Former ELI Fulbright Student

• July 8th, 2026
• in English Language Institute

Abdoulaye Ouologuem was a Fulbright student from Mali at the English Language Institute for six months in 2023 before attending Kansas State University and earning a master’s degree in public health. Looking back on his Fulbright experience, Abdoulaye said, “I gained valuable experience from my Fulbright journey that has completely changed my perception of health and will positively impact my future actions. I have improved my leadership skills, and I have built the self confidence that allowed me to run the Secretary General position of the African Student Association on my campus”.

Abdoulaye is currently working as a doctor part-time at a private clinic and is about to set up a public health unit with another Fulbright alumnus. They plan to spread health-related messages and conduct research. Abdoulaye also enjoys working little by little on a small piece of farmland and spending time with his wife and two children.

Chiba University Student Shares Study Abroad Experience

• July 1st, 2026
• in Capstone International Services English Language Institute International Main

Read the Chiba Press Article!

Yuma Mita studied at the University of Alabama during the 2024-2025 academic year and shared his experience with his school, Chiba University, in order to prepare and encourage his peers. Studying abroad is a requirement for all students at Chiba University, which has been partnered with UA for four decades.

Yuma talks about how he came to choose UA, what he studied while he was here and what life was like in Tuscaloosa. The article provides a window into his experience studying abroad detailing his perspective and analyzing his growth as he plans his future path.

Japanese Exchange Student at UA

• April 14th, 2026
• in English Language Institute International Main

“Since I was little, I have been interested in different cultures,” said Akari Nakajima, Japanese exchange student from Kansai Gaidai University (KGU) in Osaka, Japan. Akari has spent two semesters at UA taking classes ranging from Macroeconomics to Religions of the World. Wanting to improve her writing skill, she also chose to take Undergraduate Academic Writing, a three-hour credit class offered at the English Language Institute (ELI) for international students. At UA, Akari noted, “students can chase their dreams” due to the wide variety of opportunities. She will return to Japan this summer to find a part-time job because her “bank account is crying” and then complete her final semester at KGU.

Three ELI Students and Their Reasons for Studying English

• November 6th, 2025
• in English Language Institute International Main

“UA is cool. It’s quite different from German universities because the campus is like a small town, and everyone is proud of it,” assessed ELI student, Dominik Souard, who is employed in an IT consulting firm near Frankfurt. Although he uses English documents every day in his job, he wanted to develop his fluency. Dominik searched for a large, traditional, and dynamic campus with college sports and finally chose the ELI because it gave him the opportunity to live on campus during his four-week program. “Americans are open people and easy to get in touch with,” he concluded. 
 
 

On the other hand, Jieun Choi came to UA from Korea with her husband, who is working in the English Department. She currently has conditional admission for a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and is studying to satisfy the English proficiency requirement. In addition to developing her English, Jieun plays violin in the Tuscaloosa Symphony and teaches Korean in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics. She appreciates Tuscaloosa because it is a “safe and clean city with a good environment for study.” 
 
 

Improving her professional profile is Diana Gil Bora’s purpose in studying English. She is from an Indigenous community in Colombia and hopes to work in The National University on a campus located in the Amazon region. She noted, “I believe in education to resolve issues in my community. I want to guide young people in educational processes such as admission to the university, finding scholarships and studying abroad.”  She is sure that her own experience at the ELI will help her do that.

ELI Adjunct Instructor Awarded Critical Language Scholarship

• May 29th, 2025
• in English Language Institute

Logann Shorter, a graduate student earning her Master of Art in teaching English to speakers of other languages from Dothan, was selected to study Korean in Busan, South Korea. Shorter earned her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Auburn University at Montgomery in 2023. Logann was recently appointed as an adjunct ESL instructor with UA’s English Language Institute.

The Critical Language Scholarship, or CLS program, is part of a U.S. State Department effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. CLS scholars gain critical language and cultural skills that enable them to contribute to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security.

Welbourne, Bryant. “4 UA Students Offered Critical Language Scholarships.” UA News Center, May 27, 2025.

UA Wheelchair Tennis Player and the ELI

• November 13th, 2024
• in Capstone International Services English Language Institute

The top player on the Alabama wheelchair tennis team, Italian Francesco Felici, has spent this fall semester at the English Language Institute (ELI). While he was playing in junior international competitions, an Alabama coach contacted him with “an offer on the other side of the world, with a new language and everything new”. Francesco was a little hesitant at first, but his coach told him about the ELI and how helpful it could be before moving to a degree program.

In Spring 2024, he visited UA and “fell in love. The campus was so beautiful.” When his parents attended Francesco’s tennis tournament in November, “they understood why I came here. The campus is impressive by European standards. They saw I have a lot of opportunities”.

Francesco has now qualified for the NCAA Wheelchair Tennis Individual Championship to be held at Baylor University. Francesco will start a degree in Aerospace Engineering in Spring 2025. He concluded, “I’m enjoying the time here and hope to have a good result with my sport while learning new things in my classes.”

Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants at ELI

• July 29th, 2024
• in English Language Institute International Main

Quechua is the ancient language of the Incas and the native language of three future Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs). Mercedes Velarde (Peru), Jairo Mariscal (Bolivia) and Elsa Cain (Ecuador) spent six weeks at the English Language Institute in the summer before traveling to three U.S. universities to teach Quechua in 2024-2025. Their time at the ELI gave them the opportunity to perfect their English and adapt to U.S. culture, but their main purpose will be to promote the Indigenous language of their countries and help to preserve its use.

The FLTAs learned Quechua from their parents and grandparents, who often suffered discrimination due to the language they spoke. Today there are systems in place to help people maintain Quechua, but migration from the countryside to the cities means that most young people now speak only Spanish. The FLTAs all expressed pride in their Indigenous language and culture. Elsa said, “Through our scholarships others will realize the importance of Quechua and help the new generation to become interested.”

Kobe Students Explore American Culture

• April 2nd, 2024
• in English Language Institute International Main

Kobe University Students from Japan visit UA to explore American Culture

UA students and local social workers, comedians, coffee shop baristas and employees of agencies were some of the people students from Kobe University in Japan interviewed during their stay at the English Language Institute, February 14 – March 25. As part of their short-term program, the students did research about the U.S. in an area of their interest.  To gather information, they got involved with the Tuscaloosa community by attending a comedy open mike night, volunteering at the West Alabama Food Bank and visiting Goodwill Industries and America’s Thrift Stores.

At the end of their stay, the group presented their findings on religion, poverty, humor, discrimination, coffee culture, the civil rights movement and fast fashion. The students agreed that their interaction with Americans was a meaningful part of the program. In addition to their research, they took classes in Pronunciation/Speaking, American Culture and Writing.

UA and International Students Learn from One Another through an Experiential Learning Course

• November 30th, 2023
• in English Language Institute International Main

UA and ELI students compete with other groups to build the best marshmallow and pasta tower

On Mondays and Wednesdays in BB Comer Hall, UA and English Language Institute (ELI) students come together in a unique program that provides both groups of students the opportunity to share perspectives on their cultures.

The CIP 202 Introduction to Global and Cultural Perspective Experiential Learning course has two labs which allow UA students to join international students twice a week throughout the semester. UA students can either join a Speaking/Listening 5 and 6 course in which ELI students learn about American history and its influence on culture or a Culturally Speaking course in which UA and ELI students are given topics to discuss or tasks to complete.

The CIP 202 course culminates with an Intercultural Experience Showcase. UA students in the course create posters that highlight the lessons they have learned and perspectives that have changed from their interactions the international students.

Intercultural Experience Showcase

Intercultural Experience Showcase

UA and ELI students compete with other groups to build the best marshmallow and pasta tower

UA and ELI students compete with other groups to build the best marshmallow and pasta tower

ELI Alumna Returns

• September 29th, 2023
• in English Language Institute International Main

The English Language Institute (ELI) always enjoys visits from its alumni. Our most recent visitor was Dr. Beyza Aksu Dunya, who has returned to The University of Alabama (UA) as a visiting scholar in The School of Education to do research in educational measurement. Beyza studied at the ELI in 2009 on a scholarship from the Turkish government and at the same time met her future husband. After earning a master’s degree at Boston College and a Ph.D at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Beyza returned to Turkey to fulfill her scholarship obligation. Since then, she and her husband have been working as Associate Professors in their country.

Beyza is now taking advantage of a sabbatical to do research at UA concerning computer adaptive testing and student assessment. She appreciates the fact that her “colleagues here are open to sharing their ideas and their time,” and she values the resources available to her. Coming back to Tuscaloosa also attracted her because “it is a safe and affordable college town” in which to expose her 8-year-old son to a new culture and language.

We welcome all ELI alumni to stay in touch and to come back to the campus whenever possible.