Even though most of St. Norbert’s students are American, there is a notable international presence on campus. Someone who understands well this international presence is the Executive Director of the Center for Global Engagement, Andelys Bolaños. As director, her responsibility is to oversee all international education initiatives at St. Norbert, be it study abroad, Global Seminars, global campus programming, recruitment or the English as a Second Language Institute.
She had actually stepped away from St. Norbert earlier this year, but recently returned because, in her words, “St. Norbert holds a special place in my heart. I’ve always been passionate about international education, but there’s something about the SNC community — the warmth, the sense of belonging, and the mission-driven commitment to transforming lives — that drew me back.”
Bolaños could not have returned at a better time. Currently, St. Norbert has 25 international students from 16 countries. She stated that she is excited to expand global engagement opportunities on campus such as intercultural programming, new study abroad partnerships and further collaborations with faculty and students. She also hopes to continue growing the international student population and to continue improving programs under the CGE for all students because “global learning is not just about where you go — it’s about how you engage.”
Having worked with many international students, Bolaños said that orientation week for international students is always a highlight for her because she gets to see students from diverse cultures to interact for the first time and make friends as they try to get their bearing in the U.S., many of them new arrivals to the country. One such highlight for her was taking a group of students from Tajikistan, Montenegro, France and Cambodia to a hockey game where a Swedish student explained to them the game.
Bolaños’s office is in the Bemis International Center, where she works every day to improve global programs as well as waiting to talk to students to help them and share in their success.