Former Humphrey Fellow returns to Blacksburg

Salem bin Talib (left), a 2010 Humphrey Fellow, poses for a photo with this year's cohort of Fellows and LCI staff and teachers. Salem talked with the Fellows about what to expect during their Fellowship year.

A former member of Yemen's Parliament, Salem is now the chief of staff for the Yemeni prime minister. He assists the prime minister and prepares all the decrees for the high-level positions in the country.

Salem catches up with his former teacher Pinar Gurdal.

2012 Humphrey Fellow to speak about disabilities and the WHO

Magteld Smith

Magteld Smith, a 2012 Humphrey Fellow from South Africa who studied at the LCI and the University of Minnesota, will return to Blacksburg this month to give a talk about hearing impairment and the international classification of disability.

Her presentation, "Hearing Impairments and the International Classification of Disability, Health, and Functioning of the World Health Organization," will be at 3 p.m. Friday, April 12 at 130 Jackson: A Venue for Blacksburg at 130 Jackson St. downtown.

The talk, sponsored by Virginia Tech's Office for Diversity and Inclusion, is free and open to the public. Coffee and refreshments will be provided.

R.S.V.P. to shelbs19@vt.edu.

Smith is a medical-social researcher in the otorhinolaryngology department at South Africa's University of the Free State. She is an advocate for efforts to improve the conditions of people with disabilities, particularly those with disabling hearing impairment. 

Her research compares the cost effectiveness of rehabilitation programs for persons with disabling hearing impairment, including multiple disabilities associated with hearing impairment, making it possible for more people to have access to a wider array of rehabilitation options.

During her fellowship year in Minnesota, Smith, the founder of Voices of Change: Transformation for People with Disabilities Project, focused on public health policy management.

Students see how county government functions

On Tuesday, the Turkish students in the American Government elective went on a field trip to observe a meeting of the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors. All students attended.

We arrived a half-hour before the meeting began and were treated to a presentation on the structure and functioning of the board by Tracy Gordon, assistant to the county executive and legislative liaison. 

The board’s meeting focused on budget issues. As legislative liaison, Gordon gave a presentation to the board on state tax actions and proposals that bear a direct affect on Prince William County. 

The board had an engaging discussion of taxing within the county vis-à-vis state funding and public transportation in the Northern Virginia region, and allowed students to see the intersections and interactions of state and local governments. 

We observed the meeting for two hours, after which Gordon gave us a tour of the county government facility where all the county’s departments are headquartered.

Students asked extraordinarily insightful questions before, during, and after the board meeting. They gave a clear demonstration of the importance and value of special-purpose coursework for language learning.

LCI students witness democracy in action at U.S. Capitol

A docent talks with LCI students in the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

On Wednesday, Feb. 6, the Language and Culture Institute in Falls Church took its 100 students on a field trip to the U.S. Capitol and the U.S. Botanic Garden.

After getting off the Metro, our first stop was the Botanic Garden, the oldest continually operating botanic garden in the country. It is home to almost 10,000 living specimens, some of which are more than 165 years old. From roses to orchids, the rain forest to the rare and endangered plants, we found a world of plants and environments in their diversity of form, color, and fragrance that reminded us that plants make our lives possible and enjoyable.

After an hour touring this magnificent place and taking thousands of pictures, we headed toward the Capitol Building.

The Capitol, one of the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world, stands as a monument not only to its builders but also to the American people and their government. After going through the screening process, we went down to Emancipation Hall (PDF), where we got our passes.

The statues and busts in the Rotunda are primarily of presidents.

 The introductory film, "Out of Many, One," was an inspiring kickoff to the tour. It gave us a historical overview of the Capitol and a history of the Congress.

Next, we were split into groups, given headsets, and taken to various areas inside the Capitol by the docents. Of all the areas, the students thought the Rotunda, with its giant paintings and statues of some of the most important characters in U.S. history, was the most impressive.

The final exciting moment was when we got the passes to see the House of Representatives in session. As we watched Republican U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert deliver a speech, we felt like we were witnessing history in the making.

Instructors pose with their passes to see the U.S. House of Representatives chamber.

On this day, we indeed did something extraordinary. We got a glimpse inside the building that symbolizes the greatest representative democracy in the world. We were all very pleased to have this unique and exciting opportunity.

Fall graduation photos

Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute 2012 Fall Graduation, a set on Flickr.

'Ideas worth spreading ... '

TEDxTalks has released videos of the presentations from the inaugural TEDxVirginiaTech event held last month on the Blacksburg campus.

Links to each of the presentations can be found on the TEDxVirginiaTech website.

Among the speakers was Caitlin Floreal, a 2006 alumna who spoke on "Using a World-Class Education Where It Is Needed Most." See her video below.

Students bring holiday cheer to Blacksburg nursing home

A number of Language and Culture Institute students made a gray Monday a bit brighter for some local nursing home residents.

Kay Gude and about a dozen of her students, plus Linda Sanford, visited Heritage Hall on South Main Street in Blacksburg. There, they handed out more than two dozen presents neatly packaged in festive bags to some of the men and women in long-term care.

"We went to Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree and picked out gifts based on what they liked and what they needed," said student Amwaj Al Bahar, of Kuwait.

Students visited with the residents and took photos with them as they delivered the presents. "They're like the little Santa elves!" Gude said as she pushed a cart full of gifts down a hallway.

These sorts of visits make the residents smile, said Sherry Reynolds, the activity director at Heritage Hall. "They like seeing the young people and being around the young people," she said. "This really brightened everyone's spirits."

(Click on a photo to see a larger version.)