Above is a slideshow of photos from 2022 featured in Google Slides. Click on the Google Slides logo to find the alternative text for the photos.
Champaign, Ill.— It’s the beginning of a semester filled with fresh opportunities to make new memories. However, it’s always a treat to reflect and look back at some of the highlights that made us all smile, laugh, cheer, and gave us all the feels during the summer and fall of 2022.
International Enrollment Sees All-Time High
More than 11,000 international students are enrolled at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this fall, making it the highest international enrollment since fall 2017.
To be exact, the overall international fall enrollment is 11,548, which topped the previous record of 10,826 students in 2017.
Within this number, the university is seeing all-time highs from two international student demographics—India and the African continent.
ISSS and IE Host Memorable Trips
Every year, we partner with our colleagues at International Education and make it a point to plan one trip during breaks for our students and scholars.
Last semester we went on a few including a two-day trip to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky on June 6-7; a day trip to the Clinton Lake beach where we hiked, swam, or kayaked; and a Thanksgiving break trip to Branson, Missouri where we ate a four-course meal and watched a horse show at Dolly Parton’s Stampede.
We also hosted the Home Away from Home summer break program that saw great turnout and we’re sure many of you made new friends there.
International Education Week Returned In-Person
IEW was organized by International Student and Scholar Services, who partnered with several student groups, centers, colleges, and units on and off campus to provide different immersive learning experiences for the community.
What made this year special was that this was the first in-person IEW since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"They were so excited to be back in person and they were excited to be sharing their culture and interacting face-to-face with other students," said Kimberly Yau, the associate director for ISSS.
IEW 2022 also introduced the first-ever International Cook-Off that we’ll be sure to bring back.
We also saw a successful Travel Around the World and the return of the annual Indoor World Cup.
Students’ Talent Showcased at Global Talent Show
Six acts performed in front of a packed auditorium during the 2022 Global Talent Show on Oct. 12 inside the Spurlock Museum.
The talent shows coincided with Homecoming 2022 events.
Yuilin Li placed first after performing a specific type of a classical Chinese dance called Dunhuang.
Shopto Rahman placed second after singing a Bengali folk song.
Members of Mimosa Dance Crew placed third at the show.
Unified Voices, Yarong Guan, and Celia Aranda Reina also performed.
Analicia Haynes is the storyteller and social media specialist for Illinois International. She can be reached at 217.333.6104 or ahayn2@illinois.edu.
