Editor’s Note: This is the third story in a series of stories highlighting International Education and celebrating a decade of programing, events, and student success.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — International Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is celebrating its 10-year anniversary during the 2024-2025 academic year.
IE has created transformative experiences and memories for domestic and international students alike over the course of the decade and has contributed to numerous success stories.
And many of these stories and experiences helped shape IE.
Trying Something New
Aidana Sirgebayeva is a third-year doctoral student in the College of Education but was a GLOBE coordinator and IE graduate assistant from 2022-2023.
She worked alongside her colleague Yaning Cao, who is also a third-year doctoral student in the College of Education and was a GLOBE coordinator and IE graduate assistant.
Together with Yun Shi, the director of IE, and GLOBE members, Cao and Sirgebayeva organized and developed different events for students.
“We all worked together to create our own memory,” Cao said.
Sirgebayeva discovered IE while job searching after accepting an offer to Illinois. She said she saw the listing Shi published for a graduate assistant, and she said it felt like she would be a perfect match.
It was her first time in Illinois and her first time at the university so when she accepted the job and started working, she said she had an incredible experience.
“I’m new to this campus, I’m new to this state, so talking to students and getting to know them... and learning from them… was incredible,” Sirgebayeva said.
And one thing Sirgebayeva and others always tried to do was encourage everyone, especially domestic students, to attend IE events so they could also share the same incredible experience.
“I used to be a teaching assistant…and I would (encourage) my students to attend an IE event,” she said. “Most of the people (who went ended up seeing) the cultural houses for the first time. They’re missing out by not knowing what’s happening on their campus. I know it’s not possible to participate in all of (what’s available on campus), but at least try to go to one new place or event like a cultural house or an IE event…it’s an amazing experience.”
Sofia Rodriquez, a senior majoring in English with a minor in Secondary Education and History, was one of those folks who took a moment to try something new.
Rodriquez said her time living abroad when she was younger sparked her interest in international education overall. However, during her first and second years at Illinois she was unaware of all the international education programs and events available to domestic students like herself.
Then in Fall 2024 she heard about GLOBE and decided to check it out.
“They paired groups of international students and domestic students together so they could do group activities and develop some teamworking skills and also learn about each other’s cultures at different IE events,” she said. “That’s where I started getting involved in IE.”
Rodriquez became a member the following spring semester, and since then she has attended several events that will always stick out for her because of the stories participants shared.
And overall, she said it is important for all students to participate because of the lifetime rewards.
“You kind of learn about other parts of the world in school, but there’s something really substantial and rewarding that comes from learning about a culture from the people who know about that culture themselves, the natives of that culture, and people who study it, and learning about it in a way that’s not super forced or structured,” Rodriquez said. “Instead, you’re meeting friends and having fun. Those types of experiences let you learn about a culture in a way that will stick with you because it’s so connected with interacting with others and those are always great experiences.”
Kit Murphy graduated with her bachelor’s in Kinesiology in May and was a former intern for events and marketing at International Education during the 2023-2024 academic year.
As a domestic student herself, Murphy said it is important for domestic students to attend IE events because they can widen their world view.
“When you’re in a bubble, like Champaign, you don’t necessarily get as much interaction with other cultures, or other conversations around so many different things…there’s plenty of different things you can interact with at IE though,” she said.
Murphy said she was amazed by the different conversations she heard while working at events hosted by IE and said ultimately, there’s always something to learn.
“Whether you think you know about it or not, there’s always something to learn and there’s always something you can share in the conversation as well,” she said.
Advice from the Inside
Rodriquez said if someone is free to attend an event, but is unsure, then they should make the effort to make the time to try it out.
“Every single time I’ve been unsure (about an event) but managed to fit it in my schedule, I don’t regret it. Even if I don’t’ meet my best friend there, I still have a great time,” she said.
Murphy encourages students to take advantage of all that is on campus, including IE.
“Walk around Nevada Street and join Lunch on US at cultural houses or stop in for a dinner conversation IE hosts... go to those events because you really can learn so much… you can always learn more especially outside of the classroom,” Murphy said.
Sirgebayeva said folks should try to view life from a new perspective and the best way to do that, she said, is by talking to someone.
She said she learned about so many cultures, traditions, countries by talking to people and learning what they do and why they do it.
“Every time you don’t talk to a person, you’re missing out on a chance to learn something new,” she said. “That’s a small, yet big part of the college experience.”
What Does IE Mean to You?
Cao said that IE is a family, it’s her family, and it’s also a safe space where anyone can ask anything.
“It’s a welcoming place,” Cao said. “It doesn’t matter what types of cultural background you have because International Education welcomes everyone. In IE you have a chance to explore all the different things you can learn from different cultures.”
For Rodriquez, IE means multiple things and although there are lots of ways to interpret the question, she said first it means learning about diverse cultures via interaction with people from various parts of the world in a way where it is fostering teamwork skills.
“Also, to me, it can mean just people from different parts of the world learning about one thing together…that kind of team building is significant and meaningful,” she said.
Murphy said IE means community and culture.
She called it a special space where anyone can come.
“It’s a nice community to be involved in,” she said. “IE has created an opportunity to learn about myself as well, and I’m so grateful.”