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LEAP News May 2020 – Volume 4, Issue 5 Dear Friends, I hope this finds all of you staying safe and doing well. Summer has arrived in Dayton! This last week of May, we’ve had sunshine, warm temperatures and of course pop-up showers as is customary in Ohio this time of year. Our summer semester started on May 11 and we are already at the end of our third week of online classes. Time flies! We’re excited to bring you another edition of LEAP News and as always, we hope you enjoy catching up with our program. / Jeannette LEAP Into the News! Since Fall Semester 2014, LEAP has hosted 11 exchange students from the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD). The students are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and come to Wright State University for two semesters, one of which they spend in LEAP. The Wright State Newsroom recently wrote an article about the 2019-2020 Global UGRAD students. Read it below and meet four fabulous students: Francisco from Nicaragua, Purity from Kenya, Vlad from Ukraine and Hsan from Myanmar. Like all Global UGRAD students we have worked with in LEAP, they are exceptional students and simply amazing achievers. Global UGRAD students are a great addition to Wright State and have definitely left an impact on the students, faculty and staff they’ve interacted with while here. Click here to read the article: “Exchange students experience American college life through LEAP Program” Pictured from left: Francisco (Nicaragua), Purity (Kenya), Vlad (Ukraine), Hsan (Myanmar) Let’s Celebrate! A shout-out is in order to some exceptional Spring 2020 students! First, a big Congratulations to Ahmed Alqarfi from Saudi Arabia on earning the LEAP TOEFL Waiver for Graduate Studies at Wright State University Spring Semester 2020. Ahmed has been admitted to the Master of Science in Industrial and Human Factors Engineering Program. Fun fact: Since 2012, over 400 international students have earned the LEAP TOEFL Waiver for undergraduate and graduate studies to Wright State University. Additional international students who started their WSU journey in LEAP have gained admission by passing the TOEFL or IELTS tests. Second, we’d like to recognize our Spring 2020 students with Perfect Attendance. Despite everything going on and the quick adjustment to remote learning, these students did not miss a single class during spring semester. Way to go! Summer in LEAP Since our classes are meeting online this summer, our classroom pictures look a little different. Students are communicating using Flipgrid, Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and Perusall so learning lots of new technology! Every now and then, a guest (like Teacher Tom’s son Cowan, pictured below) pops into class to say hello! Aside from teaching classes this summer, we are also giving online presentations and workshops, testing out some new ideas we have for the program as we LEAP into the future. Earlier in the month, LEAP and WSU graduate, Hashim H. Abada from Iraq, reached out to LEAP Director Jeannette Horwitz to see if she could give a presentation to faculty at Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University in Iraq where he teaches. The presentation, which had 680 attendees, focused on strategies LEAP used to deal with remote learning spring semester, specifically practical ways to get students engaged in class. Thank you for the opportunity, Hashim. The “WSU Iraqis” hold a special place in LEAP and we are happy we were able to connect and do something together this way! Have you checked out the LEAP website lately? If not, click here to visit! Also, be sure to take a look at the new Wright State University – Virtual Brochure ! If you know anyone interested in studying in the U.S., suggest Wright State to them and pass along this brochure so they can learn more. #WrightStateRightSchool Graduates, Where Are They Now? “My name is Yaaqoub Khajah and I am from Mishrif in Kuwait. I attended LEAP in 2010-2011 and graduated from Wright State University Raj Soin College of Business with a BS in Business – Finance in December 2015. After graduating, I began my career in Kuwait at Gulf Bank. Gulf Bank is one of Kuwait’s most prestigious commercial banks with a long running track record of excellent customer service and financial products. I worked my way up from the retail division to the bank’s investment team where I currently work as a Senior Investment Officer. My job is to help the team assess any possible investment opportunities that the bank may be interested in partaking. I can say without a doubt that although the job provides very stressful situations from time to time, the rewards and satisfaction achieved from finding a prospective investment opportunity are worthwhile!” Yaaqoub pictured with the CEO (left) and HR GM (middle) of Gulf Bank. Former LEAP Students: What are you up to? Do you have a success story of your own? Email Jeannette at jeannette.horwitz@wright.edu. We love to follow up with LEAP alumni and would like to feature your story in an upcoming edition of LEAP News! LEAP Community Scholarship LEAP offers the LEAP Community Scholarship to local ESL students who qualify. To learn more about the scholarship and to apply, click here: LEAP Community Scholarship The deadline to apply for Fall Semester 2020 is August 1. Wright State’s annual Campus Scholarship and Innovation Campaign ends May 29. Select an academic program or area to donate to and help support Wright State students! Or, you might consider a donation to LEAP. Available Funds: • LEAP Scholarship fund: Award recipients and number and amount of awards will be determined by the LEAP program office • LEAP Program fund: Supports the activities of the LEAP program Make a Donation Thank you for your support! #PreparedForSuccess Upcoming Events: Due to the current COVID-19 situation and Wright State University being open only to essential personnel, we currently have no in-person events scheduled. Remember, we are active on social media so please connect with us there! We continue to work remotely and you can reach us via email: leapadmissions@wright.edu
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