Snippets of Russian, Hebrew, English and Italian filled a corner room of the George Washington University’s Eckles Library on a Monday evening at the quietly scenic Mount Vernon Campus. Students hailing from China to D.C.—and everywhere in between—conversed animatedly, sometimes pausing to think of the right words, gesturing for clarification or smiling at their mistakes.
The simple conversations—held in more than 12 languages— were an opportunity for GW’s international and U.S. students to speak languages outside their native tongues and, in the process, build bridges between cultures.
“I started coming to the Mount Vernon Foreign Language Café because I wanted to practice my English,” said Xi Chen, who arrived in the United States from China three months ago as a first-year student in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development. “When I first came to the U.S., I could understand most of what people were saying but sometimes had trouble expressing myself. Coming here has helped me to understand and speak better.”
Rachelle Heller, Mount Vernon Campus associate provost for academic affairs, started the Mount Vernon Foreign Language Café more than a decade ago to provide conversational language practice beyond the classroom. Since then, the program has expanded to accommodate GW’s growing international student population—which numbers more than 3,500 students.
Committee for International Student Success: Bottom L-R: CISS Co-Chair Jennifer Donaghue and student liason Omayra Chuquihuara Gozalo. (Top L-R) Subcommittee Chair Derek Malone-France, CISS Co-Chair Bryan Andriano, subcommittee Chair Anne Scammon and Assistant Vice President Andrew Sonn.
As GW joins universities nationwide in celebrating International Education Week— the Department of State’s national observance of cultural exchange held Nov. 18-20— the Mount Vernon Language Cafe also serves as an exemplary model of the university’s commitment to building global citizens.
“I hope students take away a comfort in conversation, no matter how simple,” Dr. Heller said. “It makes such an impact when you try to engage someone in their native language, even just simple greetings and discussion. Our students will be global ambassadors during their lifetime.”
Connecting Culture through Language
GW has long used language to build a home for international students, boasting one of the first English as a Foreign Language (EFL) programs in the country.
According to research conducted by 2013-14 University Archives Diversity Research Fellow Isabel Maria Garcia, GW’s EFL program was founded in 1970 following a $1 million grant from the Iranian government to strengthen opportunities for Iranian students in the United States.
By the mid-1970s, more than 1,200 students from 101 countries comprised GW’s international student population.
“GW became known as a college for international students a couple of years after the EFL program was created,” said Ms. Garcia, a native of Ecuador and senior in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. “With the creation of the program came strong recruiting efforts and intense worldwide marketing. Students had a reason to be interested in GW since we offered such a good program.”
The EFL program included academic writing and communication and emphasized the importance of cross-cultural communication. According to the research, Associate Professor Emeritus Christine Foster Meloni, a founding faculty member of the EFL program, hosted potluck dinners and other activities to encourage interaction between U.S. and international students.
“We were aware of the problems that international students faced in a new culture and felt it was our responsibility not only to teach them English but also to help them adapt to U.S. culture,” Dr. Meloni said in the report.
"By the mid-1970s, more than 1,200 students from 101 countries comprised GW’s international student population."
Jennifer Donaghue, assistant director of International Student Services, said that the Committee for International Student Success hopes to continue GW’s legacy of globalization and use conversation-based programming to replicate the success of the Mount Vernon Foreign Language Café on the Foggy Bottom Campus.
She added that the committee’s upcoming efforts will focus on preparing GW staff and faculty to work and teach on an increasingly international campus.
“We’ve had an influx of students from China and other countries, and we need staff and faculty to be prepared to interact with them effectively in and outside of a classroom where English is not the predominant first language,” said Ms. Donaghue who co-chairs the CISS committee with Bryan Andriano, executive director of global and experiential learning.
“We hope to offer training that helps create a global campus community,” she said.
Mohssen Esseesy, chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, has been teaching Arabic at the cafe for three years. He is also developing a business and culture textbook that emerged from his Business Arabic course. The undergraduate class helps students learn language skills while preparing for an internship or job in the U.S. or abroad.
“I have seen enrollment increase over the years, and students have said that they benefit a great deal from the business and language skill they acquire in the course,” Dr. Esseesy said. “It is an opportunity for students to explore Islamic banking, oil and energy, and trade and investment and learn decision-making skills that take into consideration the cultural context of the Arab world.”
Global Student Culture at GW
Elliott School of International Affairs senior and Peru native Omayra Chuquihara Gozalo said that building cross-cultural communication is one of the goals of the International Student Community (ISC). The student organization was founded eight months ago to create international student-focused programming.
Ms. Gozalo has served as the Student Association’s director of international students for two years. During that time, she has noticed that students tend to group by region and language because it feels comfortable.
“To get into GW, we all have to have the grades and English test scores, but the social part of speech is what I feel students think they are lacking,” Ms. Gozalo said. “I know the university is supporting programs to improve that part of learning English, and we hope to support them, too.”
Matthew Sicheng Jiang, a senior in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences advised international students to "Talk to people, and then you’ll be more confident."
In addition to using the ISC, students have taken initiative to build cross-cultural bonds, participating in culture-sharing celebrations such as the Native American Heritage Month Celebration and building international and cultural student organizations with support from the Division of Student Affairs and the Multicultural Student Services Center.
For Matthew Sicheng Jiang, a native of China and senior studying history in CCAS, learning English was about getting in on the joke.
“In the first year, it’s really important to try and understand the culture of jokes, but it’s also the hardest part, ” said Mr. Jiang, who said that he watched popular movies such as “Twilight” and “A Walk to Remember” to better understand the culture.
He said that immersing himself in the English language by talking with friends and participating in the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program were integral to the development of his English-speaking skills.
“I’d learned English since elementary school but the textbook way—‘How do you do? Fine, and you?’” Mr. Jiang said. “But my English was not that good. I had taken the SAT, but I had to write a 10-page essay in the EAP class, and it taught me a lot about the tone of writing, how to use the library for research and the writing center for help.”
Now that he is in his last year at GW, Mr. Jiang and a friend meet once each week to review their resumes and practice interviewing. He said that although she sometimes corrects his grammar, it’s helpful to have friends and mentors who offer support.
His advice for international students learning English?
“Some people are shy, and it’s hard, but I know that I have to ask questions because if I don’t understand, I will only hurt myself,” he said. “For international students, the rule is to always talk, talk, talk. Talk to people, and then you’ll be more confident.”