my elec-

tronic dictionary all the time,

she said.

Now Mai

is complet-

ing her

masters in

music per-

f o r m a n c e

at UNT

and teach-ing part-

time music

lessons at

junior and

senior high

schools in the area.

World renowned euphonium

player and UNT professor, Dr.

Brian Bowman, brought Mai

to the U.S. and UNT. Howev-

er, she spent one year in IELI

improving her English so she

would be better prepared for

her masters. She

says she had a great

experience in IELI

and even remembers

asking one of her

teachers for more

homework because

she was so deter-

mined to improveher English. One of

her favorite memo-

ries from her time in

IELI was a party at

her teacher Kristens

house at the end of

an August mini-term. The party

happened to be on the day of

Mais birthday, which was a

special celebration for her.

After completing her masters

degree in 2010, Mai plans to

return to Japan to teach eupho-

nium at a university. Until then,

she is excited about her new

job as a private lessons teacher,

which she says will

help her improve her

English even more.

Ruben Erazo

Colombia

Before studying in

IELI, Ruben Erazoclassied his English

as the kind of lan-

guage you speak on

the street because

he had picked it up

on his own time through listen-

ing practice. A native of Co-

lombia, Erazo studied for two

terms in IELI before he began

his major in vocal performance

at UNT. He left UNT to accept

a job as an opera singer in Ger-

many, where he lived for two

years. Six

years later,

he returned

to Texas

and is now

working as a

teaching aid

for Irving

ISD whileworking on

his teaching

certification

in bilingual

education, as

well as pursuing his

goals in music.

Erazo says the aca-

demic English he

learned in IELI has

been very important

in his life so far. For

him, learning a new

language also helped

him to learn a new

culture and opened

doors and mental

horizons.

Buncha Samruayruen

Thailand

Buncha Samruayuen began

taking classes in IELI in Janu-ary 2007. He had never spoken

English in his daily life in Thai-

land even though he had stud-

ied it in school. After graduat-

ing from IELI in March 2008,

he found part-time employment

at UNT in the Child Develop-

ment Laboratory until he began

his PhD program in Fall 2008.

Buncha is now a full-time doc-

toral student in UNTs CECS

Program (Educational Comput

ing). He remains involved in

IELI by working as a Compute

Lab Assistant and participating

in UNT-International events

like International Week.

One of Bunchas favorite

memories of IELI is when his

teacher Pat took the class out-

side Kendall Hall on a snowy

day. He, along with many ofhis classmates, had never seen

or touched snow before. It was

a special experience for them

Buncha remembers all of his

IELI instructors well and is

thankful for

his time in

the program

I don

think I could

have studied

at UNT or

in the USA

w i t h o u

studying in

IELI rst

IELI taugh

me not only

how to use

English in

UNT classes and in daily life

but also how to live in th

USA, he said.

After completing his PhD

Buncha plans to return to Thai-land and accept a position as an

assistant professor at a univer

sity there.

If you are an IELI graduate, we

would love to hear from you

Please visit the new UNT-Inter

national website, http://www

international.unt.edu, to fnd

contact information for IELI

instructors and staff.

IELI Helps Prepare Students for FutureBy Meghan Merchant

IELI Student Counselor

Alumni Corner

Mai Kokubo

Ruben Erazo

Buncha Samruayruen

2009 Spring - Star Magazine

Documents