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By Angela Garner and Facundo Luque

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 5, 2021) — A partnership among The Graduate SchoolInternational Center, the Center for English as a Second Language, and the Graduate Student Congress at the University of Kentucky produced a robust seven-week virtual program during Fall 2020 for international graduate students planning to begin their studies on campus in Spring 2021. 

The program, called GradCATS (Graduate Community and Academic Transition Series), introduced new graduate students to UK and the Lexington area, built a sense of community among incoming

The College of Arts and Sciences is committed to learning and working environments that are diverse, inclusive, and equitable for students, staff, and faculty.

We stand in solidarity with those working to confront systemic racial injustice in our communities and in the United States. We recognize the disproportionate burden of racism and other forms of violence on many within our A&S community during this time. We affirm our support of faculty, students, staff, and alumni in standing against all forms of racism, discrimination, and bias.

During this time of pandemic and continued racism and violence that especially impact marginalized communities of color, we recognize the disproportionate impact on Black and African-American people. In the context of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and here in Kentucky, Breonna Taylor and David McAtee, we affirm that

Group B Welcome Week Schedule

Spending a holiday alone can be soul crushing. It feels as though every single person in the world has a place to go, people to visit, things to do … everyone, except you.

 

http://uknow.uky.edu/campus-news/students-need-home-holidays-employees-…

The UK Men's Soccer team has had a record-breaking year.  Ranked #3, the team clinched the Conference USA men's soccer regular-season championship on Friday.  UK concluded the regular season 10-0-0 at home, with a 26-1 goals for-against output.  Three of our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students are on the team and play an active role:

 

Marcel Meinzer

Nicolai Fremstad

Jason Reyes

 

 https://ukathletics.com/news/2018/11/2/-3-

This post contains a listing of organizations currently accepting job and internnship applications, as well as any available volunnteer opportunities. The post is divided into local and international postings. Remember, regardless of your regional or thematic concentration, work experience in your feild of interest is always important. For example, if you're interested in working in international development and working with children, starting off with an organization like the Nest can give you wonderful topical expertise in how to work with children. If you are interested in working in global health, working with an orgainzation like AVOL shows you are dedicated to health care provision both locally and internationally. This list will be updated periodically.

Local Opportunities

Comparative Politics 

On Saturday 28 July, our visiting Egyptian LOTUS Students attended their Lexington Legends Game! They were accompanied by a staff member from the Centre for English as a Second Language as well as a faculty member from the Graduate School. The game was followed by a spectacular display of fireworks!

On Friday 27 July 2018, a dozen Egyptian LOTUS nursing students were accompanied by faculty and staff from the Centre for English as a Second Language as well as the University of Kentucky International Centre on a field trip. They visited both The Phyllis D. Corbitt Community Health Center in Wilmore, Kentucky and the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. 
 

 

A former student here at the University of Kentucky Center for English as a Second Language is now being honored as one of the four commencement speakers during the May 2018 Graduation Ceremonies. Esias Bedingar, from Chad, began studying English with our instructors in 2014. Now, just four years later, Esias has completed his Bachelor's in Public Health. Follow this link to read the UKNOW story about Esias, his accomplishments, and his upcoming speech. We are proud to call Esias a CESL alumnist and wish him well as he continues on with his Master's Degree at Harvard University.

Under the guidance of CESL instructor Donna Guardino, CESL held its first Spelling Bee.  Students competed against other students from their own level, and by the end three victors were crowned: Linya Shu (Levels 5 and 6), Joseph Fwelo (Level 3), and Yang Liu (Level 2).

The rules were as follow:

1. The pronouncer announces the word to be spelled. They use the word in a sentence and says the word again.

2. The speller listens carefully to the pronouncer and asks for the word to be repeated if necessary.

3. The speller pronounces the word back, spells it, and then says the word again.

4. The judges determine whether or not the word is spelled correctly.

5. If the correct spelling of the word was

In January 2016, Dr. Theodore M. Way will have been teaching at the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL) at the University of Kentucky for four years. Before working at CESL, he worked as a Refugee Resettlement Case Manager for Africa and the Middle East for the International Rescue Committee in Oakland and in San Francisco, California. Driven by the ongoing crisis in Syria and by the recent tragedy in Paris, France (among others), Dr. Way wrote an Op-Ed piece for the Lexington Herald Leader which was published on December 6, 2016. To read the full article, "Refugees Have Suffered Enough", please click here<http://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article48051810.html>.

Dr. Way has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) not only here at the University of Kentucky, but in

CESL students made a trip to Fort Harrod and Shakertown on Saturday, July 18th. It was a beautiful day and we had dinner at Cracker Barrel.

Amongst of all the CESL students, Saudi and Brazilian students were especially fascinated with the guns displayed, while female students enjoyed all the crafts at Shakertown!

They also participated in a workshop at Fort Harrod where they had a pleasure to meet real native American descents as well as enjoyed making all sorts of tools native Americans used to use a long time ago.

>>View the photo album

 

The Center for English as a Second Language traveled to Berea, Kentucky to take in the sights and the sounds of that city's craft festival. The group visited different student workshops and learned from regional experts about different musical instruments like the dulcimer as well as Appalachian music in general. Senior Lecture Lina Crocker provided a picnic lunch, and the group really enjoyed the unique cultural experience on a beautiful day in a scenic region of the Commonwealth.

>>View the photo album.

On Saturday, June 20, 2015, Lina Crocker, Senior Lecturer at the Center for English as a Second Language, and her husband led a group of 40 CESL students on a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo. The visit was a special experience for the students, many of whom had not previously been to a zoo.

>>View the Photo Album

“They were as fascinated as young children usually are when they first visit a zoo,” Crocker said. 

Despite the rainy and humid weather, Saad Mohammed Ali, a CESL student, said he really enjoyed himself. He particularly enjoyed seeing the lions and had fun experiencing the zoo in general.

“I like the environment. It is full of diversity,” Ali said.   

This trip is one of many opportunities the Center for English as a Second Language provides its students

Promotional Video for the Taste of Africa event, created by the African Student Association (ASA).

On April 18, 2015 over 100 CESL students enjoyed the Taste of Africa event at UK’s Worsham Theatre. The event cost $10 to attend, and proceeds went to provide insurance for children with HIV/AIDS via the Ten Per Kid Project.

This annual event is organized by the African Student Association, and showcases traditional and modern African dances, vocal performances, talent and cultural skits, spoken word, and fashion shows in traditional African dress. These performances highlight the diverse talents of the African community at UK, in addition to educating students on the rich cultural

The Center for English as a Second Language (CESL) currently offers two language tables to help benefit the educational development of our students while simultaneously supporting the foreign language students at UK. Mrs. Lina Crocker started these events to help students, and she continues to lead them each semester in the Patterson Office Tower.

Weekly events were held for both Spanish language students (Intercambios) and the Arabic/Islamic Studies department (Arabic Tables), wherein UK students who are studying these languages and cultures were able to meet with native students in the CESL department. These groups of students gathered together to talk, learn songs, and socialize, allowing them not only to meet new people, but to educate each other in a way that ultimately benefits both parties.

These partnerships are

    

Several CESL students joined Mrs. Lina Crocker to enjoy a night of music at her family home, offering them a chance to show off their musical skills on a variety of instruments provided by the Crockers, such as guitars, dulcimers, and a piano, as well as lending the students the opportunity to bring their own.

This gathering did not require any musical education. Students could learn to play simple songs, and those who did not wish to play instruments were still able to participate by lending their voices to accompany the music. The students learned to play and sing classic Kentucky songs, including “My Old Kentucky Home”.

Mrs. Lina Crocker and her husband also provided dinner for the students, giving them another chance to socialize with their peers in a relaxed setting. This is a recurring

On Wednesday, April 8, 2015 Mrs. Lina Crocker and Miss Julia Diez took several students to visit Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace and My Old Kentucky Home State Park. This is one of many opportunities for students to take a day-long trip with CESL Faculty.

They began by taking a bus nearly an hour and a half to Hodgenville, KY, the birthplace of America’s 16th president: Abraham Lincoln. At the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park the students learned about the history and culture that Lincoln experienced growing up in Kentucky in the early 1800s.

The students also visited the Lincoln Museum of Kentucky, where they browsed various dioramas, civil war memorabilia, and an art gallery, all centering around the boyhood life of former president Abraham Lincoln.

Stopping to eat lunch at the local