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International students bring cultural diversity to CLC

The College of Lake County typically hosts about 100 international students from approximately 40 different countries every year.

Global students have attended the college for more than two decades. With them comes their language, culture and financial investment. Last year these students, at CLC alone, directly supported 19 jobs and had a $3.3 million impact in Lake County.

"That's because they're paying tuition, going grocery shopping, buying cars, going out to movies and renting apartments. The economic input from this group is definitely something to be celebrated," said Jacob Cushing, director of CLC's center for international education.

One of the ways these students are celebrated is the annual International Education Week, which ran Nov. 16-20 with a variety of virtual events.

The designation was first created by the U.S. State Department in 2000 as an effort to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences. Today, it is celebrated in more than 100 countries.

CLC embraced the week more than a decade ago, and international students like Sangguen (Ben) Lee believe it has made a difference.

"I like the dedication of CLC toward their students. They are always supportive and try to help students with whatever they need," Lee said. "I like the classes being active. I feel freer to say something and participate without hesitation."

Lee is studying computer information technology and first enrolled at CLC in 2018 to better his English and learn about U.S. culture. He is from South Korea, and heard about the experience at the college from someone he knows.

When asked what his family and friends back home think of his international studies, he said, "My family assumes I am suffering from the different culture, lack of foods, friends, communication and safety. And, of course, that is not true. My friends assume I am having fun, which is true."

International Education Week festivities were open to the public and included cooking videos of home country cuisine, cultural presentations, 20 questions with different students, a virtual tour of languages and a film screening. Several can be viewed online at www.facebook.com/clcinternational.

"Film represents their culture that helps me to understand the way of their thoughts and perspective," Lee said.

While the week's events is filled with fun content, for Cushing it's really about the bigger picture.

"We live in a very globally connected society, and CLC wants to graduate students to be successful in an ever-changing global environment," Cushing said. "One of the ways we do that is to bring students from other countries, cultures and backgrounds on campus and in classes with our students."

And it's not just CLC and the U.S. that benefit. One of the college's longest standing partners, Ehime University in Matsuyama, Japan, has also experienced the positive impact of exchanging students.

"I can honestly say the CLC study program for Ehime University literally changed the lives of many of our students," said Ruth Vergin in the office of international planning at Ehime University.

"Our students are always impressed by how hard CLC students study and return inspired to be more active in class. I see how both programs develop and improve through our close relationship."

"It's really important CLC stays invested in promoting these experiences as a way for people to grow their global mindsets," Cushing said.

For more information about the College of Lake County, visit www.clcillinois.edu or call (847) 543-2000.

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