The FIUTS blog is updated several times a week with stories and news from the FIUTS community of students, hosts, staff, alumni, and more.
For about a month, students from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka came to Seattle for a program coordinated by FIUTS: the Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders in Journalism and New Media (SUSI). This program brought 20 undergraduates participants to study journalism and new media, and to participate in volunteer and service activities, leadership workshops, and cultural excursions…
Read MoreWe love our homestay hosts and the time and space they volunteer to our international students! Here is Cathy Farrar, sharing her stories of why she became a host and why she continues to host after six long years! …
Read MoreAmy Bergstrom joined FIUTS last week as our new Manager of Student Programs and we’re so glad to welcome her to our office! She will be working on international student orientation, student program development, events and activities, and many others! Here’s Amy, introducing herself to the FIUTS community…
Read MoreBy FIUTS Facilitator Noel H. Kimber: “Camping outdoor? Why would anyone leave the comfort of his or her own home and spend a night in a tent, cooking with limited resources and stay disconnected to the internet?” One might ask. Camping trip may not make any sense in terms of productivity, but there is a mysterious force that calls smooth handed city dwellers out to the nature once in a while. FIUTS students decided to find out what it is…
Read MoreBrianna Mercker has been the Manager of Student Programs at FIUTS since 2011, and has made a huge impact on so many students and members of the UW campus community! During her time here, she managed 15 International Student Orientations for thousands of students, advised the CulturalFest performance committee to produce shows that got better and better each year, represented FIUTS across campus and beyond, oversaw student leadership programming, and was a trusted friend and mentor to many members of the FIUTS family…
Read MoreBea Chang joined FIUTS last week as our new Manager of Community Programs and we’re so glad to welcome her to our office! She will be working with our hosts, homestay programs, communications, Wednesday lunches, and lots more—all of the wonderfully large shoes left behind by Ellen Frierson, who is moving into her new role as our Manager of Education Programs…
Read MoreThe alumni of the Youth Leadership Program with Bosnia and Herzegovina are hard at work using what they learned in the U.S. to do great projects back in their home communities. Here's a blog post about an initiative from four participants in last Fall's program! …
Read MoreThe quarterly FIUTS Photo Contest is an opportunity for members of the FIUTS community to share images from around the world. The theme for this quarter was "There's No Place Like Home" and we received photos from all over the world of places that remind members of our community of what home means to them. We also had two ties for second place and for third place - so this quarter, everyone's a winner! …
Read MoreDo you have information about a part of our campus or community that you'd like to share with incoming international students? If so, you are invited to join FIUTS in welcoming over 2,000 new international students to the University of Washington as an information session presenter this September! …
Read MoreFIUTS Facilitators are student leaders from all over the world who welcome new international visitors, help to organize events, and lead activities for hundreds of students each quarter. Read on to find out more about the FIUTS facilitator experience from Isabella! …
Read MoreBy Isabella Ning, FIUTS Facilitator: May 11-15 was FIUTS World to Work Week. There were a variety of activities hosted by FIUTS for students to explore our interested career fields and help students get prepared building up networks. Two of my events were the trips to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center…
Read MoreGuest Post by Alem Hamzić: Last month, 100 alumni of the FIUTS Youth Leadership Program with Bosnia and Herzegovina joined FIUTS staff in Bjelašnica just outside Sarajevo for an alumni reunion and conference. This event brought together all six cohorts of students and teachers who had traveled to Seattle for the YLP between Spring 2012 and Fall 2014…
Read MoreAnuja Khadka, who participated in the Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders in Journalism and New Media with FIUTS last summer, shared this blog post about her work to help children in Nepal continue their education in the aftermath of the earthquake. (You can read an earlier post from Anuja about her experience during and immediately following the earthquake here.) …
Read MoreShi Ryoung Chang, a UW student and FIUTS participant in 2009, visited Seattle and his former hosts, Mary and Ken Ross, this past weekend. He was excited to relive the memory of his Edmonds home and family and to visit his old haunts on campus, in the U District, and downtown. He also spent time catching up with a few Korean friends and compatriots who are currently studying Library Science and Public Health at UW…
Read MoreGuest Post by Andrea Tamara, FIUTS Student Blogger: One of the countless perks of being an Indonesian and studying at University of Washington is the yearly Indonesian biggest event—Keraton! Every year, Indonesian Student Association of University of Washington (or ISAUW) creates an event where everyone around Seattle can come and experience our culture from Indonesia. And for Indonesian students in Seattle, this is the perfect event for the homesick…
Read MoreEvery week, FIUTS hosts three different conversation groups to give students a chance to practice their English in a fun and casual environment, and to talk about interesting topics with other students. One of these groups is Music Conversation Group, in which students have a chance to discuss their favorite music and learn about music from around the world. (You can also see a blog about this group here!) …
Read MoreIt's so hard to believe that today is Alison Kilkenny's last day at FIUTS! Alison joined FIUTS in July 2009 as the Homestay & Community Relations Coordinator, and then became the Manager of Education Programs in 2011. In that role, she's done amazing work managing our visiting programs: The Youth Leadership Programs with Bosnia and Herzegovina and with Azerbaijan, the Seattle Summer English Program, and the Study of the U.S. Institute. Not to mention all of her work with UW students, including supervising the CulturalFest Booth Committee to plan the International Expo each year…
Read MoreBy Andrea Tamara, FIUTS Student Blogger: At most times, people mistook me as either Chinese or Japanese. That’s not entirely wrong. I was originally born in Indonesia, however I came from Chinese descendants. That explains why I looked like I came from China with Chinese-like face. On the other side, some people mistook me as Japanese because of my last name—Tamara (yep, that sounds Japanese).
Read MoreFIUTS Facilitators are student leaders from all over theworldwho welcome new international visitors, help to organize events, and lead activities for hundreds of students each quarter. Read on to find out more about the FIUTS facilitator experience from Lucy! …
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