Editor’s Note: This is the second story in a series of stories highlighting International Education and celebrating a decade of programing, events, and student success.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Krithika Perumal, Mohit Gupta, and Lucia Sanchez-Gilbert are international students from three different countries, and they share some things in common.
Yes, they all attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in fact Perumal and Sanchez-Gilbert graduated in May with graduate degrees, and Gupta is still finishing his PhD program.
They were also members of GLOBE, which is a signature program under International Education (IE) at Illinois and stands for the Global Leaders Orange and Blue Engagement.
However, these are not the connections that will unintentionally bind them together for a lifetime. That connection is the bond they separately forged through their unique experiences with International Education.
Perumal, Gupta, and Sanchez-Gilbert may have their own special experiences and memories that helped write their IE story, but they will always be united because of the love they share for IE and because of the respect they have for Yun Shi, IE’s director.
Their stories are also a big part of the reason IE is celebrating 10 years of success in the fall.
Traveling the GLOBE
Shi said the 10-year anniversary is not so much a celebration of the unit itself, but a celebration of finding a home away from home for many students who have come and gone or are still attending Illinois.
It is also a celebration of the programs, events, and impact they have had on students’ lives.
International and domestic students alike are loyal to IE because of the experiences they had at events or programs during their tenure at Illinois, and this loyalty brings students “back home” years after graduation.
One program that leads to this overwhelming sense of loyalty among students is GLOBE, which is one of the seven programs that IE currently offers and is a strong visual of the type of work IE does daily that promotes student empowerment and a sense of belonging.
The program connects current university students (“Blue” participants), with new students (“Orange” participants) and teams them up in small and large groups to participate in different activities and events throughout the semester.
This program's purpose is to provide opportunities for domestic and international students to enhance intercultural communication skills, leadership experience, and lifelong friendships, according to the IE website.
Perumal, Gupta, and Sanchez-Gilbert were all members of GLOBE at different times and each attribute their time in the program with helping shape who they are as individuals.
For instance, Gupta said not only did he find his best friends in GLOBE, but he also learned how to see the world from a different lens. He said because everyone in the program is from different cultures and have different backgrounds, people can learn about the world by simply attending programming and events via GLOBE.
“These people also share their perspective on life in general,” he said. “So, you (learn) all of this without leaving Illinois.” Gupta said GLOBE, or more importantly IE, has provided a platform for cultural exchange and as a result it taught him that a single action like meeting someone can change the world.
Rebecca Hodson took over the GLOBE program when she became the associate director of IE in 2023.
She said it has been a successful program that has impacted students greatly because it gave them the space to leave their comfort zones and find their community.
The ability to connect domestic and international students together and create a space to develop intercultural communication and leadership skills though GLOBE is one of the many benefits the program offers, Hodson said, and it meets the needs of students who particularly struggle to find their community. “GLOBE helps boost their confidence and gets them connected with others,” Hodson said. “GLOBE is their community.”
This holds especially true for Perumal.
Perumal joined GLOBE during her second month of her nine-month long master’s program and said whenever she was feeling homesick or sad overall, she would attend a GLOBE or IE event and would immediately feel better.
Afterall, she said she has GLOBE and IE to thank for finding her place.
Perumal said when she first arrived at the university and being in a new country for the first time, she was alone. Then she found GLOBE.
“When you’re at your lowest point you kind of forget everything. You feel like, ‘maybe people don’t like you, maybe you’re not that good.’ Then you come (to IE) and you talk to different people from different cultures and different countries and different ethnicities who are so welcoming and then you start gaining your confidence again,” she said. “IE and GLOBE gave me a safe space.”
Perumal wasted no time getting involved with IE and GLOBE and said she attended nearly every program, event, and trip, all of which gave value to her life.
She said GLOBE becomes important and valuable based on how much someone puts into the program.
And meeting her lifelong best friends was one valuable way GLOBE benefited her.
“They will be an unforgettable part of the Illinois experience and it is all thanks to GLOBE,” she said.
GLOBE and IE overall are also why she said she will still be in touch and be an active alum years after graduation.
“I always say that I’m a kid of GLOBE and IE,” she said. “I love GIES…but (IE) is my second home. Rebecca (associate director of IE) and Yun are my favorite people…they’re family to me…and if I can be any use to them, I will be. I’m always going to be in touch with them.”
GLOBE and other programs like the break programs or the International Dialogue Series collectively work for the students and in the end, students do find their sense of belonging.
They do find their home.
“In the long run, our hope is that people will have a transformative memory or an experience at Illinois,” Shi said. “Ultimately the goal is that if we understand each other the world will be a better place.”
The “Heart” of IE
Sanchez-Gilbert said she first got involved with IE after receiving an email before she started her first day of classes at the university in 2017.
It was a GLOBE advertisement seeking applications, so she said she applied, and she was accepted.
“The first semester (fall 2017) I was very active in GLOBE,” she said. “I stayed somewhat involved but of course COVID happened, and it disrupted my entire life.”
Sanchez-Gilbert said although the pandemic shook up how she did things, she remained as active as she could with IE, something she said would have never happened had it not been for Yun Shi.
“I think Yun is the heart of International Education,” Sanchez-Gilbert said. “And I don’t think I would have stayed in touch with International Education as much if I didn’t know Yun.”
Sanchez-Gilbert, Gupta, and Perumal were interviewed on different dates, and they did not meet with each other before their interviews. However, they did share similar feelings about International Education.
But they did share similar feelings and sentiments for IE, and most notably they all had the same thing to say about Yun Shi— she is and will always be the reason IE is so special to them.
Shi was the founding director of IE and has been a part of the planning and facilitation of its programs and events since starting at Illinois in 2014.
As a result, she has seen thousands of faces and has met maybe hundreds of people based on enrollment numbers and the size of campus throughout the years.
And through all of that, Yun Shi still remembers her students.
She still remembers their names.
“For me I was always surprised. There’s so many students attending International Education (programs and events) and there’s so many students attending GLOBE but Yun remembers each and every one of us,” Sanchez-Gilbert said.
Gupta said in his experience everyone loves Shi because she makes people feel important. He said she selflessly cares about her students and treats them as if they are her own kids.
“Yun has been a mother to me,” Gupta said. “If you want to go there and say you’re hungry, she’ll cook for you. She cares for you.”
Sanchez-Gilbert said even if students were only in one semester of GLOBE for instance, she knows that Yun would still remember them and their name.
“I think that’s something unique about International Education. It creates this community, this family,” she said. “Yun puts a lot of effort into that. It’s not just about programming. It’s also about creating this sense of community.”
One of the goals of International Education is to create a learning space for Illinois students that encourages cultural exchange because they want to help create the next generation of global leaders.
Gupta said Shi is why students can learn and grow as individuals because she encourages that type of environment.
“If you make any mistake during any program or let’s say if someone offends someone, (Shi) won’t jump at them or judge them,” he said. “Instead, Yun just talks to them and makes them understand that they have different perspectives and helps them realize that maybe they should learn to look at things from a different perspective.”
Gupta said Shi allows students to experience what culture is like and said she also encourages students to interact with each other so they can learn together.
“Most importantly, Yun taught me how to be kind,” he said.
Sanchez-Gilbert said she has many fond memories from her time with IE so finding one favorite moment is difficult, but she said meeting Shi might just be the best thing about IE.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Sanchez-Gilbert said. “I’ve run into a lot of people at this university and Yun has like stayed constant (in my life).”