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In This Issue:Advisors’ Angle: Cultural Adjustment. . . . . . . . . . 3

International Education Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ntroducing:Director of Administration Amber Zumski-Finke . . . . . . .4

Keeping Up with NODPrograms. . . .. . . . . . . .. . . 2

Tidbits: U.S. Homecoming Facts . . . .4

nod vOICESSTRONG START FOR YASAMEENY

asameen Mohammadi of Afghanistan finished the 2012-13 school year - her first at St. Paul Preparatory School (SPP) - on a strong note, winning multiple art awards.

As her junior year begins, she is taking that momentum even further as a student leader.

In her second year on Student Council, Yasameen recognizes what it takes to be a multicultural leader. She says that SPP has helped her become a culturally conscious leader. She notes how the broad background of SPP’s student population lends to diverse ways of thinking. “Ideas here are very different; you have to see openly from every aspect and culture to make decisions,” she says.

Over the summer, Yasameen worked with Film Annex, a New York-based internet media company, writing blogs and translating others’ blogs between the English and Persian language in her home country. The company is working on a film documentary of her experiences and life story.

Last year, Yasameen won an award from the Dream@50 Art competition honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for her drawing titled Freedom. She had artwork on display at the 2013 annual ARTwalk exhibition of student artwork in downtown St. Paul, MN, and her artwork was selected to be featured on a Clear Channel ARTwalk electronic billboard. Yasameen was awarded 2nd Place for “My Old House” in the 2013 Congressional Art Competition, which is now hanging in MN Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s Washington D.C. office.

SPP art teacher Kate Woolever Martinez sees Yasameen’s leadership expressed in her art: “In her artwork and in her everyday values, Yasameen is here to make a statement, to educate others, to stand up for what she believes and make a positive change in the world.”

Congresswoman Betty McCollum & Yasameen Mohammadi with her painting at the 2013 Congressional Art Competition

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Board of DirectorsDr. Frank Tarsitano, PhD – ChairmanMr. Steve Murphy – SecretaryMs. Alice Murphy – TreasurerMr. Gerard AvundoMr. Arnold Franco Mr. Francois Jean HucMs. Hilda Jaffe

Senior Management TeamDr. Frank Tarsitano, PhD – CEO & PresidentMr. Richard Banasikowski, MA – Vice President Mr. Jean Burdin – President, Nacel InternationalMr. Roy S. Nilsson – CFO

Advisory BoardMr. Jean Burdin – President, Nacel InternationalMr. Pierre Coudry – Interclass BrazilMs. Toni Cowles – Retired, Lauder Institute at the Wharton School, UPENNMr. Jaeho Eohm – International Language Forum, KoreaDr. Abraham Ho, DA – Nacel AsiaMs. Marie Jose Huc – CLC

NACEL OPEN DOOR EXECUTIVES

This newsletter is a publication of Nacel Open Door, Inc. For more information on NOD programs and opportunities, please call 800-622-3553, or visit our website at www.nacelopendoor.org.

Newsletter Production Staff: Director of Operations: Rae LenwayDirector of Marketing & Communications: Shannon RauschMarketing Communications Assistant: Karina Rajtar

Nacel Open Door, Inc. (NOD) offers multiple programs

in the United States and abroad to meet a variety of cultural and academic goals for all students.

These programs range in duration from one week to multiple years. The focus of some programs is a complete cultural immersion and exchange, while others are focused more on college preparation.

KEEPING UP WITH NOD PROGRAMSAll Nacel Open Door programs are busy with the start of the academic year. While Short Term Program (STP) directors shift their focus to hiring and training qualified Local Representatives, other NOD programs are in the full swing of school.

Students on the Academic Year Program (AYP) and Private School Program (PSP) are adjusting to their American Host Families, schools, and communities. Many are taking full advantage of their U.S. experience by making new friends, joining extracurricular activities, and teaching their classmates and neighbors about their home country. Others are still adjusting and gradually getting to this point of involvement.

St. Paul Preparatory School (SPP) had a successful student and staff overnight retreat at Camp Courage, setting the stage for a great school year. The students participated in many team-building activities as well as canoeing, sports, a sign-along, and swimming. As part of the school’s Positive Behavior Intervention and Systems (PBIS), staff has introduced a new school-wide W.O.R.L.D. acronym (Work hard, Opportunity, Respect, Leadership, Decision-making). Each student

should now have a thorough understanding of the significance of each letter.

SPP also effectively completed its first weeks of Achieve 3000; an online reading enhancement program. The faculty is excited about the prospects of this program and hopes it will help improve the reading level and knowledge base of all students.

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Cultural adjustment has often been described as a rollercoaster. Students may be happy and excited about their exchange program one day but nervous and homesick the next. Sharing their feelings with a Local Representative or other trusted adult may give students a way to process their experience.

As students begin to get settled in their Host Families, schools, and communities, the cultural differences can feel over-whelming sometimes. Students may feel homesick often during this period of adjustment. Some people may experience homesickness as feelings of sadness and anxiety; other people may feel irritable or hopeless. If students

feel any of these symptoms of home-sickness, they may benefit from trying several coping strategies.

Staying active and building relationships is a good way to work through home-sickness. Encourage students to sign up for an after-school activity or to invite a classmate to hang out with them during the weekend. Students can ask their Local Representatives, teachers, or Host Families for ideas about upcoming school or community activities. Spending time with the Host Family can help students focus on their experience here instead of thinking about what is happening in their home country.

A positive attitude affects how a person views his or her new experiences. Deliberately finding a positive aspect of each day can help cultivate a balanced perspective. Encourage students to think about their Host Family, school, and community: what is something that they like in each of those areas? Whether it is a new hobby, an interesting subject, favorite meal, or a new friend, exploring that interest can enrich each student’s adjustment.

We look forward to working with each student as they adjust to their new experiences. The Advising Team welcomes any questions and wishes everyone the best possible year.

ADvISORS’ ANGlE: CUlTURAl ADJUSTMENT

In 2000, the U.S. Departments of State and Education teamed up to create International Education Week (IEW), a week dedicated to celebrating the benefits of international education and exchange.

Now, IEW is celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide each November. This year’s IEW is November 11-15.

Celebrations and events to commemorate IEW vary. Some organizations host international parties; some host guest speakers who can teach the audience about another culture or their personal story of international education; the Nacel Open Door National Office holds an annual international potluck.

Students are encouraged to use IEW as an opportunity to share their culture with their Host Family, school, and community in a special way. They can arrange to give a presentation about their culture, perform a dance or song, play an instrument unique to their home country, share a recipe or cook for their Host Family, or work with their Local

Representative to put together an international party with other international students.

NOD encourages you, our partners, to share your International Education Week celebrations with us! We would love to see how you celebrate the benefits of international education, and to share this with our Host Families via our blogs and Facebook page!

INTERNATIONAl EDUCATION WEEK

The National Office celebrates IEW with an annual international potluck.

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Nacel Open Door National Office 380 Jackson Street, Suite 200

St. Paul, MN 55101 USA

T: 651-686-0080800-622-3553

F: 651-686-9601www.nacelopendoor.orginfo@nacelopendoor.org

www.facebook.com/NacelOpenDoorInc

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U.S. TIDBITS INTRODUCING...Amber Zumski-Finke: Director of Administration & Compliance

Amber oversees administration and compliance for AYP and PSP. She works with NOD’s partners to ensure student applications are complete and qualified and with the network of Local Reps and Coordinators to ensure students are safe and all Department of State and CSIET requirements are met. The way Amber likes to think of it is that she is involved in “anything that has a piece of paper that goes with it.”

Each day opens Amber’s eyes a little more about the world. “I really like working with people from so many different cultural backgrounds,” she says. “I get to learn new things all the time.” Amber always had an interest in other cultures. In college, she studied abroad in Cuba. “Getting to see another culture so intimately really changed how I see the world,” she says. She enjoys facilitating similar experiences for others.

In working with partners all over the world, Amber says, communication, is key. Even if an update is that there are no changes, communication with the National Office makes data processing smoother.

Waiting until student applications are complete before sending them also helps move the placement process along, Amber says. An application can’t be processed until it is complete, so sending all pieces together accelerates the process of making an acceptance decision and having Local Reps begin searching for Host Families.

Amber’s advice to students is to be open to trying the local cuisine. She would remind students that the new things they see and try in the U.S. are not weird, just different. Finally, she offers a fair warning: “Our chocolate’s not as good as yours is.”

Amber can be reached by email at azumski@nacelopendoor.org or at ext. 614.

AMERICAN FUN FACTS

• Homecoming traditions began in 1911 when the University of Missouri invited alumni to “come home” for a weekend of speeches, rallies, parades, and the annual football game against the University of Kansas.

• Other schools began to host Homecoming as a way to boost school spirit and connect current students with alumni.

• Some schools elect a “Homecoming Court” consisting of a Homecoming King, Homecoming Queen, and a Court of Princes and Princesses.

• Homecoming celebrations usually last an entire week. Most schools have a theme for each day, and there are often school spirit events in the evenings. Homecoming Week typically ends in a football game and a dance.

• Some towns host a Homecoming parade. These often include the school’s marching band, the Home-coming Court, the football team, and other school sports teams and clubs.

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Oct. 4th!