Your September 2021 edition
Welcome to the International Insights newsletter, a monthly roundup of news, opportunities and updates with an international focus, curated by Western International for the Western community.
Thousands of students coming from abroad supported since beginning of pandemic
After a year of taking online classes from her home in China – some as early as 4 am in her time zone – Elsa Wang says coming back to Canada and returning to in-person classes for her fourth year at Western was worth all the stress she felt related to travelling and completing quarantine.
“I prepared everything I could, and even more than I think I needed to prepare, just to be safe. Travel during a pandemic is stressful, with all the rules about quarantine, study permits and long lineups at the airport,” said Wang, on a break between her classes on her first day out of quarantine and on campus. “I’m just so excited to feel like a normal student again.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Western International team has supported more than 4,200 students like Wang in their efforts to travel to Canada from abroad.
In addition to completing COVID-19 testing, all students coming from abroad are required to register their travel and quarantine plans with Western. Students who are not fully vaccinated are also required to complete a 14-day quarantine period when they arrive in Canada.
“I was under no illusion that travelling to Canada for the fall term would be easy,” said Samuel Morgan about his choice to travel from the United Kingdom to Canada for the first time and pursue an exchange program at Western this year.
“I knew COVID-19 would still be an issue and people were reminding me of the challenges. Things kept changing with the travel requirements and I needed to come well in advance of classes, in order to quarantine, in case I was told I had to when I arrived,” said Morgan, who was fully vaccinated with a Health Canada-approved vaccine prior to travelling.
“Once I arrived, the stress was over. I’d love to see an ice hockey game now that I’m here!”
Hear from more students about their journeys back to campus.
Call for course proposals - Radboud Summer School 2022
Radboud Summer School is inviting academic staff from partner universities, including Western, to teach at their summer school located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, in July or August, 2022.
Radboud Summer School is a relatively young, but already renowned European academic event, which fosters international cooperation between researchers, students and academic staff. The summer school is organized by Radboud University and participants have an opportunity to connect with an international community.
Applications and proposals are due October 1.
Big opportunities for students with big ideas
If you know students with an interest in solving the world's problems, consider helping us to spread the word about these exciting opportunities.
Thanks to a new partnership with How to Change the World, Western students can apply to take part in a unique four-day experiential learning and professional development opportunity during fall reading week. Students will be tasked with tackling real-world sustainability and innovation challenges using the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Completing this program can provide them points towards Western's Global & Intercultural Engagement Honour, and will prepare them to find a team and bring their best ideas to Western's annual World's Challenge Challenge 2022 competition.
Save the Date:
International Week, Nov. 15-19
International Week at Western is held annually in November as a campus-wide celebration of all things international.
This year, our theme is #DiversityWesternU and our goals are to:
- Celebrate Western’s international community, diversity and international collaborations
- Highlight international opportunities for students, staff, faculty, and alumni both at home and abroad
- Promote and highlight diversity and inclusivity across campus and take a more integrated approach to showcasing internationalization
More details coming soon about events and ways to participate!
Did you know?
Western International often collaborates with units across campus to offer webinars and programming for international students.
Recently we partnered with the USC's International Student Support team and the Western Health team on a Vaccine Information & FAQ Session for International Students to explain the changes to the vaccine policy at Western, which includes updates related to acceptable vaccines for international students.
If you have ideas, suggestions or opportunities with an international focus to share, please let us know at wicomms@uwo.ca.
