Congolese politician-turned-businessman Eugene Serufuli had a vision that all of his children would attend university abroad, living together and looking out for each other as they earned a degree that would set them up for life.

Dating back to 2018, eight of his nine children have travelled the 10,000 kilometres to Canada from the Democratic Republic of Congo to attend 91亚色. Three of the Serufuli siblings are graduating this spring from . Two sisters have already graduated, and three more siblings are part-way through their degrees. 

鈥淢y dad always wanted all of us together in one place, one university, one house 鈥� just to live together, help each other out and watch out for each other,鈥� says Jean-Luc Serufuli, 25, who graduated on June 12 along with his brother Salomon, 24, and sister Diane, 30. All three have earned a degree in political science.

After the first Serufuli sibling attended another Ontario university, it became a family tradition to attend 91亚色. It began with two of the eldest sisters, Isabelle and Florine, who enrolled at the Keele Campus in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. Florine earned an economics degree in 2018 and Isabelle convocated from information technology in 2024.

The next set of siblings, including Diane and her twin sister Nadia, all chose 91亚色鈥檚 Glendon College. Fluent in Swahili and French, they were attracted to studying in French while also developing fluency in English. They gravitated toward the business economics and political sciences courses that they felt could set them up for careers back home or in Canada. They liked the intimate environment of Glendon鈥檚 smaller campus and its picturesque location close to Toronto鈥檚 vibrant downtown.

Only the maverick Jean-Luc thought about bucking the tradition and setting his own course somewhere else.

鈥淚 wanted my own lonely life, I guess,鈥� Jean-Luc says with a chuckle. 鈥淢y dad was like, 鈥楴o!鈥� Then my appendix ruptured and my dad was staying with me in hospital and he said, 鈥榊ou see? What if something like this happened and you were on your own? You can see why you should be with your brothers and sisters.鈥� And I could.鈥�

Currently, seven of the Serufuli children are sharing a home off campus. They don鈥檛 know a way of life without each other in reach, and say that coming to Canada and attending the same university has strengthened their bond.

鈥淕rowing up, you think that every single person in the world has eight siblings 鈥� you think it鈥檚 normal,鈥� says Salomon. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so fun going home. You have eight different stories at the end of the day and maybe more with the parents around.鈥�

Salomon and Jean-Luc say their father couldn鈥檛 have helped them make a better decision.

鈥淭he supports, the programs 鈥� Glendon has all the tools you need to succeed in whatever you want to go into,鈥� says Jean-Luc. 鈥淚t was one of the best choices that I made, to be honest.鈥�

They are thinking through their next steps, what field they want to go into and which end of the world they want to start their careers.

One option is to join their parents in the family businesses that deal in real estate, agriculture and oil and are run from their home in Kinshasa, Congo鈥檚 capital.

But, one thing is certain; if they decide to return home, they will continue to live as one big family, at least in the short term.

鈥淎s always, my dad doesn't like us to be separated,鈥� says Jean-Luc. 鈥淭he tradition is that we all live together until we get married. If you don鈥檛 get married, you鈥檙e not moving out. So, we鈥檙e going to stick together until we find someone.鈥�

Watch a video below:

The post 91亚色 a family tradition for eight Congolese siblings appeared first on Global Engagement.

By Gloria Suhasini

New and returning students enjoy a meet and greet with the University president, foreign diplomats and peers

鈥淔rom the very first day I stepped on the 91亚色 campus, what I found most appealing was the mix of students from all over the world! This led to new friendships and connections which continue to make my university experience even more rewarding.鈥� said Damor McQueen, a fourth-year political science student from Jamaica, speaking at the President鈥檚 International Student Reception on September 25.

The Student Success Mentor Lead in the Black Excellence at 91亚色 program urged his peers to build new connections and get involved in academic and extracurricular activities to make the be best of 鈥渢his once in a lifetime opportunity being presented to you.鈥� He cited his own experience volunteering last year at the聽Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences聽hosted by 91亚色 that led to his current work/study student opportunity.聽

91亚色 continues to attract students like McQueen from around the world, who join the community with great enthusiasm to receive worldclass education 鈥� often work-integrated 鈥� in their chosen field, be that in the arts, science, technology or engineering.

To make high quality university education accessible, 91亚色 offers several . One such scholarship is the President鈥檚 International Scholarship of Excellence, awarded to high school applicants around the world, who are entering their first year of a four-year undergraduate degree at the university. Another scholarship popular among international students is the Tentanda Via Award. Named after 91亚色鈥檚 motto 鈥淭he Way Must Be Tried,鈥� it assists undergraduate students who have demonstrated resilience in overcoming significant personal barriers in the pursuit of a university education and progressive changemakers committed to sustainable development.

Other scholarships available for international students include Daughters for Life, the Global Leader of Tomorrow Award, and Mitacs Internships and Awards. Several聽聽attended the president's reception. For additional information, students are encouraged to visit 91亚色鈥檚聽Global Engagement听飞别产蝉颈迟别.

鈥淲hile it is our intention to support you in your academic journey, you also bring a wealth of insights and strengths to 91亚色," President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton told the student audiences. 鈥淲e are thrilled that you chose us, and we look forward to what we will accomplish together. Please remember that nothing is more important than your well-being and health and we have many student services to support you.鈥�

The event organized by  was also attended by China鈥檚 Education Counsels Renzhu Li and Wenjin Han; India鈥檚 Consul (Commerce & Political) Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh; and the Philippine Deputy Consul General Kerwin Orville Tate and Consul Rodney Jonas Sumague.

These diplomatic representatives to Canada were not only present to celebrate their respective country鈥檚 highly talented students, but also to assure support in their new country of temporary residence. 鈥淲e wish them the very best in their courses of study,鈥� said Singh. 鈥淭he Indian Consulate remains at disposal for welfare and well-being of all Indian international students in Canada.鈥�

Diplomats were also on hand to speak to the students during the networking hour, a rare opportunity for these outstanding future leaders of the world.

By the end of the event, it was evident that many students had forged enriching new friendships that could last a lifetime, while advancing their education and career aspirations.

Originally published in News@91亚色.

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A French immersion high-school teacher who joined 91亚色鈥檚 Glendon College pursued a  project to help his students build connections and advance their academic journeys.

A frequent participant in a global scholars program with his students from elementary and middle schools, teacher Jafar Hussain has long understood the value of students building cross-cultural connections. So, when he was seconded to 91亚色鈥檚 Glendon Campus as a course director, he decided the global approach was equally important in the university classroom.

He dove right into a GNL project with students in his Teaching & Learning French in a Core French Context class. GNL is an approach to research, learning, and teaching that enables students, faculty, and non-academic researchers from different locations around the world to participate in, and collaborate on, knowledge-making processes and concrete research projects.

鈥淚 wanted to bring my students a new perspective on what learning could look like,鈥� Hussain said of his plans for his students. 鈥淢y own experience with K-12 students and such programs demonstrated that these experiences are fruitful and enriching.鈥�

His class, taught in French, comprised bachelor of education (BEd) students in their final year of the concurrent teacher education program who will be teaching French as a second language. With assistance from 91亚色 International, Hussain connected with Professor Caroline Andrade at the Universidad Desarollo in Chile and her Spanish-speaking education students who are planning to teach English as a second language.

Since all of the students were future language teachers, the professors broke them into groups with students from both universities and gave them an assignment: introduce yourselves, discuss an issue that affects language learning and create a joint podcast to explain it. They also asked each group to use artificial intelligence (AI) to create an image for their podcast as a way of teaching responsible use of AI.

鈥淧art of developing global competency is navigating communications barriers, and we knew that here, everyone spoke some English,鈥� Hussain said. 鈥淭he real goal of the assignment was to bring them together. What was important was the experience of working together to try to accomplish the goal.鈥�

鈥淣one of us had done an internationally focused project so far and some people were skeptical, but Jafar told us from the beginning to focus on the experience and not worry about the outcome,鈥� said Ana Kraljevic, a student in the class, who is hoping to pursue a career in education policy and leadership.

Kraljevic鈥檚 group explored language insecurity, its root causes and solutions.

鈥淟anguage [or linguistic] insecurity refers to any sort of apprehension a new learner has about speaking the language, whether that is a fear of being judged or not being competent,鈥� said Kraljevic. 鈥淲e鈥檙e learning French and our Chilean counterparts are learning English, so we have similar experiences. Language insecurity is a huge, complex phenomenon and we want to reduce it for future students.鈥�

Rosamaria Conenna, a BEd student who majored in French studies and has a minor in Spanish, also enjoyed the project. Her group chose to discuss accentism: the way accents are perceived in society and how they affect language learners.

鈥淚t can be discouraging if you have an accent because when someone hears it, they often default to your primary language and deny you the opportunity to practise,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t can be disappointing if you have an accent, especially when you know what you鈥檙e saying is correct.

鈥淲e want our future students to know that having an accent is perfectly OK, and that it should not discourage them from practising the languages they learn.鈥�

Conenna鈥檚 group, like the others, connected via WhatsApp to pair and discuss personal experiences to convey their own stories authentically. Each pair recorded a segment of the podcast, which was hosted by a team member who introduced the topic, the group and provided information about research on the subject.

The students presented their group work to the entire class and Hussain was 鈥渂lown away. It all came together beautifully and the students all became more globally aware,鈥� he said. He praised students for their work and shared some words of wisdom. 鈥淩emember all the obstacles you imagined beforehand and look at what you produced. When something seems insurmountable, it鈥檚 so much sweeter when you get to the end point,鈥� he told them.

Kraljevic is already thinking about how she could do something similar with classes she will be teaching in the future, and the experience has fuelled Conenna鈥檚 dreams of teaching abroad.

For Hussain, 鈥淣ow I have a solid model of what GNL could look like at a university level. There were challenges on both sides, but the learning experience is extremely rich.鈥�

Learn more about 91亚色鈥檚聽.

Originally published in YFile.

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Intermediate Written Communication in Japanese (JP2010) is a full-year elective that focuses solely on writing, says Noriko Yabuki-Soh, an associate professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. And, no wonder.

鈥淟earning to write in Japanese takes time because there are three different writing systems which also incorporate Chinese characters,鈥� she said.

Yabuki-Soh was eager to connect her students with the Japanese community through their writing as a way of ensuring the students had an authentic experience and learned some of the colloquial expressions commonly used in Japan today. She turned to 91亚色 International, experts in , for assistance. GNL is an approach to teaching, learning and research that enables students, faculty and non-academic researchers from different locations around the world to participate in, and collaborate on, knowledge-making processes and concrete research projects. 

91亚色 International connected Yabuki-Soh with faculty at 91亚色 partner universities and she found an interested colleague, Professor Jin Abe at Hitotsubashi University, a Tokyo-based national university and 91亚色 exchange partner.

To interest Japanese students in taking part, Yabuki-Soh created a recruitment poster and promotional video. Not only did local students apply; there were responses from students from other countries who were studying at Hitotsubashi, as well as Hitotsubashi students studying on exchange programs in other countries. Sixteen students joined the program to work with Yabuki-Soh鈥檚 class, which also had 16 students.

鈥淚t was a very diverse group with students from all over the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was good for our students to work with other people their own age who had similar interests.鈥�

The two groups interacted every two weeks throughout the course through various writing projects and using Google Docs. For example, Yabuki-Soh assigned her students to write opinion pieces for posting online on topics that interested them, providing samples in Japanese newspapers for guidance, and their Japanese peers would comment about the ideas put forward. 

鈥淲e鈥檇 review opinion pieces together in class, ensuring they understood the grammar, and I鈥檇 lecture about the writing style appropriate to the task,鈥� she said. 鈥淧osting the pieces to Google Docs worked well, given the 14-hour time difference. The Japanese students could comment at any time of day.鈥�

For another project, Yabuki-Soh paired each 91亚色 student with a Japanese student, provided them with a list of questions and asked them to interview each other about the city where they lived or the town where they grew up. The 91亚色 students were required to create an essay about their partners using the proper format for quotes. The 91亚色 students also used the content for their final course essay, comparing their own hometown to their partner鈥檚.

鈥淭hey learned a lot about each other,鈥� Yabuki-Soh said.

While class interaction was confined to Google Docs, students who expressed an interest in sharing their email addresses had the opportunity to connect individually with their overseas counterparts.

Jessell Miranda, a graduating economics major, said she studied both Korean and Japanese because she loves the languages. With no advanced Japanese class offered during the winter semester, she opted for the writing course.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to lose what I鈥檝e learned, and I wanted to test my understanding of the language,鈥� Miranda said. 鈥淚t was really fun and enjoyable, because we were communicating with people from our own age group, not simply talking to the professor.

鈥淚 feel more confident about writing as a result, but I also realize how much more there is to learn.鈥�

Risha Pelchat, a fourth-year translation major at Glendon College, called the class 鈥渁mazing.鈥�

鈥淚t gave me the chance to apply what I鈥檝e learned in real life,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n addition to being able to apply Japanese in a real-life situation, I was able to deepen my cultural understanding. Moreover, the Japanese students were from the same generation and relatable, which made our interactions especially enjoyable.

鈥淭he course was invaluable. It took my Japanese to another level. Now, I can write and be confident that people will understand what I鈥檓 saying in just about any situation.鈥�

Lisa Endersby, the educational developer from the Teaching Commons who assisted with the GNL portion of the class, added, 鈥淕NL is a powerful, practical model for faculty to engage in the same experiences they hope to share with their students 鈥� meaningful collaboration, cross-cultural learning and academic work to impact timely, global issues. The faculty I support in GNL projects often share how these experiences are uniquely impactful for their students鈥� personal and professional development, connecting them to people and places they may have previously only read about.鈥�

For more information on JP2010 and other JP courses, visit the  website.

Originally published in YFile

91亚色 faculty members interested in exploring a GNL project with a partner overseas can connect with Shirley Lam and Helen Balderama through gnl@yorku.ca.

The post 91亚色 language students work with Japanese writing buddies appeared first on Global Engagement.

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, students in Glendon Professor Willem Maas鈥� course, The Netherlands and Europeanization, were able to learn about the Netherlands and the EU first-hand with the return of study abroad at 91亚色.

"Having taught this course twice in virtual format, it was a welcome challenge to make it come together in person, and I鈥檓 very grateful to the many guest speakers who spoke with the class, and the many institutions we were able to visit,鈥� said Maas. 鈥淩eal, on-the-ground international experience is invaluable for students and is a completely different experience from classroom-based learning."

The summer course, a three-week class that took students around the Netherlands and into Belgium and Luxembourg with a brief foray across the border into Germany, offered them an in-depth look into the workings of what Maas calls a 鈥渕iddle power鈥� in the EU as a case study of this regional government that came into being after the Second World War.

鈥淭his intensive summer abroad course helps students understand political, social and economic transformations in the European Union through site visits, interviews and meetings," Maas said.

The class was constantly on the move, starting off the course in the Dutch administrative capital, the Hague, and ending it in Amsterdam, with visits to Brussels, Luxembourg, Nijmegen and Rotterdam in between. The group visited a variety of institutions including the Dutch parliament, the International Court of Justice and other courts in the Hague and Luxembourg, several universities, the European Parliament and the European Commission. They met politicians, academics and diplomats who gave them personal insights into the workings of the EU and the roles they played.

In addition, there were opportunities to absorb history, business and culture: for example, Roman ruins, a Canadian war cemetery, the port of Rotterdam, and the Rijksmuseum, home to many renowned Dutch paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and others.

Ed Leurebourg, an international studies student, also found the course very meaningful and was appreciative of the experiential education opportunity.

鈥淭he insights and experiences gained through this time will last me a lifetime,鈥� Leurebourg said. 鈥淲e saw everything from national to interstate parliaments. We met with diplomats of all levels and career public servants doing an earnest job serving their country or the EU. We visited museums and institutions that showed us the importance of a union such as this one, and got to see what a world without it could resemble.

鈥淚n just a month, this course managed to give me the real-life perspective I have been missing.鈥�

Maria D鈥橝guanno, who recently graduated with a BA in children, childhood and youth studies, said, 鈥淚t was eye-opening for me.鈥�

D鈥橝guanno registered for the course simply as a way to fill a necessary social science requirement, but came away with both new knowledge and a rich experience.

鈥淚 enjoyed every moment, even though I had no background in political science. It sounded interesting and it was hands-on. I learned about what the EU does, not only for Europe, but for Canada and the rest of the world; things I wouldn鈥檛 have known.鈥�

One of the highlights for her was a virtual conversation with Dutch teachers where she had the opportunity to compare the Canadian and Dutch education systems and learn about how the Netherlands handled education during the pandemic.

鈥淚t made me think about how we could all come together to make learning more equitable and how I, as an educator, can assist parents and children who have limited resources.鈥�

Of course, the class didn鈥檛 land in the Netherlands without any knowledge of the country. The course required them to do a number of readings and analyses prior to their travels and reflections both during and after the trip.

鈥淚鈥檇 like my students to gain an empirical understanding and theoretical grounding to analyze developments and ideas related to the EU and European integration,鈥� said Maas.

In addition to the body of subject knowledge the students gained, they also reaped other benefits.

鈥淭here were small things that meant a lot,鈥� D鈥橝guanno said. 鈥淲hen you immerse yourself in a culture, it changes the way you see things. Interacting with the locals, I felt like part of the community, and I learned a lot through social interactions. You grow as an individual.

鈥淵ou also need to start being more independent; you have to do things for yourself; there鈥檚 no one to do it for you. I recommend that everyone take advantage of at least one study abroad opportunity. You learn more than you will ever imagine and it stays with you.鈥�

The Netherlands Summer Course will be offered again in 2024. For information on abroad courses offered this coming summer 2023, visit .

Originally published in YFile

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In 1991, Ontario Universities International (OUI) began its provincewide exchange program with the province of Baden-W眉rttemberg in Germany and it has been going strong ever since. Just ask Agnes Poleszczuk, OUI鈥檚 exchange program co-ordinator, who was among the first group of Ontario students to attend the University of Konstanz in 1991 as an exchange student from 91亚色. 

鈥淭he 91亚色 program was supervised by [now-retired] Professor Mark Weber, who taught German and promoted the exchange to his students,鈥� said Poleszczuk. I was a third-year political science and German major and thought it was a fantastic opportunity. I ended up at Konstanz, because the university is very strong in the social sciences.鈥� 

Poleszczuk attended Konstanz for a full academic year and it was 鈥渄efinitely life-changing,鈥� she said.  

It influenced her to continue her German language courses and to pursue a graduate degree in European studies after graduating from 91亚色. 

鈥淚t was an exciting time in Europe after the collapse of the Communist Bloc and it was fascinating for a political science student to learn about the changes underway while studying in the heart of Europe,鈥� she said. 

After earning her master鈥檚 degree, she worked for a Taiwanese organization before joining OUI, where she has worked co-ordinating exchanges to France and Germany for 20 years. 

鈥淥bviously, exchanges do broaden your horizons and allow you to go a bit out of you comfort zone,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou meet new people with different ways of living and doing things and the unknown isn鈥檛 as scary afterward.鈥� 

Poleszczuk lived in residence while at Konstanz, a series of homes full of both German and exchange students who shared a kitchen. 

鈥淭hese were the days before cellphones and email, so getting to know local students very quickly and watching movies, sharing dinners and having parties with the students in our residences helped us adjust to the environment and avoid a sense of homesickness. It was good support,鈥� she said. 

鈥淲e weren鈥檛 in daily contact with our families, so we had to grow up very quickly. It was a very good life lesson.鈥� 

Johannes Dingler, a graduate of the University of Konstanz, came to study at 91亚色 during the early years of the program.  

I came from a rural small town in Germany and considered Konstanz the big city,鈥� said Dingler, who was a political science student. 鈥淲e had an American exchange student in our residence and it made me see that there was a real possibility to student abroad. I found 91亚色 to be the perfect choice.鈥� 

Participating in an exchange was also life-changing for Dingler. 

鈥淚 learned what a big, multi-cultural city was all about and learned things I never would have learned in a political science class at Konstanz,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he exchange changed my personal perspective, as well as my academic perspective.鈥� 

In fact, his goals changed after his exchange year, and Dingler decided to study international political theory and environmental studies. He returned to 91亚色 to do his master鈥檚 research because he discovered that 鈥渟ome academic fields are not considered in Germany. Dingler went on to work in both Africa and Asia afterward 鈥渂ecause of 91亚色.鈥� He later pursued a PhD in environmental studies and theory and conducted his thesis research at 91亚色. Today, he serves as director of the international office at the University of Konstanz, overseeing exchange programs and being in charge of the Ontario-Baden-Wuerttemberg program. 

鈥淲e had such good support as exchange students at 91亚色,鈥� Dingler said. 鈥淢ark Weber, the program co-ordinator, picked us up at the airport and took such good care of us. Right from the beginning, it was good to have support when we didn鈥檛 know the rules鈥�. 

鈥淲hen I arrived, it was a culture shock for me. But then I met local people and Canadian students took me out to bars, concerts and ice hockey games, as you do. It made the experience really fascinating for me. Moreover, being in Canada was the first time I realized how German I was.鈥� 

Sabine Dreher, who teaches in the International Studies Department at Glendon College and serves as the exchange co-ordinator there, came to 91亚色 from Konstanz to study in 1992. She was specializing in international relations and was eager to learn from some of 91亚色鈥檚 renowned professors: Robert Cox and Stephen Gill. 

鈥淭he blurb on the departmental website at 91亚色 said, 鈥榃e study power,鈥� and that鈥檚 what I wanted to do,鈥� said Dreher. 鈥淚鈥檓 still doing it.  

Dreher came with a group of other political science and administrative studies students from Konstanz and found they were even able to attend some master鈥檚 program classes, which were much more personal. 

鈥淭he department made it easy for us,鈥� Dreher said. 鈥淲e could attend their weekly colloquium and department events and were given access to the master鈥檚 students鈥� lounge.鈥� 

Her understanding of power shifted while she studied at 91亚色, broadening her understanding to realize that in addition to state power, economic power had real influence. It led her to complete a master鈥檚 degree at 91亚色 and do her PhD in international political economy; it鈥檚 a subject Dreher still teaches. 

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