All posts by Fitti Kolbe

Many Languages, One World – Essay Contest

January 12, 2016NewsNewsFitti Kolbe

Share your ideas and be heard! United Nations Academic Impact and ELS Inc. launched the 3^rd annual “Many Languages, One World” essay contest.

College and university students are invited to write an essay on a UN-related theme in an official UN language other than their mother tongue or primary language of instruction.

The goal of the contest is to raise awareness among students about the work of the UN, but more importantly to promote multilingualism as an integral part of global citizenship and peaceful coexistence.

Sixty winners, ten for each official UN language, will be invited to spend a week in New York at an all expenses paid Global Youth Forum, culminating with an event in the UN General Assembly.

Deadline: Thursday, 31 March 2016 AT 11:59 PM EST.

For more information please click here.

New Beginnings: New Student Orientation for International Students at CL

January 11, 2016Events, International Students, International Students Events, NewsFitti Kolbe

On January 7, the International Program held their Spring International Student Orientation to kick start students with their new beginning at SPC. Fifteen students from different countries such as India, Turkey, Vietnam and many more, participated at the orientation that provided essential information to ensure student success at SPC.

Ramona Kirsch, direct of the Center for International Programs, welcomed everybody warmly as everyone is taking their first step here at SPC. The session was then led by Angela Cole, International Student Representative of the Clearwater campus, with a fun game that kept everyone alert.

Students learned about the FACTS (Full time, Authorized work, Carry documents, Transition, Stay in touch), study resources and guides, and what it takes to have a great experience here at SPC. They also gained newly found student mentors who will be their support as their college peers. The orientation became a success and ended with a campus tour. SPC wishes them all the best!

It’s not too late to study abroad and earn college credit while traveling the world!

January 4, 2016News, Study Abroadstudy abroadFitti Kolbe

SPC’s Center for International Programs would like to give you an update on all the study abroad programs that still have spots open for the 2015/2016 academic year.

Click on the country names below to learn more about each program:

Did you know you can earn SPC credits while traveling the world? Below is a list of all the courses you may enroll in through study abroad:

Biological Sciences

BSC 2362 – Tropical Ecology (Ecuador)

Business Bachelors

MAN 4102 – Managing Cultural Diversity (Costa Rica)

Communications

LIT 2110 – World Literature I (China, Greece)
LIT 2120 – World Literature II (China)

Electives

CLP 2140 – Abnormal Psychology (Ecuador)
CLT 2373 – Ancient Greek Mythology (Greece)
REL 2000 – Philosophy of Religion (India)

Foreign Language Credits and World View

SPN 1120 – Elementary Spanish (Spain, Costa Rica)
SPN 1121 – Elementary Spanish II (Spain, Costa Rica)
SPN 2200 – Intermediate Spanish I (Spain, Costa Rica)
SPN 2201 – Intermediate Spanish II (Spain, Costa Rica)
SPN 2240 – Spanish Conversation and Comp I (Spain, Costa Rica)
SPN 2241 – Spanish Conversation and Comp II (Spain, Costa Rica)
SPN 2949 – Study Abroad Working Experience (Spain, Costa Rica)

General Business

MAN 2604 – Intercultural Relations in Business (Costa Rica)
GEB 2350 – Survey of International Business (Costa Rica)

Health Services Administration B.A.S.

HSA 1100 – Healthcare Delivery Systems (South Africa)
HSA 1102 – Current Issues in Health (South Africa)

Humanities/Fine Arts

HUM 2210 – Western Humanities: Ancient through Renaissance (Italy, Greece)
HUM 2262 – Introduction to Greek Culture (Greece)
HUM 2270 – Humanities East-West Synthesis (Israel)
REL 2300 – World Religions (India)

Have questions? Contact us at 727-341-4731 or studyabroad@spcollege.edu.

SPC International Club visits St. Augustine

December 11, 2015NewsFitti Kolbe

On December 11, 2015, the SPC Clearwater campus International Club had the opportunity to visit and explore the ancient city of St. Augustine. During the trip to the city the students and the advisor visited the Castillo De San Marcos, the oldest wooden school in America and The Prince of Wales, where they had a little taste of England for dinner.

“The view of the clear sky and water from the top of the fort was absolutely beautiful!” – Tyler Page
“The trip was very culturally-enriching, and the food was served in such large portions. Yum!” – Mary Natar

“If you haven’t seen St. Augustine you haven’t seen Florida!” – Sean Mckiernan

“The trip was a great way to end the long semester!” – Skyy Everhart

If you are interested in participating in the Clearwater Campus International Club, join us at our next meeting on January 20, 2016, from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm in ES 125. See you there!

International Student Story: Hola from Ecuador

December 9, 2015Galápagos Islands, International Students, Mexico 2024, NewsInternational StudentsFitti Kolbe

My name is Domenica Flores; I was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador. Ecuador is a beautiful country located in South America between Colombia and Peru, it’s divided in 4 regions (Coast, Andes, Amazon and Galapagos island), and is one of the most bio-diverse countries around the world. It is famous for our beautiful roses, sweet chocolate, delicious bananas, and the Charles Darwin Study center. Since we are located at the equator line (at 0 degrees latitude) our monument to the “Mitad del mundo” (half of the world) is very famous and visited by many tourists from around the world.

Domenica (left) with a friend in Ecuador.

One year ago I took the hard decision to come to the United States following my dream of becoming a biologist. I came to the United States because unfortunately my country couldn’t give me the opportunities that the U.S offered me such as job opportunities and a better education. I chose SPC because when I first came to the U.S looking for a college, my sister in law and my brother took me here and I liked it right away. I liked how organized it is, how easy it is to move around, plus the people are very friendly. What I like about the U.S. is how organized the system is, and how people follow laws and rules and are very respectful.

At the same time, things are quite different. I think the Latino’s culture is very different from the American culture. My culture is more liberal, we are very enthusiastic and energetic, we are more family guided and we usually are more emotional than Americans.

Even though it was very hard for me to get used to the American culture, language and food I think it was the best decision I have ever made because it made me grow not only as a person but also as a student expanding my cultural knowledge. Currently I am working at the International Office at SPC; I am the vice president of the international club and an active participant in many other clubs like the Honors College, PTK, and High Achievers Club. I used to be a Spanish tutor where I met wonderful people who helped me get more involved in college.

SPC is my second home, especially the SPC Clearwater campus. I love my home campus because even though it’s small, it is very warm and welcoming, so are the professors and staff!

Five years from now, I see myself graduating as an animal biologist, working in a lab or maybe in an animal hospital.

Written by Domenica Flores, SPC Student.

Travel the World at Clearwater: International Education Week

November 27, 2015Events, NewsFitti Kolbe

It’s a small world after all!

One of the best things in life is to have an opportunity travel. It is amazing to learn culture, background, and heritage that is different and unique. The world is an adventure just waiting to be explored; and what an engaging thing to have it for free and right here at SPC Clearwater Campus. As part of the SPC International Education week this November 2015, international students from the Clearwater campus volunteered to present their countries to other SPC students.

The event started with a few words from Ramona Kirsch, Director of the International Programs. She geared everybody up for the what is in store for them. International students from ESL classes also had the opportunity to talk about how they celebrated holidays in their homeland. It was a fun, interactive and educational day at SPC.

#Italy 101: Did you know?

November 4, 2015NewsNewsFitti Kolbe

For those of you who missed today’s Italy 101 session, here are some of the highlights from the informative and fun session:

Did you know that there are many Italian dishes in the U.S. that don’t even exist in Italy? Alfredo is a man’s name, not a pasta dish, there is no Italian dressing or Italian ice in Italy either!
Did you know that Italians have very close ties to their families? It is not uncommon for family members to be living on the same street or even in the same house.
Did you know that some great inventions came from Italy: the telephone, batteries, glasses and many more!

But the most important thing: did you know that SPC will be offering a great study abroad program to Italy during Spring Break 2016?

For more information visit our website.

SPC International Club volunteers for SPIFFS

November 1, 2015NewsFitti Kolbe

The Clearwater campus International club members volunteered at the 41^st annual St. Petersburg Folk Festival on October 30^th. SPIFFS is a four day event where International Organizations from across Tampa Bay gather to showcase their food, product, and culture. Through the years, the organization has educated students and the public about the diversity of many countries all around the world. This is why it was a really good experience for the club members to come.

The club helped out distributing refreshments along with selling tickets for the event. The event was mostly designed for middle school and high school students to learn about different countries. The volunteers enjoyed the whole event as they were able to watch the performances, try the food, and talk to different people who lived in their native land.

This has been a very fulfilling experience for the club members.

Study Abroad Scholarship 5 Min Seminar

October 19, 2015NewsNewsFitti Kolbe

Want to study abroad but think you can’t afford it?

Join us to learn more about scholarship options!

When: Tuesday, October 27 between 1-2pm.

Where: NU460 Tarpon Springs Campus

**Deadline for study abroad scholarships is November 2nd **

Questions?

Phone: 727-712-5883
Visit our website

International Student Story: Guten Tag from Germany!

October 5, 2015International StudentsInternational StudentsFitti Kolbe

10468145_10152316414947950_6938399918409119983_o (1) — Fitti during the Soccer World Cup in 2014.

Ever asked yourself what it would be like to live in another country? I have asked myself that question all my life. Exploring the big world, sounded very exciting – most of all when you are from a small town with 80,000 people and not much going on – but we do have a castle in our city center!

Anyway, after having lived in the medieval town of Celle (Cell-uh), Germany, for more than eighteen years, I decided that it was finally time to leave home and come to America. I chose the U.S. because I was always fascinated by its diversity and beautiful architecture that I have seen so many times in movies and TV shows.

My first stop brought me to Chicago, Illinois, which became my new home for four years. I started my very own American Dream as an Au Pair (oh-pear) and lived with a wonderful American family. Besides taking care of their children, I was (and still am) trying to experience every single bit of the American culture (though I’m pretty sure that one uniform culture does not exist).

CAM00648 (1) — The old castle in Celle, Germany.

In August 2015 I continued my American journey and moved to my new home in the Tampa Bay area. I’m now in my third year of college and just started taking classes in the College of Education at SPC. There is no doubt that the education system is a lot different here than it is back home. For example, I was completely overwhelmed when I was given my first multiple-choice exam, as I had NO CLUE what to do with it!

One of the greatest aspects of studying abroad is learning a new language and being able to speak two languages fluently. Studying away from home helped me become more mature and independent. I learned to appreciate all the things that I took for granted as a child and that I am now responsible for myself. It even made me appreciate the old, beautiful castle in my hometown! I would choose to study abroad over and over again, but I’m also always beyond excited to see my family and friends back home.