University of Denver Fall 2023

International students and alumni reflect on their DU experience BY CONNOR MOKRZYCKI GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

With more than 70% of undergraduates studying abroad, global learning is a signature DU experience. From once in-a-lifetime interterm trips to quarter-long study abroad programs, there are countless opportunities for students to travel, experience and learn from people and places across the world. But, for many students, DU is where they come to have global experiences and share their unique perspectives. The more than 650 members of the University’s diverse international student community hail from nearly 100 countries, bringing valuable and unique perspectives and talents onto campus and out into the world after graduation. From gymnast Jessica Lopez Gaveika (BA ’09), a three-time Olympian from Venezuela, and legendary Chinese opera singer Hao Jiang Tian (MA ’87) to Njabulo Ndebele (PhD ’83), chairman of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and the late Nigerian novelist and scholar Isidore Okpewho (PhD ’76), DU’s international alumni have made their mark for decades. More than ever, students’ ability to find global per spectives and experiences in the classroom and abroad is important. “We're living in a global world now,” says Theresa Johnson, director of International Student and Scholar Services. “It would be very rare to go through life and not interact with someone from a different country or a different cultural background. Having international students on campus, as well as international faculty and staff teaching and working on campus, creates opportu nities for interactions and learning across the entire DU community.” Chances to meet, connect and learn across borders and cultures, she says, are a key component of the DU experience, and play a major role in sending students on a path towards living lives of purpose and strengthening DU’s global community. Each with their own unique educational journey and career path, four students and alumni offer their global perspectives on the DU experience.

24 | UNIVERSITY of DENVER MAGAZINE • FALL 2023