By Mike Hottleman
COM 222 writer
Amanda Fernandes is a junior and international student at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. When asked about American students becoming an immigrant to her country of Brazil she replied, “Wow. I’ve never thought about it that way.” For many like Fernandes, the definition of “immigrant” means a foreigner arriving in America. But just as many, if not more, never think about the American as the immigrant, or how much immigration influences the daily lives of Americans worldwide.
Immigration in America
Despite being a hot topic in current affairs, immigration in America is not a new subject. Janis Flint-Ferguson, an education professor and an overseer of the ESL concentration at Gordon College, described some of the history of immigration in America. In the 1800’s, immigrants were coming to Ellis Island with the hope of a new life. Unfortunately, this came with a sacrifice. “There was this sense of Americanizing kids back then,” said Flint-Ferguson, “[with] parents giving up on their backgrounds to give their kids an American and, presumably, better life.” Desperate times called for desperate measures.
Today, there is still some sense of this desperation. America is still seen as the “land of opportunity” in many people’s eyes. According to dhs.gov, 1.13 million people obtained legal permanent resident status in America in 2009 alone. Reasons why people immigrate to the U.S. include higher paying jobs or a safer environment for their families. But one value, according to those interviewed, is universal: education.
Education
As an immigrant obtaining her education in the U.S., Fernandes believes there are numerous ways Gordon students could help her country. In particular, she stressed the issue of education. “Americans have the best schools. I think Brazil has only fi
Yohan Ju, 18, proudly displays the flags of South Korea and Singapore outside his dorm room at Gordon College.
ve of the best schools in the world. People who are educated in the U.S. could definitely help the education system in Brazil.”
Despite any skepticism about the quality of American education, the Unites States still boasts 13 schools ranked in the top 20 best in the world, including three (Harvard, Yale, and MIT) in the top five, according to topuniversities.com. Brazil, however, scored highest at 253rd with the Universidade de São Paulo, which fell from its 207th ranking in 2009. Brazil’s other schools did not test well, with only one other university ranking in the top 500, and many other countries do not have high-ranking universities, either.
For example, Spain’s highest-ranking university comes in at 148th, which is an improvement since 2009, but there is still room for improvement. Cindy Sherman, a junior at Gordon, majoring in education and Spanish, is currently studying in Seville, Spain. From her experience, she has learned a lot about the need for better education worldwide. “[In Seville] Up until these last few years, the system of learning another language has simply been, ‘here’s your vocabulary list, memorize it. Now.’ Coming from an education major, let’s just say that this is probably the worst scenario possible.”
American students do not have to travel the world to impact people of other cultures, however. Flint-Ferguson explained that many education majors have student teaching positions at local elementary schools in towns nearby Gordon. “Our schools are filled with the children of immigrants,” said Flint-Ferguson, “and it is important that our students pay attention to the school’s diverse community.” She also mentioned that, through teaching these children, it gives Gordon students a slice of what another culture is like. “Being able to teach the children of immigrants in America helps prepare our students for studying or teaching abroad,” she added.
Proceed With Caution
While there is a need for better education worldwide, American students must be cautious when interacting with another culture. Yohan Ju, a freshman at Gordon and Korean immigrant, discussed the influence of Americans in Korea. “There are a lot of English teachers in Korea [who are] prepping Koreans to be able to study at American universities.”
He continued to explain that because of the value of an American education, learning English is a huge deal to Koreans. But he also expressed a catch. “You don’t make them adapt to you; you adapt to them,” Ju said in reference to Americans coming in to Korean culture. Much of Korean culture is respect-based, but not all Americans necessarily have the same values, or want to adapt. “It is very important that American students show Koreans that not all of them are a bad influence,” Ju added.
American Gordon students can certainly influence this world. But, as Flint-Ferguson put it best, “America should not be a melting pot, but a salad, with each ‘flavor’ contributing to the whole.”
Journtastic's Judicious Journalism 