Brazilian STEM students engage in English training at A.C.E. at URI.
As Brazilians brought positive energy to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazilian students through the Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP) program are doing the same at A.C.E. Language Institutes.
BSMP is part of a Brazilian government initiative to send 100,000 fully-funded students abroad over the course of 3 years for non-degree training in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. A.C.E. currently hosts 47 BSMP students across all of our language institutes. The program provides intensive English training to scholars with lower levels of proficiency before beginning their academic programs in the STEM fields. After an academic year of study in the United States, BSMP students return to Brazil to complete their undergraduate degrees.
The drive of BSMP students has helped to motivate lower performing students.
As upper level undergraduates, BSMP students enter A.C.E. Language Institutes with more experience of university academic life than many A.C.E. students. Ben Hsu, Instructor at A.C.E. Language Institute at Seattle Pacific University, observed that since “BSMP students were already in university for two years, they have a more realistic idea of what is expected from them in an academic environment.” Ben draws upon that experience by specifically pairing BSMP students with classmates who may be struggling. The drive of BSMP students has helped to motivate lower performing students, and the results are shown through a boost in confidence.
Rosemar, a BSMP student at A.C.E. at SPU, enjoys the shared learning. He states that he just “loves being in class with many cultures that have the common goal of all learning English.”
The cooperative learning is a theme at A.C.E. at Montana State University as well. BSMP student Vanessa compares her English training at A.C.E. at MSU to her previous programs, noting that A.C.E. curriculum “really demands all my concentration to follow the course” and that “I really think that my English is improving.”
BSMP students are engaging with the campus community.
Though highly focused on academics, BSMP students have also shown themselves to be approachable and outgoing, both inside and outside of the classroom. At A.C.E. Language Institute at the University of Rhode Island, BSMP students are engaging with the campus community by collaborating with the Department of Modern Languages to help students practice their Portuguese. In coordination with A.C.E. and URI staff, BSMP students regularly participate in language partner activities, movie nights, and social activities with American students. BSMP student Jessiká remarks that she “met new people who I should remember throughout my life” during these extracurricular activities. A.C.E. students find camaraderie even when cheering on their home teams in the World Cup!
Our BSMP students have proven themselves to be excellent students with an amiable disposition and strong academic motivation. This past July 4th, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff formally announced the BSMP program will continue for another 3-year cycle beginning 2015 with another 100,000 scholarships for Brazilians to study abroad. A.C.E. is excited to continue to host Brazilian students in this next phase of the BSMP program!
A.C.E. 