Thats a sentiment shared by Yang Li, asecond-yeardoctoralstudent from China who is earning her degree in higher education.Li has taken the typical CGE experience a step further by working for the center as part of her graduate assistantship. Li said its a choice shes glad she made.

I have made most of my friends through the CGE and enjoy many research opportunities, she said. My research interest is international student success in the UnitedStates,and I am exposed to so muchoftheinternationalstudent experience here on campus.I feel lucky to work there.

Opportunities for travel and culturally immersive experiencesare offeredthroughFSUprogramssuch asGlobal Scholars,Global Exchanges,Beyond Borders, theMoellership ProgramandInternational Programs.

International opportunities are also found in classrooms across campus. One example is at the College of Law where students can take a class in international human rights. The course includes about 30 students, 15 of them domestic and 15 from schools of law around the world, said Terry Coonan, an instructor in the course and the director of FSUs Center for the Advancement of Human Rights.

Its a dynamic experience in which we are working with superb law schools around the world to confront human rights issues that are worldwide, he said. For our FSU students,especially, its a great reminder on a weekly basis of how international the field of human rights is.Its one of the great classes I am so fortunate to teach.

FSUs Global Citizenship Certificate is another opportunity for students to plug international learning and experiences into their classes.The certificate requires students takefour courses with a global or cross-cultural themeand engage in intercultural experiencesto help themlearnto meet the new challenges of living and working in the global society of the 21st century.

HennaAwad, a senior from Jacksonville, Florida,saidthe certificate helped her build her cross-cultural knowledge in profound ways.

Ihad the opportunity to travel a lot before I came to FSU and I could maybe identify a different culture but not how or why it was different, she said.Like the perspective on time can be different between cultures. The certificate programimproves your critical thinking skills.Its just been a really great opportunity.

FSU womens soccer player Gabby Carle,anative of Levi, Quebec, Canada, didnt have international experiences on her mind when she chose to take her talents to Tallahassee over offers from other American universities.

Carle,whosefirst language is French, is set to graduate next spring withadegree in exercise physiology.

The biggest concern for me was I was looking to play soccer at the highest level, she said, before adding that sheaccomplishedthat goal and much more. I plan to play soccer professionally either here or in Europe. Then, post soccer, I plan to go to medical school and become adoctor.

Carle said the experience of being an international student at FSU was unquestionably a positive one and while her teammates hail from England, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Japan, IrelandandFinland to name a few, she said the international influence at FSU is everywhere.

One time,I was in biology lab andwaspaired with some classmates.We startedsharingstories and four out of five of us werefrom differentcountries, she said.I think when you walk on campus the diversity iseverywhere. Maybe sometimes you cant see it,but when you sit down and talk to your classmates,theres a lot of diversity here at Florida State.

For more information about International Education Month, visit global.fsu.edu/iem.

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International influences and opportunities abound at FSU - Florida State News