All posts by Madeline Ishmael

A Woman’s Pilgrimage to El Camino de Santiago Event

El Camino
Events, International Students

Celebrating women’s history month: A Woman’s Pilgrimage to El Camino de Santiago discussion event was held on March 29 at the Clearwater Campus by the Center for International Programs. El Camino de Santiago de Compostela (“Pilgrimage of Compostela”) is a network of routes across Spain and Europe which all lead to the Shrine of the Catholic Saint, the Apostle James. The annual pilgrimage began in the 9th century and continues to this day. Former SPC Professor Linda Yakle shared her experience of doing the pilgrimage multiple times. Linda explained to SPC students and faculty how she started to be a pilgrim and her experience walking 500 miles in Spain. There are seven different ways to Santiago de Compostella. The most famous way is “El camino frances” which nowadays, says Linda, is full of people and it gets harder to walk that way every year. Besides “El Camino Frances” Linda has walked “El Camino Primitivo” and “El Camino Protugues”. Linda also shared that she broke her ankle in “El Camino Portugues”, and that’s why she had to return to the United States. Even so, she did not give up, and that is why on April 2nd she will repeat it from beginning to end. Linda is a very inspiring woman, and it reached the heart of the students and the faculty to inspire them to also be part of this great adventure.
El Camino

She shared her own criteria and operated in virtual and reflective networks especially because she is a humanities professor, so she was really familiar with other cultures and their history. Lastly, the best thing is that she promoted dialogue and created knowledge. I encourage students to be part of El Camino, which is something that has become so popular that people from all around the world gather to live this experience together. One of the best things Linda said is that El Camino is an experience for every single human being in this world. It does not matter if it is for religious purposes or personal goals, it does not matter our age or even our physical state. This is an experience for everyone. Thank you Linda for your testimony and for being part of SPC.  ULTREIA! (“Buen Camino”).

If you would like more information about Professor Linda Yakle Walking the Camino, please watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNLS4cWZNts

International Women’s Leadership Forum Event at SPC

International women
Events, International Students, International Students Events

On March 27, 2018 the Center for International Programs held the International Women’s Forum event. This was a very special event as four International women students from SPC Clearwater Campus were the stars and speakers of this event. As always, the CIP accompanied the event with exquisite food, on this occasion sandwiches and fruit. This one-hour event was dedicated to discussing challenges facing women and gender imbalance around the world. Miss Angela Cole (International Student Representative) contextualized the issue and presented information about the status of women worldwide.

Did you know?

  • Gender inequality is a major cause and effect of hunger and poverty: it is estimated that 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women and girls. (Source: WFP Gender Policy and Strategy.)
  • Research indicates that when more income is put into the hands of women, child nutrition, health and education improves. In South and Central America, rural children are about 1.8 times more likely to be underweight than their urban counterparts. Other regions do not fare much better.

The first student to share her experience was Ms. Ronelia Bailey, who is currently doing her Associate in Arts and is planning to transfer for her Finance Bachelors. Ronelia talked about her home country Trinidad & Tobago, and she mainly talked about some wonderful women that were born in Trinidad & Tobago. Secondly, Miss Maria Novoa Pinzon shared her story as an international student from Colombia, she is also doing her Associate in Arts and she is transferring to be a psychologist. Maria shared her personal experience with gender imbalance in Colombia and in the United States, and finished with a motivational conclusion. Thirdly, Ms. Margherita Tibaldo is an international student from Italy. She is doing her Associate in Arts and is planning to transfer for her Fine Arts degree. Margherita spoke about some gender imbalance statistics in some countries compared to Italy. Then, she shared some Italian women of history and concluded with her experience regarding her admiration for the women in her family. Finally, Ms. Van Boi Le compared gender imbalance in the United States and Vietnam. She shared really interesting facts about Vietnam because Vietnam is one of the countries with greatest gender balance in the world. Miss Boi Le is in the EAP program at SPC and is planning to do her Associate in Arts and wants to study astronomy.

Thank you for all the students that participated in this forum. Thank you for the international student speakers and thank you to the Center for International Programs to give this space to share the importance of women in the world!

Inspiring Chinese New Year Concert on February 2018

Chinese New Year
Events, Go Glocal, International Students, International Students Events

The multicultural club and the Student Support Services of the SPC Clearwater Campus attended the Chinese New Year Concert on February 17 at the University of South Florida Tampa. Club members stated that the Chinese New Year was a very interesting celebration because it was a very original concert.  Haiqiong Deng played the traditional Chinese instruments: the zheng and the qin; Megasari Honggokusuma played the piano while the calligrapher was creating a painting in accordance with the rhythm of the music. They played traditional Chinese songs such as The Fragance of Jasmine , Remembrance of an Old Friend, Wine Mad and more.

Chinese New Year
Dr. Nan Lu with SPC students

Each artist has gone a long way to become a professional. Haiqiong Deng is a zheng soloist and musician, she has perform in different universities, museums, concert halls, and Festivals throughout the United States, Canada, China, Japan, and Singapore. She has won four different awards including the Master Artist of the Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Award (2012). Both of her CD’s were nominated for the 13th Annual Independent Music Awards in “World Traditional” Category in 2014. Megasari Honggokusuma was born in Indonesia, she got her Bachelors in Art at the UPH Conservatory of Music. Today she is studying her Master degree of Piano Pedagogy at USF. Lastly, Dr. Nan Lu is the associate professor of drawing, painting and art education in the Florida A&M University. His art work have been exhibited in different cities in the United States. He has a great talent with different types of techniques like drawing, calligraphy, watercolor, and oil painting. He received a Master of Fine Art degree in painting and a Ph. D. in art education at the Florida State University. This event was organized by USF with the partnership of `    Qingdao University of China, club members and SPC faculty were happy and honored to be part of such a big event.

Chinese New Year
Haiqiong Deng with SPC students

12th Annual Florida International Leadership Conference 2018

Leadership
Events, Go Glocal, International Students, International Students Events

Three SPC students joined over 150 students from Florida state colleges and universities at the 12th annual Florida International Leadership Conference held February 2 to February 4 at Camp Winona, DeLeon Springs, Florida.

Goals of the Conference included:

  • Enhancing leadership skills
  • Promoting friendships and networks among international and study abroad students
  • Acknowledging and rewarding student leaders who work at promoting international understanding on campus
  • Challenging students to see themselves as global leaders
  • To recognize the differing styles of leadership across cultures

Leadership

In the words of Cristian Jacome from Ecuador:

“The first thing that comes to my mind when thinking about the FILC conference is “I would do this over-and-over again”. My name is Cristian, I am from Ecuador and I attended the 2018 FILC. My experience in this journey is unforgettable and remarkable. Being able to connect with people from all over the world is not only an entertaining activity but a privilege as well. During this experience, the phrase: “you will make many friends” really means its connotation and significance. Besides from just making lots of valuable college connections, group work and leadership skills are really developed and strengthened due to activities and social events in the facilities. This conference did not only teach me how to be a better leader, but also to value how rich each culture is and understand the power of unity in a multicultural society. This conference is not about a formal academic subject, it is about opening your mind to appreciate the value that every human being brings to Earth without the importance of  ‘race’ or ‘culture’.”

Leadership

In the words of Pavlo Grytsenko from Ukraine:

To begin with, I had low expectations of FILC. I am an introverted person and so it is usually hard for me to make connections. I was truly amazed how the whole trip came out to be. It really came out to be a phenomena how easy it was to make connections with all those wonderful people attending the conference in the camp. Something inside me clicked, and so I just went there and had a great time meeting and interacting with other international students from universities from all over Florida. I would like to thank SPC for organizing such trips

Leadership

In the words of Ronelia Bailey from Trinidad and Tobago:

I truly enjoyed my experience at the 2018 Florida International Leadership Conference at Camp Winona in De Leon Spring, Florida. I had the opportunity to network, and collaborate with student leaders from all around the world. The breakout sessions were very informative and thought provoking. I was inspired by the keynote speaker Dr. Joannie Bewa from Benin, Africa. My favorite quote from her speech is, “challenges define who you are, it does not diminish you but builds character.” Dr. Bewa’s speech encouraged me to be the best leader that I could be and to be intentional with my actions. Building lasting relationships with students from other schools and countries was my favorite part of the conference, (the food was pretty good too). I corresponded and even met with some of the students I met at the conference. I met fellow students from Hillsborough Community College the next weekend at the Florida Collegiate Honors Council Research Conference in Fort Myers. The opportunity to participate in FILC 2018 has been truly invaluable and I will encourage fellow students to participate in the future.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you!

blog.spcollege.edu/international | 727-341-4731 | studyabroad@spcollege.edu

And don’t forget to follow us on social media! We do our best to keep you updated so  you don’t miss our events!

St. Petersburg 43rd International Folk Fair Society (SPIFFS)

Folk Fair
Events, Go Glocal, International Students, International Students Events

The St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society (SPIFFS) held its 43rd annual International Folk Fair from October 26th through October 29th in St Petersburg’s Vinoy Park. The fair was open to students from all counties on Thursday the 26th and Friday the 27th. After that the fair was open to the public. The fair offered guests a multitude of different cultures to explore (see below). In addition to ethnic foods and cultural presentations, the fair offers an abundance of special entertainment such as dancing, singing and music by an immense variety of ethnic groups. Also, a grand parade is held to celebrate all the diverse cultures. SPIFFS is Tampa Bay’s very own United Nations and the only independent non-profit, multicultural folk fair organization in the country. The fair is your chance to travel the world in one day without leaving the country.

folk fair

Ethnic groups that participated in the fair

  • African- American
  • Albanian
  • American Folk Arts
  • Brazilian
  • Bulgarian
  • Chinese
  • Colombian
  • Dominican
  • Eritrean
  • Ethiopian
  • Filipino
  • Friendship Forcefolk fair

St. Petersburg College students volunteered on October 27th this year as well as in past years (pictured) to help out at different areas and pavilions. The students were able to venture out and explore all the pavilions before their volunteer time. They had food, bought gifts and had a grand experience at the Folk Fair. Volunteers included multicultural club members as well as students whose professors requested that they volunteer around the community. If you are interested in volunteering next year and would like to get in touch with the international office at SPC Clearwater, please contact: cole.angela@spcollege.edu

Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you!

blog.spcollege.edu/international | 727-341-4731 | studyabroad@spcollege.edu

And don’t forget to follow us on social media! We do our best to keep you updated so  you don’t miss our events!

2017 Mid-Autumn Chinese (Moon) Festival Celebration

Mid-Autumn
International Students, International Students Events

St. Petersburg College students experienced Chinese cultural performances (dance, song, music, etc.) and tasted moon cakes on Monday, October 2, 2017, at the University of South Florida Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival. The Moon Festival is commemorated by the Chinese on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar, which happens to be on October 2 in 2017.

The event was located in the Marshall Student Center Ballroom at the University of South Florida Tampa Campus, it was open to everyone, and it was free. Co-sponsors of the event included the USF World, Chinese Students and Scholars Association, INTO USF, Global Citizens Project, Chinese Culture and Language Club, Department of World Languages, Honors College, Office of Multi-cultural Affairs, Chinese American Association of Tampa Bay, and Suncoast Association of Chinese Americans.Mid-Autumn

The Mid-Autumn Festival is an inherited custom of moon sacrificial ceremonies. The ancient Chinese observed that the movement of the moon had a close relationship with changes of the seasons and agricultural production. Hence, to express their thanks to the moon and celebrate the harvest, they offered a sacrifice to the moon on autumn days. Romantically speaking, the festival is to commemorate Chang E, who in order to protect her beloved husband’s elixir, ate it herself and flew to the moon.

On the festival day, family members gather to offer sacrifice to the moon, appreciate the bright full moon, eat moon cakes, and express strong yearnings toward family members and friends who live afar. In addition, there are some other customs like playing lanterns, and dragon and lion dances in some regions. The unique customs of ethnic minorities are interesting as well, such as “chasing the moon” of Mongolians, and “steal vegetables or fruits” of the Dong people.Mid-Autumn

The Moon Cake is the special food of Mid-Autumn Festival. On that day, people sacrifice moon cakes to the moon as an offering and eat them for celebration. Moon cakes come in various flavors according to the region. The moon cakes are round, symbolizing the reunion of a family, so it is easy to understand how the eating of moon cakes under the round moon can evoke longing for distant relatives and friends. Nowadays, people present moon cakes to relatives and friends to demonstrate that they wish them a long and happy life.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you!

blog.spcollege.edu/international | 727-341-4731 | studyabroad@spcollege.edu

And don’t forget to follow us on social media! We do our best to keep you updated so  you don’t miss our events!

Study Abroad Courses Available at St. Petersburg College

Bahamas 2025, Galápagos Islands, Study Abroad

Quicklinks:  Home | Scholarships | How to Apply | Resources | Blog

Satisfy your degree requirements by taking Study Abroad courses at St. Petersburg College. Study Abroad courses will earn you the same credit as a traditional course, with the added benefit of traveling abroad with your SPC professor and classmates.

Below is a list of SPC courses offered through Study Abroad programs.

Please note: students must contact an academic advisor to confirm whether or not the Study Abroad course will meet their specific degree requirements.

2025 – 2026 Study Abroad Courses

Business

Communications

  • ASL 1140C – Basic American Sign Language – Costa Rica (coming soon)
  • ASL 1150C – Intermediate American Sign Language – Costa Rica (coming soon)
  • ASL 1160 – Advanced American Sign Language – Costa Rica (coming soon)
  • ASL 1300 – Structure of American Sign Language – Costa Rica (coming soon)
  • ASL 1510 – Introduction to Deaf Culture – Costa Rica (coming soon)
  • ASL 2210C – American Sign Language IV – Costa Rica (coming soon)

Dental Hygiene

  • DEH 2702C – Community Dental Health Practicum –  Antigua (coming soon)

Veterinary Technology

  • ATE 2947 – Veterinary Technology  Practicum Work Experience V – Ireland (coming soon)

Humanities

International Relations

Interdisciplinary Honors

Natural Sciences 

World Languages