ASU students share the long-term impact of study abroad on their life plans

This summer, four Arizona State University students participated in a five-week teaching assignment in São Paulo, Brazil.

The first of its kind for ASU in Brazil, this program fulfilled a number of study-abroad program offering needs: to provide an opportunity for students to gain classroom teaching experience and to expand study-abroad program offerings in South America. 

"Until this program, we didn't have many options for students to study abroad in Brazil. This program provides a great opportunity for campus-based and ASU Online students alike to gain real-world experience in a cosmopolitan city like São Paulo," said Barbara Young, international coordinator, senior in the ASU Study Abroad Office. "South America is a lot closer and is far more affordable of a price tag for the cost of living to better suit the needs of our students."

This program was facilitated in partnership with the ASU Study Abroad Office and local organizations, social benefit nonprofit 4YOU2 and Campus Brasil. 4YOU2's unique internship curriculum divided their experience up into six themes: Your Development Journey, Cultural Engagement, English Language Instruction, Leadership, Administrative Activities and Social Partnership, accounting for 150 total internship contact hours.

"The internship placements tend to be in low-income areas for Brazilian citizens who don't have an opportunity otherwise to build proficiency in English, particularly those who work in the hospitality and tourism industries," Young said.

4YOU2 placed students in English language schools across São Paulo, and Campus Brasil provided in-country support, including housing assistance, visa coordination, cultural excursion, in-country orientation and local transportation.

ASU Now talked with two students who finished up their program on Aug. 5, to learn more about their experiences: Jordan Husk, an ASU Online senior and English major through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' English department and Tim Ashe Jr., Spanish PhD candidate through the School of International Letters and Cultures in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Question: What drew you to the Teach English in Brazil program?

Husk: This internship allowed me to do something I loved and help me figure out what direction I wanted my career to go in. I was looking into getting a master’s degree and education for teaching, but I was unsure if I would like it enough to make it my profession. I like to travel, and this internship gave me the opportunity to travel and find out if I like to teach enough to make it a career. This opportunity has opened my eyes to several different teaching possibilities, including teaching English as a second language, and this program gave me the experience I wanted without the risk.

Q: Did you face any challenges in preparing to study abroad? If so, what were they? How did you overcome them?

Husk: I did not face any challenges so to speak while getting ready to prepare. I had enough time to get my things together and make sure I had the tools and resources I needed, so I felt prepared. 

Ashe: Yes, I faced some monetary issues in preparing to study abroad. Studying abroad as a graduate student is not cheap. I overcame them by working multiple jobs during the school year and summer and trying to save as much money as possible before arriving to Brazil.

Q: What preparation or support did you receive to teach courses through this program?

Husk: We can ask questions to the Campus Brasil or 4YOU2 team at any time, and 4YOU2 has a hub manager on site when we teach classes if we have any issues. 

Ashe: I have my master’s degree in both English education and in bicultural learning, so I was trained to teach in courses and programs like this one. My current PhD program also offers and requires pedagogical training, too, as part of the coursework and teacher development. Additionally, as a teaching associate at ASU, they assist the instructors with training. The internship through the language academy — 4YOU2 — has provided us with assistance to learn their curriculum and teach Brazilian students as well.

Q: Describe a day in the life on your internship. What is your teaching assignment like? Whom are you teaching? What kind of experiences are you cultivating for your students? What do you enjoy the most/least?

Husk: We had some time at the beginning of the internship to explore the city and get a sense of the culture. Day to day, we usually get breakfast or lunch together if we sleep in, and travel to the school, teach two classes and head back home. We occasionally go out together and night, and we do go out and spend time with each other on the weekends. The teaching assignment is two classes every day, generally with adults — on average they are around 25–35. 

For my students, many of them have told me this is the first time they have spent time and talked to a foreigner, so the language and cultural aspects I am showing them, even through simple conversation, is something new and exciting for them. I love how kind and excited my students are, and perhaps the least enjoyable thing is the long commute time to the school. 

Ashe: My typical day is teaching from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. I teach mostly adults from the ages of 18–35.  Most of my students are professionals who worked during the day and then took English classes during the late afternoon/evening. Some of my students are high school students and college undergrads on break, too. 

I enjoyed using technology and current events to teach my students using different types of interactive tools. I taught all levels of English to them — beginner, intermediate and advanced — in three different classes. I enjoyed learning about a new culture and gaining their perspectives on life. Teaching can be exhausting, but they always brought a positive attitude and an open mind to our activities.