UDP Internacional

11 January 2024

On Friday, January 5, 14 students from Wake Forest University arrived at UDP to be part of a program that will allow them, through classes, activities and field trips, to delve deeper into various disciplines and learn more about the national culture.

This is one of the most important groups that the UDP has received, from Wake Forest, after the pandemic. In that sense, the program, which has been at the University for 10 years, has grown considerably and, on this occasion, integrated 5 UDP students, who have stood out for their good level of English.

Paola Ortubia, coordinator of the American University program at the DGRRII, commented that, during this semester, international and Chilean students will have the opportunity to participate in a rigorous program that includes classes in Politics, Economics and Music, among other disciplines. . They will also be able to take trips to countries such as Argentina, Ecuador and Peru.

“This semester ends on May 10 and, throughout January, the students will have classes at the UDP and in February they will make some trips outside of Chile, to integrate, in March. This will be a more intensive semester. We have an agreement with Wake Forest for more than 10 years and two years ago the modality changed to make a shorter semester and take advantage of the calendar they have (…). For the University this is a very important agreement. It has been a very successful program. The students live with Chilean families, so they can also learn a little more about the culture and improve their Spanish,” commented the professional.

For his part, Peter M. Siavelis, director of the Chile Study Abroad program at Wake Forest University, explained that the main objective of this instance is to introduce international students to the “richness of Chilean culture.” “Along with this, there is a broader goal of providing students with solid Spanish language skills and intercultural competence. “We would like our students to return to the United States with a deeper understanding of the differences between American and Chilean culture, but also with an understanding of the similarities that unite us all,” he said.

Likewise, he highlighted the cultural exchange that this program entails: “We seek to provide as many opportunities as possible for interaction between Chilean and American students (…). By teaching classes on the UDP campus and including UDP students in them, our students really get to know Chileans and have the opportunity to make friends with them. Secondly, UDP students will accompany us on our course trip to Buenos Aires, providing an opportunity for students to get to know each other. In addition, we take advantage of the excellent Globaliza program that pairs UDP students with ours to carry out several common activities.”

During the welcome to the UDP, the international students were enthusiastic about this experience. Grace Ayzanoa, a Wake Forest student, said: “I am very excited to be here. In the United States, it is very difficult to find information about Chilean culture. There you only find tourist information, not the real culture of the people.”

Meanwhile, Oliver Fallow, also a Wake Forest student, commented that “this is a very good experience for American students who want to learn more about Latin American culture and the practice of Spanish.” “I have heard about Chilean culture, about Patagonia, but I want to learn more,” concluded the international student.