“Eventhough I’ve travelled far to get here, I feel this cross-cultural journey has brought us closer and closer”, said Adan Hussain, one of the graduate students who participated in the 2014 WHU-OSU Student Affairs Internship Program. During the past 3 weeks, 6 students from Ohio State University interned at WHU, aiming for a better understanding of Chinese education system and a bilateral contact between the Chinese and the American students.
During their stay at Wuhan University (WHU), the students attended a variety of seminars addressed by experienced faculty and staff of WHU, which enabled them to know more about WHU’s organizational structure, students’ education, administration, career guidance, etc. Majoring in education, the 6 students, too, shared some information and ideas concerning the above issues in Ohio State University (OSU). They also paid visits to the landmarks on campus such as new library and Students’ Mental Health Education Center and were quite impressed by the abundant resources and the advanced facilities at WHU.
Besides, diversified interactive activities between students from WHU and OSU not only promoted cultural exchanges but also consolidated the friendship between the two. On May 28th, representatives from different student organizations of WHU gathered and performed with superb skills and sheer enthusiasm. After watching their performances, one student Gadise Regassa said, “From the Beijing opera, tea art and calligraphy to memory skills, Model United Nations……what I see is a bunch of Chinese students who are so versatile and open-minded. It is amazing how WHU serves as a wonderful platform for producing a college society culture.” The student representatives of WHU also gained a lot through this kind of experiences, “I was highly inspired when I talked with these American students. I hope that there would be more activities like this which can broaden our international horizon”, said Chen Jiali, one of the presidents for WHU’s Student Association Organization.
WHU and OSU have always maintained a good partnership ever since the first cooperation agreement signed in 1981. The WHU-OSU Student Affairs Internship Program started in 2013.
(Edited by Diana & Sijia Hu)
