I recently had the opportunity to attend a CENET program hosted by the Missouri State University International Leadership and Training Center (ILTC). I was very impressed with the students sponsored by CENET as well as by the high quality presentation and discussion that took place between the students and ILTC staff. The discussions centered around cultural differences and how to better understand and appreciate those differences. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on leadership. The students were very engaged and brought their own unique perspectives to questions such as:  How is leadership defined?  What does it mean to be an ethical leader? Is it possible to be a bad person and still be a good leader?  What impact does cultural perspective have on how leadership is defined? What I truly enjoyed was listening to the students from different countries sharing their diverse views on leadership.  I left the meeting hoping that the program will become an annual event at Missouri State University.

-Dr. Jim Baker, Vice President for Research & Economic Development and International Programs

I personally really enjoyed the group of J-1 students. I got to know some of them individually during the campus tour. They were fun and brilliant! I was impressed by their English skills and global perspectives. It was such a great opportunity for us too, because we learned so much from them. It was especially great to see that at the reception, all of the students were  interacting with international students leaders and faculty and staff from MSU. What a great example of effective cross-cultural communication!

Yi Winnie Wu, International Leadership Training Center

I had a wonderful experience participating in this event. I think the J-1 students were amazing and I loved that many of them participated in the panel by asking questions. As an international and graduate student, I believe that it is very important to share knowledge to connect the world and understand the different cultures of each country.

Natalia Arcaya Cortina, International Student Leader

First of all, I want to thank CENET and MSU for having chosen me for this experience and also for always keeping in touch with us. My favorite part of the day was the campus tour. It’s a beautiful place with awesome buildings, especially the recreation center. The event was interesting. We learned about leadership and also we had the chance to share with international students of different countries. In the panel we learned a little bit of the background of the students and their opinion of what is leadership.

-Michael Joaquin, Dominican Republic

I was so excited about visiting Missouri State University and I can tell you with confidence that it was one of the most interesting days I’ve had in America. As my major is English, at my university we are trying to investigate all cultural phenomena and also we were speaking about American campuses. So it was one of my dreams to see the differences between pictures and videos that I have seen and the real American university. The most interesting part for me was, of course, the tour around campus and also the motivating speeches of lecturers. Now, I know that after coming back home my life will never be the same. I met some interesting people and had an opportunity to speak with teacher of German language and to know about methods that she uses in her work. American campus has nothing to compare with Ukrainian one. Yes, in Ukraine we have an opportunity to study for free and get a scholarship, but I have never seen such appliances at home. Maybe because of bad financing but who knows. But here, everything is new, renovated. Magnificent gym, pool. I am in love with this place. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to see all this beauty.

-Valeriia, Ukraine

My favorite part of the experience were the talks about cultural differences between China and England. At the event, I learned about communication to promote understanding. The presenters also shared that traveling is a good way to learn different cultures. I noticed differences between the American campus and the Chinese campus. Americans will say hello to strangers who meet on the street. But we do not. If I have a next time in America, I want to communicate more with local students and join a class.

-Yiwen, China

My favorite part was when we were sharing ideas about “what is leadership?” I learned that we have to be a leader, not a boss, and show each other who we are and what we really want. We also must be helpful. I learned that everyone has a different way to see things and everyone wants different things. We each have goals and objectives. I think it is fundamental in every person to know what you want and to understand the value of things. I liked the event because I got to meet people, share about our cultures, and I liked the way as they received us at the university.

-Yerlin, Dominican Republic

It was awesome!! I liked the university. I have never been in such huge university before! I wish I could study there. I liked the lecture about leadership. Overall it was fun and I hope CENET keeps organizing more events like this!!

-Mohamednoman, India

My favorite part of the event was the tour they gave us so we could see the whole university. I also liked what was explained by some of the panelists: the student life, shop, library, pool, gym and more, as well as the fun activities they had for us. I learned so much about leadership. I didn’t know there was more than one kind of leadership, like servant leadership. The two kinds of communication and differences between American culture and some others present in the room. I noticed Americans are very punctual which is a good characteristic, and some other cultures are very relaxed about time. American universities are way bigger in structure than Dominican universities, and they also have so much variety, like gyms, pools, shops, more rooms, and normally students live in the university during the semester. The event was very entertaining! I wish I could tour another American university.

-Laura, Dominican Republic

My favorite part of the experience was the tour. I learned that everybody can be a manager, but not everybody can be a leader. The leader helps others to grow. From the presenters I learned we need to follow our dreams. Also that the first step to learn a language is listening to it, understanding the behavior of the people who speak that language, then practicing. I noticed the U.S. university is bigger and you can practice more sports and activities. I loved the event!

-Ypacaraí, Dominican Republic

When I was hanging out at the university, I heard a melody. It was coming from a tower. I have never seen anything like in a university. At the meeting, I learned about leadership. There were some students from different countries there. They talked about life experience and Master’s degrees. I think being a student at Missouri University is so good. I am interested in Master’s degree. Maybe after I graduate from my school I may come back for a Master’s degree.

-Berat, Turkey

My favorite part of the experience was the presentation. I learned the world is diverse so we have to think critically. And meeting people from other countries is enjoyable and instructive. From the presenters, I like the idea from the girl of Dominican Republic. She said money and fame can make you a manager, but not a leader. I agree with that. I noticed differences in the U.S. university setting. In the U.S. strangers will greet each other but in China they won’t. It’s quite funny because when I first started my work I don’t know we should greet others and people said “how are you ” to me I don’t know what to say so I reply them just like the textbook of English told me” I am fine thank you and you?” But in the U.S. I haven’t heard people say this word “fine” because actually it is not always a good word. It may represent that you are not so good. Overall, I liked the event.

-Ziqiu, China

I am very excited about the experience in the International Leadership conference. I learned about what I have to do to be a leader. It isn’t just telling others what they have to do. I liked the tour and the things that we did there, and I learned a phrase from Rye Barcott, “Experience isn’t knowledge unless you take time to process it.” This phrase inspired me to think “what is the best way to do something?” My favorite panelist was Fanny because i liked how she learned about life even if she was in a different country with another language and culture. In my country to be a leader the trouble is that there aren’t too many opportunities for the new generation of leaders. Thank you for selecting me for this wonderful experience.

-Carla, Dominican Republic

My favorite part of the experience was hearing other J-1 students share their experiences of being in the U.S., and also hearing the other international students (the panelists) that have being in the U.S. and different countries share their experiences as well. I learned communication is the major equipment needed to fully understand a different culture. I also learned Culture Diversity: Based on how you socialize (culture) in your country, it can cause some amount of misconception/misunderstanding to someone of a different culture. I noticed there is a great difference with the U.S universities and the ones in my home country as the U.S universities are much bigger and it has a lot of things to facilitate learning and recreation for students. In my opinion, it make students way more successful as resources are readily at hand. All in all it was a great experience, very interesting and informative. Interested to the point that I’m think about applying to Missouri State University someday.

-Rushanda, Jamaica

The best parts were hearing what makes a leader and the tour around the campus. Things between Dominican Republic’s universities and Missouri State are really different. First the capacity, the equipment and education. Thanks for the experience. I really enjoyed being there.

-Miguel, Dominican Republic