By Julia Fedoruk ’26 In this third episode of the Wes and the World Podcast, hear from Dr. Erica Kowsz, the Associate Director of Fellowships at the Fries Center for Global Studies (FCGS) and Assistant Staff Professor. From Hebron, Connecticut, she holds a bachelors in Archaeology with a minor in Hispanic Studies and Art from…
By Leila Bensrhir ’28 Some professors teach you a subject, and others remind you why learning can be such a beautiful experience in the first place. Professor Abderrahman Aissa, my Arabic professor at Wesleyan University, is one of those rare people who makes learning feel less like a classroom requirement and more like an opportunity…
Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) visit Wesleyan for one year to study as visiting graduate students and enhance students’ language learning instruction. They work under the supervision of Wesleyan’s language learning departments and bring valuable cultural exchange to Wesleyan’s language community! This year, we welcomed 9 new FLTAs and 2 returning FLTAs. Hailing from France,…
By Zaynah Almasri ’27 The Art of Lüften In German households, there is a practice called lüften: opening every window and door at the same time to let fresh air move through the house. It does not matter if it is freezing outside, raining sideways, or still dark out at five in the morning. The…
By Roxana Ayala ’27 I’ve been playing a game for the past five months: how many times can one person get sick in a single semester abroad? So far, the answer is four. With a weak immune system and a long history of catching whatever is going around (shout out WesPlague), it felt inevitable that I would…
By Zaynah Almasri ‘27 The Latin and Ballroom Dance Team just had their third annual showcase, and I got to be a part of it woohoo! Dancing on stage alongside people who started as teammates but have become real friends, I felt this mix of excitement, pride, and pure joy. It wasn’t just about performing—it…
Each year, Wesleyan welcomes a group of Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTA) from around the world to facilitate linguistic and cultural exchange! While here, the FLTAs will help teach their native language to Wesleyan students while also taking a few courses themselves. This year, we welcome 11 FLTAs from around the world, teaching Arabic, Chinese,…
by Oleksandra Volakova Every year, Wesleyan welcomes new FLTAs (Foreign Language Teaching Assistants) from all over the world – foreign students interested in teaching others their native language and immersing themselves into foreign culture. 11 people, coming from different backgrounds, help Wesleyan students to understand the culture and language better, becoming an irreplaceable support to…
by Julia Gardner Stepping outside of the bubble of fellow study-abroad students and engaging with your host community is one of the most rewarding– but sometimes one of the most challenging– parts of studying abroad. For Isabel Gill ‘26, the search for deeper immersion in her host community led not only to an internship with…
by Oleksandra Volakova The very first event of International Education Week – a week celebrating cultures and languages all around the globe – was organized by representatives from various cultures worldwide. Wesleyan’s Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) collaborated with Fries Center for Global Studies to organize a FLTA Carnival – a festival featuring specific games,…
