CSUEB’s American Language Program promotes cross-cultural communication with speaking partners program

• August 30, 2013 5:15am

Cal State East Bay students can enjoy weekly conversations with international students when taking part in CSUEB American Language Program’s (ALP) Speaking Partners program. The Speaking Partners program, which matches an ALP student with a non-ALP CSUEB student, stimulates weekly conversation and friendship between students who may not have the chance to meet without the program.

“My experience in the program was really great!” said human development major Emily Chan, who participated in the Speaking Partners program last year. “I had three speaking partners and they were all very different from one another. I met with all of them once a week for an hour, sometimes more than an hour. We would go grab breakfast, lunch or dinner and just talk about our cultures and traditions.” 

CSUEB’s ALP offers a range of high-quality programs for students from all over the world, including diploma, certificate and graduate preparation programs. However, the majority of ALP students are part of the Intensive English Program, which gives participants conditional admission to the university on the condition that they raise their English proficiency to meet program standards.

American students participating in the Speaking Partners program will have the opportunity to interact with students from a variety of countries. Since its inception in 1978, ALP has welcomed students from China, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Vietnam, Thailand, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany and Sweden.

 “I felt like each week I was getting to know my partners better and better and becoming closer to them,” said Chan. “In the end I felt like my partners had become my friends.”

For more information on ALP’s Speaking Partners program or to volunteer as a speaking partner, contact Cheryl Tan at cheryl.tan@csueastbay.edu.

EM