By Ken Kuntzelman

AWC International Programs attract students from around the world.Yuma and AWC have a rich cultural diversity and significant international population. Students from more than 30 countries make up nearly 8 percent of our enrollment. This semester we have 52 international students from 17 countries here on temporary student visas (F1). About one third (17) of our international students participate in sports, 5 of them belong to the Honors Program and 5 work as math and science tutors at the Student Success Center.

International students make up the majority of members in the AWC i-Team, a student club devoted to appreciating, sharing, and understanding different cultures and learning about International issues at their weekly meetings. The iTeam meets on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. near the Campus Life area of the 3C Building. This growing club is planning several activities and field trips, and it welcomes all students.

Anyone interested in connecting with students with international interests can do so on Facebook (AWC International Students) or follow us on Twitter @AWC_IntProgram.

Finally, several students from Yuma County are looking toward Education Abroad opportunities next summer in England, Portugal and Spain, among other countries. There are many programs for Study Abroad and tremendous new opportunities developing for Volunteer Service Abroad. Scholarships are available. Contact the International Office (317-6091) for more information.

Some interesting facts about AWC International Student Alumni:

• Long M. Hoang (Vietnam, class of 2007, SGA President) -received his Bachelor's from UT and now works for McKesson Corporation in San Francisco.
• Sasmita Parajuli (Nepal, Class of 2008, Nursing, President of i-Team 2005) - worked at YRMC Emergency Room, now pursuing a Master's in Nursing at UofA.
• Lam Trinh (Vietnam, class of 2008, All-USA Scholar, president of i-Team) - received his masters from Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU and is now working for Mitsubishi in Tokyo.
• Prince Osemene (Nigeria, Class of 2012, Homecoming King, President of i-Team 2011) - studying Airline Crash Investigation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautic University in Prescott, Ariz.
• Ai Liu (China, Class of 2012) - B.S. in Nursing from U of Co. Denver; now studying medicine at Johns Hopkins University.

Some interesting facts about current AWC International Students

• Miguel Ovono (Equatorial Guinea) - studying engineering - plans to build roads and bridges in West Africa.
• Francisco Javier Gonzalez (Monterrey N.L. Mexico) - studying biology; plans to become a doctor; currently doing an internship with AZ Fish & Game Species Recovery Project.
• Tuan Nguyen (Hochiminh, Vietnam) - current i-Team president; majoring in Business; Honors, Phi Theta Kappa.
• Abhishek Indoria (Jaipur, India) - studied at Cambridge Preparatory in U.K.; transferred from NYC; majoring in Computer Science; Honors i-Team VP.