Photos celebrate UI global experience during International Education Week

Seeing your native language illuminated on campus. Playing the rababa, one of the oldest string instruments, in Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert. A class photo reenacting the birth of Athena in front of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. These moments were experienced and captured in photos by University of Iowa students who studied abroad and by international students studying at Iowa.

They are among the winning images selected for the 2022 International Programs annual photo contest as part of International Education Week—a way to inspire greater awareness of the many ways the UI community can experience international education.

The UI will celebrate International Education Week Nov. 14–18. A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, International Education Week celebrates the many ways international education and exchange opportunities prepare people for community-building in both national and international settings.

In addition to this year’s photo contest winners, the UI celebration also will feature award ceremonies for the annual UI International Impact and Global Student Awards, as well as a wide variety of events and info sessions hosted by UI colleges, departments, and student organizations, reflecting the diverse work being done across campus to advance global engagement.

“International Education Week provides our campus with an opportunity to promote and celebrate Iowa’s global engagement,” says Russell Ganim, UI associate provost and dean of International Programs. “Historically, the UI’s global mission extends from faculty research at international destinations to the recruitment of thousands of international students and the creation of study abroad programs for countless Iowa students.”

A total of 2,063 international students studied or conducted post-graduate research at the UI in fall 2022. They came to Iowa from 106 foreign countries and territories. In addition, during the 2021-22 academic year, more than $520,000 was awarded to students to study abroad, with 527 students participating in study abroad programs in 47 different countries.

Another key event occurring in the lead-up to International Education Week will be the official dedication of the International Ballroom in the Iowa Memorial Union, which will feature a permanent display of international flags representing the home countries of all of UI’s international students and scholars.

“The International Ballroom recognizes Iowa’s proud history of welcoming international students and scholars,” says Ganim. “It also celebrates their many contributions to the UI community while underscoring Iowa’s role as a leader in global education.”

The dedication will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11. UI President Barbara Wilson will make welcoming remarks.  

International Education Week is also the time to honor the recipients of the UI’s annual International Impact and Global Student awards.

International Impact Award

The UI International Impact Award recognizes distinguished alumni and other individuals with significant ties to Iowa who have made important contributions internationally.

Andy Code

Andy Code, a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs and longtime supporter of Iowa, is the recipient of this year’s International Impact Award for his global efforts as a social justice and human empowerment advocate.

Code holds a bachelor of arts degree in finance and an MBA from Iowa, and is a founder, partner, and chairman of Promus, a private equity investment firm. Code’s abiding and passionate commitment to putting his wealth and good fortune to work for the benefit of others spurred him and his wife, Susie Code, a graduate of the UI College of Nursing, to establish the Code Family Foundation in 1997. The foundation has helped young students receive quality education in their home countries and has sponsored many students to study in the United States.

Code’s mentorship of young Haitians enrolled in the Tippie College of Business’ Institute for International Business inspires students and advances Iowa’s educational mission. He supports numerous organizations that are involved in health justice in marginalized communities around the world. And the Code family’s major contributions to the UI Carver College of Medicine and College of Nursing support impactful health care programs in Niger and Eswatini, as well as pediatric care and healthier futures for children in several remote Ugandan communities.

Global Student Awards

The Global Student Awards recognize one undergraduate and one graduate student who are leaders engaged in international education on campus or abroad. The award was established by International Programs and the Division of Student Life in 2019.

The recipients of this year’s Global Student Awards are Ryann Hubbart, an undergraduate student (international studies and economics) from Clinton, Iowa; and Frankline Matanji, a PhD student (journalism and mass communications) from Mumias, Kenya.

Ryann Hubbart

Hubbart’s extensive engagement includes completing a Critical Language Scholarship in Jordan, serving as a UI Arabic Peer Tutor, working as a social media and marketing specialist at the UI Center for Language and Culture Learning, and involvement in the Translate Iowa Project.

“Ryann is among the best and most globally engaged students I have ever had the pleasure to work with,” says her nominator, Ari Ariel, director of International Studies and associate professor of instruction, history, and international studies. “The Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and the programs of international studies and Arabic, have benefited immeasurably from Ryann’s presence. We simply would not be the same place without her.”

Frankline Matanji

Matanji’s research has focused on Kenyan broadcast journalists and how they make decisions on what to air when covering Chinese investment in Kenya. He was awarded the T. Anne Cleary Dissertation Award, a Stanley Award for International Research, the Graduate Engagement Corps Grant, and has served as a member of the International Student Advisory Board, as a member of the English Language Proficiency and Teaching working group, and as a peer mentor as part of the iPeer program that supports other international students.

“Frankline is a leader and mentor for international students at the University of Iowa,” says his nominator, Melissa Tully, associate professor and director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “He works formally and informally to mentor and support international graduate students and has been particularly dedicated to sharing his experiences and opportunities with other students from sub-Saharan Africa. He epitomizes the qualities of the Global Student Award.”

Russ Ganim will present the International Impact Award and Global Student Awards in a public ceremony at the UI Stanley Museum of Art at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, during a special WorldCanvass program event hosted by Joan Kjaer.

Photo Contest Winners

Hawkeye Spirit

FIRST PLACE
The Sunset Club
Name: Mariana Ruiz Nascimento
Graduate student, College of Education, literacy, culture, and language education
Hometown: Uberlândia, Brazil

The Sunset Club, Old Capitol

“A few months ago, I found out there is a club at the university called The Sunset Club. It’s a group of people who go to the Old Capitol to watch the sunset. It is simple—you just go there and sit. I was so impressed by their commitment in going to the steps every day. The group highlights the importance of building up connections and giving yourself a break from studies to appreciate what is surrounding you. This is a photo of my friend Sophia, one of the attendees, watching the view.”

SECOND PLACE
Lights in the Dawn
Kun Zhou, PhD candidate, journalism and mass communication, from Iowa City, Iowa

Lights in the Dawn at Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building

“When I study late one day in the first week of this semester, I saw the scenery of dawn and captured this beautiful moment. I saw my familiar native language on the lamp, which allows every international student to capture their own language. The scholarly environment at UI is amazing and diversified like the lamp lighted in the dawn. It’s in my memory.”

Exploring Local Cultures and Traditions

FIRST PLACE
Music Lessons in the Desert
Ryann Hubbart, fourth-year student studying international studies and economics from Clinton, Iowa
Host country: Jordan
Program: Critical Language Scholarship for Arabic, summer 2022

Music Lessons in the Desert, in Wadi Rum, Jordan

“I had an amazing musical experience during my two months in Jordan, from a month of violin lessons in downtown Amman to group dabke lessons (a style of dance in the Levant). When we took a trip to Wadi Rum, we listened to a man sing while playing the rababa, a bowed string instrument. Before we left, I got to play ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ on the rababa.”

SECOND PLACE
Kapchorwa: Home of Friends
Isabella Zortman, fourth-year student studying international studies from Avoca, Iowa
Host country: Uganda
Program: SIT Global Development Studies, spring 2022

Kapchorwa: Home of Friends, in Kapchorwa, Uganda
A Sebei woman sorting beans in front of her family shop in Kapchorwa in preparation for export.

Student Experience

FIRST PLACE
Birth of Athena
Jordan Jones, of Noblesville, Indiana, is studying classics
Host country: Greece
Program: Greece: Ancient Perspectives, Modern Eyes program, summer 2022

Birth of Athena, at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece
Students organizing a reenactment of the east pediment of the Parthenon in Athens, which shows the birth of Athena.

SECOND PLACE
Overlooking One of the Seven Wonders
Dean Omar, a second-year student from Ames, Iowa, is studying health and human physiology
Host country: Jordan
Program: SIT Counseling and Humanitarian Action in Jordan, summer 2022

Overlooking One of the Seven Wonders, Petra Jordan
“On a weekend excursion, we were able to visit the ancient city of Petra, known to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This photo was taken on a cliff just opposite the red rose carved out of the cliff that many people know as the ‘face’ of Petra. And of course, there’s the Jordanian flag flying behind me as well.”