Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

International Students Build Workforce Skills at College of DuPage

  • 08/27/19

GLEN ELLYN, IL – College of DuPage (COD) has welcomed 16 students from around the world through the 2019-2020 Community College Initiative (CCI) program.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the CCI program recruits participants from underserved and unrepresented communities and provides them with quality educational study at U.S. community colleges. The program is designed to build technical skills, enhance leadership capabilities, and strengthen English language proficiency.

Since partnering with the CCI program during the 2012-2013 academic year, COD has hosted 124 international students from 13 countries worldwide. Students have come to the College from Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa, and Turkey.

International Student Services Program Coordinator Kayla Chepyator said she is thrilled to welcome this year’s studentsand applauded the program for its benefits to the visiting students, as well as native COD students.

“The Institute of International Education states that in 2016-2017, less than 11 percent of all undergraduate students in the United States had the opportunity to study abroad,” she says. “This number is even lower in community colleges. International exchange programs provide internationalization of U.S. campuses and provide students with an opportunity to learn from others to prepare them for their role as a global citizen.”

While at COD, visiting students pursue one-year certificate programs in workforce development fields and receive opportunities for professional internships, service learning, and community engagement activities. After completing the program, the students return home with a deeper understanding of U.S. culture and new skills to help them contribute to the economic growth and development of their countries.

This year’s students represent 12 countries, and include Abdullah Abdelraheem (Egypt, Business); Sangrem Bawm (Bangladesh, Business); Kabelo Boleu (South Africa, Culinary Arts); Udayabhanu Bolleddu (India, Horticulture); Marie-Honorée Kadio-Morokro (Ivory Coast, Horticulture); Sylvester Korang-Amoako (Ghana, Engineering); Jesus Miolan Reyes (Dominican Republic, MPTV); Magauta Ntsoeu (South Africa, Tourism); Linda Otieno (Kenya, Hospitality); Edgar Palomino Arevalo (Colombia, Tourism); Ria Pratiwi (Indonesia, Business); Akash Raj (India, MPTV); Ditha Rimadiputri (Indonesia, Business); Francisco Da Silva Santos (Brazil, Engineering); Toni Sitania (Indonesia, Tourism); and Faustina Teye (Ghana, Horticulture).

For more information about the Community College Initiative Program, contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at at[email protected].

For more information about COD’s Field and Experiential Learning/Study Abroad/Global Education programs, call 630/942-2356 or visit www.cod.edu/field.

Featured

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • Opportunity by Design Framework

    Opportunity by Design

    Educational improvement efforts often focus on curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development, and intervention systems while treating the physical school building as background. But school design is not a passive backdrop to learning — it is a structural lever for equity.