International fellows get the UA experience

Arizona Summer Wildcat Photo Courtesy CESL CESL Director Frank Pialorsi (left), with the Hubert H. Humphrey international fellows. The eight-week UA orientation is the first step before the participants undergo a year of study at U.S. universities.

Fueled by a passion for freedom of expression, Vasna Travljanin came to the UA seeking to better protect those rights in her home country of Bosnia.

As a lawyer working for a publishing company in her native country, Vasna Travljanin has a strong interest in international media law and journalists' rights.

With that focus in mind, Travljanin came to the United States to participate in the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, which gives professionals and post-graduates from around the globe a year of study at American universities.

"We are here to improve our knowledge and gain new experiences, which we hope will help us to gain new ideas of thinking and working," she said.

Travljanin is part of a group of 23 Humphrey Fellows taking part in an eight-week orientation program hosted by the University of Arizona's Center for English as a Second Language.

Her goal in the program is to acquire a better knowledge of English and compare international media laws and journalists' rights.

"I am interested in all freedoms of the press," she said.

Travljanin said she wants to visit newspapers like The New York Times and Washington Post while she is in the United States and observe how they protect journalists.

One of her main concerns for her own country is the protection of journalists in war zones, as well as the misuse of the media's power.

Coming from Bosnia, Travljanin said Tucson is quite a shock, and not only in terms of the climate.

"I am impressed about how people here have such a high level of openness," she said. "I think I like this place, although it is a little bit strange."

The Humphrey Fellowship is a program in its 21st year that gives professionals and post-graduates from around the globe an opportunity to study in the United States for a year and gain practical professional experience.

"The main purpose of this whole endeavor is to get together a problem- solving initiative," said CESL Director Frank Pialorsi. "I think we're very fortunate to have (the fellows) here."

The UA began hosting the Humphrey Fellowship program in the summer of 1996, and since then, many of the students have accomplished a great deal professionally.

"A number of the UA participants in the past are now really quite prominent leaders in their areas of study," Pialorsi said.

Another group of 11 students will join the UA program for the final three weeks, beginning Monday.

"We have a great supply of speakers and provocative issues for them. Some of the best faculty agree to give lectures," Pialorsi said. "People are very generous here with their time."

The fellows are working in a program of English language development. Afterwards, they will begin their year of graduate study at one of four U.S. universities.

The fellows have fields of expertise including agricultural development, educational planning, economic development, public health and journalism.

The Humphrey Fellowship, part of the Fullbright program, began in 1978 to honor the late U.S. vice president. The UA is one of only three centers in the country to host the Humphrey fellows for the summer orientation.

Souleymane Kante, of the West African nation of Mali, said he is participating in the program to gain more knowledge and experience in the field of education.

Kante said only 47 percent of children in Mali have an opportunity to obtain a basic education. His goal is to assist in developing a better system of education, so the majority of children can have access to schools.

"This program has helped me a lot," he said. "We have to think and develop our skills to get more experience and knowledge in the field."

Mouhammad Seirawan is a dentist from Syria who is studying the research and design of health services.

Seirawan said he hopes to improve his English enough at the UA to be prepared to go to Atlanta and study biostatistics, which he will use in his home country.

"I'm improving," he said, adding the program is a good introduction.

The UA is hosting fellows from 21 different countries in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Eurasia, most of which are developing nations.

Pialorsi said the UA is a good place for an orientation because most of the students feel pretty comfortable here.

The next step, Pialorsi said, is to try to host a fellow for the entire year.