West Visayas State University (WVSU) officially welcomed foreign exchange students from Spain and South Korea during the flag ceremony on Monday, marking the opening of the second semester.

 

 

The Spanish interns, Mertxe Mendibe Lazaro and Maria Pilar Arraiz Torre, will undergo a six-month internship at WVSU from January 22 to July 21, 2025. They are recipients of the Basque Government’s Global Training Grant Programme, a collaboration between WVSU, Mondragon University, and the University of Deusto in Spain.

 

 

Dr. Antoniette Cortez, director of WVSU’s Center for Teaching Excellence, will oversee their internship. The interns will participate in cultural immersion activities across Western Visayas, study Philippine history with BCAED students, serve as teaching assistants in the Integrated Laboratory School Kindergarten, the College of PESCAR, and the College of Arts and Sciences, and collaborate with College of Education students on a multilingual compendium project.

 

 

At the same time, WVSU also welcomed 20 students from Jeju National University (JNU), South Korea, for a month-long academic and cultural immersion program.

The delegation, led by Prof. Yung-Cheol Byun, director of the Center for High Intelligence Service at JNU, will collaborate with Dr. Ma. Beth Concepcion, dean of the College of ICT, to facilitate various academic activities.

 

 

The students will study English through the WVSU Center for Foreign Languages and engage in academic programs under the College of Information and Communications Technology (CICT) from January 17 to February 17, 2025.

 

 

This initiative is part of WVSU’s internationalization efforts, aimed at fostering cross-cultural learning and global partnerships, under the guidance of the International and Local Linkages Office (ILLO).

 

 

The flag ceremony was hosted by the Office of the WVSU President.

 

 

Text and photos by Hazel P. Villa, PAMCO Director (With reports from Gladwyn Gustilo and Dr. Anne Cortez)