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When Turkmenistan native Ogulkeyik Hudayberdiyeva arrived at 5X���� in January 2022, she seamlessly engaged with life on campus in her adopted country. Hudayberdiyeva was comfortable interacting with her professors and she immediately became involved in a slew of activities organized by the Office of Global Education (OGE).

“I am loving it here as an international student,” said, Hudayberdiyeva, 22, a communications studies major. “My professors are very friendly, down-to-earth, and humble, which helps make my adaptation to the U.S. much smoother. My friends are very kind and curious to hear about my country and culture.”

Kent State's diligence in integrating international education throughout its programs and culture is in the spotlight. Kent State is the sole university in the U.S. to receive the prestigious 2022 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization from . The honor recognizes Kent State for overall excellence in integrating international education throughout all facets of the university and its campuses.

Named after the late Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois, the NAFSA Simon Awards recognize outstanding innovation and accomplishment in campus internationalization, defined by NAFSA as “a conscious effort to integrate and infuse international, intercultural and global dimensions into the ethos and outcomes of their students’ education.”

“The Senator Paul Simon Award is our nation’s top prize for excellence in global education,” Kent State President Todd Diacon said. “It is a richly deserved award that highlights our excellent education-abroad programs and our ongoing success in enrolling and graduating international students.”

Kent State’s global reach has been expansive, with educational centers in Florence, Italy, and Curitiba, Brazil, along with boasting more than 200 education-abroad programs. Along with globe-spanning international partnerships, it has outreach centers in China and India. Kent State’s long history of international collaboration includes being among the first to exchange students with the Soviet Union during the Cold War and hosting Iranian students prior to Iran’s revolution in 1978-1979. Hosting international students and scholars has always been a priority for Kent State as demonstrated by its continued standing among the top 100 destinations for international students, according to , a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the United States, and U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit at their home colleges or universities.

“The Senator Paul Simon Award recognizes the internationalization efforts of our university and showcases how important it is for the development of students to have international experiences,” said Melody Tankersley, Ph.D., Kent State’s senior vice president and provost. “The award also recognizes the diversity of our university and brings global recognition to Kent State.

Kent State’s student body includes 1,370 international students from nearly 100 countries. In 2019-2020, Kent State sent nearly 1,500 students abroad. Since resuming its international programming in July 2021, Kent State has returned to its full operations abroad and is already projected to surpass its previous record-setting enrollment in education-abroad programs by fall 2022.

Ogulkeyik Hudayberdiyeva Finds Kent State Welcoming

Hudayberdiyeva learned about Kent State’s program for international students in a Wikepedia list of universities in Ohio. Back home in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmanistan, she lived with her mom, Maral, a librarian and her brother, Arslan, a sales assistant and English language learner. She is the first person in her immediate and extended family to attend college in the U.S. Because of travel restrictions she had to wait two years before she could come to Kent State. “ I am very grateful to be here, especially when I saw the Library building, which was my wallpaper on my computer,” she recalls. “I literally cried when I saw it.”

After arriving at Kent State in January, it didn’t take long for Hudayberdiyeva to become active in the international programs on the Kent campus. She is active in Res Airways, a program in which international students share the history and culture of their country with their peers and Conversation Partners, a program that pairs international students with U.S. students. She is also a member of the International Student Council, which organizes international-student activities on campus.  “I am impressed by how welcoming and supportive everybody is at Kent State,” Hudayberdiyeva said. “I am also impressed by how peaceful, calm, and safe the campus is.”

Gabriella Clingman has Cultivated a Love for International Travel While Studying Abroad

Gabriella Clingman, 20, is an English/Spanish major who is studying abroad in Murcia, Spain. She is earning her Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate and will soon be working in a bilingual elementary school, where she will teach English to kindergartners and sixth graders.

“It is really common for TEFL students to teach in Florence, Italy, but my Spanish professor recommended that I complete the practicum in Murcia so that I could practice Spanish and complete the TEFL certificate at the same time. I've really enjoyed this experience because it's taught me that I want to travel and teach for the rest of my life.”

She heard about Kent State when she was researching colleges that offered certificate in TEFL and Kent State was one of only a few schools that offered a hands-on teaching practicum for the TEFL certificate.

Clingman is from a small farming village in southwestern Ohio, where she attended school with many international students instilling a respect for different cultures and a desire to learn languages. Her mother was a Montessori teacher throughout her childhood. She is following in her footsteps and plans on using Montessori materials to teach English to people in Spanish-speaking countries.

Clingman unexpectedly ended up at Kent State, however, once she enrolled she was able to apply for scholarships that made it possible for her to study at the Kent campus and in Spain.

“I actually did not expect to end up at Kent because I grew up in Ohio and wanted to study in another state,” she said. “However, I ended up making great relationships with my professors and finding a community through the Wick Poetry Center, so I am so glad I ended up at Kent. The professors here genuinely care that you do well in your classes. It's worth getting to know your professors and meeting with them during office hours because that's how I've gotten a job, an internship, and a study abroad opportunity.”

Kent State will be honored during NAFSA’s national conference

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the annual awards program. Serving more than 10,000 members and international educators worldwide, NAFSA is the largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange. Kent State will be featured in NAFSA’s report, “,” that will be published this fall. The university also will be honored during the virtual and in-person programming as part of NAFSA’s 2022 Annual Conference and Expo this spring. To learn more about NAFSA’s Senator Paul Simon Awards, visit .

For more information about Kent State’s Office of Global Education, visit www.kent.edu/globaleducation.