Don't cry for me, Argentina

All beginnings have an end, and in the case of our last guests from Argentina, what an end it was. Their five-week stay in Wheeling Jesuit University was superbly presented by the students themselves, in front of a crowded audience enjoying every piece of their experience in the United States of America.

Colegio San Pedro Apostol from tturk on Vimeo.

They are already back in Argentina, and they haven't gone empty-handed: their backpack is full of memories and anecdotes, and they created bonds within the US and its people which would last forever.

[EDIT]
The Intelligencer published an article about their stay in Wheeling
There's another one published in WJU's website.

ELI students at Rockhurst University

This year's Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education conference was held in Kansas City, MO. Wheeling Jesuit University sent two ELI students, Yoseba Urquijo and Urko Fernandez, to Rockhurst University to talk about their work in the Global Business Incubator under Ryan Wall's mentorship.

University-Industry linkages from tturk on Vimeo.

During the three days that the conference lasted, they shared their experiences in Wheeling with some of the most prestigious Jesuit universities in the United States, such us Loyola, Gonzaga and Marquette. We hope to see more ELI students promoting Wheeling Jesuit University and the English Language Institute not only all over the United States, but also all over the world.

A Captive Audience

Two highlights of this week were presentations by Jane at WJU'S Center for Educational Technologies and our very own Spanish student Alex. For her presentation, the funny and talented Jane at CET conducted a video conference in which our high school students from Argentina got to discuss their next NASA mission (making a shoebox "fly") with real NASA scientists in Mississippi. Needless to say, the students loved brainstorming with the folks at NASA.

For his presentation, Alex used PowerPoint to discuss the historical and political circumstances and outcomes of the U.S. Gulf War. Our high school students found Alex's talk edifying and interesting, and they responded with excellent questions. It was great to watch a "veteran" ELI student interact with our newcomers. Our students always have such creative and important things to say!

Let's Celebrate!

An ELI custom is to celebrate students' birthdays with delicious treats. This week, we had an ice cream social in Ignatius Hall to celebrate not 1, not 2, but 3 birthdays which happened to fall on the same date! Our new students from Argentina enjoyed their Neapolitan ice cream cones, chocolate syrup, and colorful sprinkles, and we enjoyed hearing them sing "Happy Birthday" in both Spanish and English. As you can see, birthday celebrations play a large part in the culture of our community. We'll find any excuse to celebrate the special personalities and accomplishments of our students-- and to eat ice cream and cake! :)