Foreign students make their mark at UW-Stevens Point

More than 50 years ago, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point was granted authority to enroll foreign students.

Today students attending UWSP come from Singapore to South Korea and from Brazil to Bosnia. "We have 236 students from 39 countries and each and every one adds a little something to our community," said Marc Fang , director of the foreign student program and associate professor of psychology.

"When I first came to the office in 1975, there were 60 foreign students on campus," said Fang. The number of students from abroad has grown four fold since the 1970s and many of them are leaving their mark on Central Wisconsin.

The Host Family Program is but one of many ways foreign students interact with area residents. Each year more than 70 families host foreign students and share in a cultural exchange. "Community leaders like Patty and John Noel, Eva Mae and John Regnier and Ellen and Brad Johnson are just a few of the many families that have opened their homes and hearts to foreign students," said Fang.

According to the director, many of the foreign students are called upon to make presentations to community groups. In addition, the annual International Dinner and Cultural Festival reinforce the community’s support for foreign students. "Each and every one of our foreign students has a story worth telling," said Fang.

One of these students, Shireen Choo of Singapore, a December graduate in communication, recently received the $500 Vivian Newman Foreign Student Scholarship established in honor of the late Vivian Newman by her family and friends. The Newman Scholarship is among many honors that Choo has earned during her academic career. Past achievements include the University Leadership Award, election to "Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, 1999," and the Chancellor’s Leadership Award.

In addition to maintaining a 3.65 cumulative grade point average, Choo is a member of UWSP’s International Club and a volunteer for STV (student television). As a communication major, her interests are in film production.

Another of UWSP's imports, Brazilian native Jeremias "Jeremy" Francioli, a senior majoring in business with a minor in Spanish, is making waves at UWSP.

A four-year letterman in men’s swimming, this past year he was named team captain. A three-time NCAA Division III swimming champion with a specialty in the backstroke, Francioli has his eyes on qualifying for the Brazilian Olympic swim team. Time trials are scheduled later this month.

How did a young man from Brazil end up in Stevens Point? Former Pointer men’s team swimming coach, Lynn "Red" Blair, recruited Francioli in 1994. At the time, he was swimming for Delavan High School as an exchange student. "Coach Blair was the key reason I chose to attend UWSP," said Francioli. "It has been a rewarding four years, both academically and athletically."

In addition to his athletic prowess, Francioli is a student who earned a 3.62 grade point average this past semester. He is fluent in his native Portuguese, as well as Spanish and English. For the past three semesters, he has volunteered his time as a peer adviser for freshmen, sophomores and transfer students majoring in business.

Francioli also is a member of the International Club, UWSP Management Club, Sales and Marketing Association and Society for Human Resource Management. As a swimmer, he has volunteered his time with area youth and with the Wausau West swim team. He and other UWSP athletes also help clean area parks.

The campus and the Stevens Point community have provided a safe haven for Tarik Sahovic, a freshman business major from Bosnia.

By the time Sahovic was 15, the conflict had begun in Bosnia, a republic within the former Yugoslavia. Like many Bosnians, he and his family saw the damage up close as his home was struck by a hand grenade. "I have put the war behind me and prefer to live for today and the future, rather than dwell on the past," said Sahovic. He not only managed to earn his high school diploma during the conflict, but also began to concentrate on his English language skills.

After high school, he secured a job as a translator with USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development), helping to secure loans for Bosnian enterprises. By good fortune or happenstance, Sahovic's USAID supervisor turned out to be a native of Wisconsin. He urged Tarik to consider a state university such as UWSP.

"My boss felt that UWSP would be a good fit as it delivers greater individual attention combined with a reasonable pace," said Sahovic. He was right. He found that UWSP "allows a student to focus on his or her studies in a friendly atmosphere."

As a freshman, Sahovic is concentrating on his classes and weather permitting, getting out to ride his bicycle. He is a member of the International Club with a 3.59 grade point average.

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