During the last week of September, fourteen international students at the University of Colorado Denver’s ESL Academy presented commendable research presentations on topics ranging from cloud computing to music therapy to causes of oil fluctuation worldwide to solving the effects of acid rain on the environment. The students, who came from diverse global regions, were able to develop presentations specific to their chosen major and gain a deeper look into their career field.

The academic rigor the CU Denver ESL Academy enabled students to define and delve into research for their selected topic, use library references, and to develop a 10-page research paper as well as a PowerPoint—all in English. During the presentation, a student needed to practice engaging the audience’s interest and to answer questions in a non-native language. The energetic responses and enthusiasm displayed by their audience of peers helped the presenters to overcome any nervousness about speaking in public and to use their English skills “on the spot”.

Linh Huynh who is from Vietnam, entered the University of Colorado Denver’s ESL
Academy as a Level 4 ESL student; he will continue into the graduate program in the university’s Business School. Huynh’s presentation, entitled “Effect of U.S. Economy on the Vietnamese Economy”, addressed how Vietnam recovered from the war with the United States and noted that a speedy recovery pace was needed in order to keep up with technology and an emerging electronic trading market.

Huynh arrived in the U.S. less than a year ago and was attending a language school in another state. Unfortunately, he did not like the school, the weather in the region, or his living arrangement (which required a four-hour round trip bus ride each day). He decided to visit a cousin in Denver, read more about the CU Denver ESL Academy, and made the decision to move to Denver and enroll in the ESL Academy.

“I have had a great experience learning English in Denver,” said Huynh.

He improved his pronunciation and became much more confident at writing and faster at reading.

“The ESL Academy provided an incredible teaching environment and a ‘substitute family’. The teachers are very welcoming, understanding, and genuinely interested at making their students as successful as they can be,” explained Huynh.

He also participated in many of the occasions hosted by the ESL Academy that allow students to get to know each other, go on field trips, enjoy meals together, and attend parties. Lihn thinks that meeting students from so many other countries gave him a much better understanding of “how the world runs”; he is no longer intimidated by cultural diversities. “I had lots of fun in learning that what it is acceptable and polite to say in one country might not in another!”

Thuraya Abuthamerah who is from Saudi Arabia, gave a presentation on the effects of implementing e-marketing in business. Her project focused on the importance of understanding that today’s global market has profoundly changed – it’s faster, better, and it happens from sitting at one’s desk with a simple click to the computer keyboard.

Abuthamerah came to Denver because her two younger brothers were already enrolled at CU Denver and “loved their major in engineering.” She entered the ESL Academy as a Level 3 ESL student; she already held a bachelor in English literature and a master’s in education from her own country. After graduating from the ESL Academy, she plans on continuing her education by seeking a Phd in marketing at CU Denver’s Business School.

Abuthamerah is one of eight children. Her father is a civil engineer and he graduated from an American university. After extensively researching universities online, he recommended that his children consider an education at the University of Colorado Denver. Abuthamerah’s brothers arrived at CU Denver several years before she did, at a time when the ESL Academy did not yet exist. When Abuthamerah came to Denver, she enrolled in a different English school in Colorado, but changed to the CU Denver ESL Academy after several months, trusting that CU would hold different standards.

“Along with a good academic quality, it was important to me to be a part of a community, to feel welcomed, which I did at the ESL Academy,” she explained.

“I also love Denver.” Denver, in her opinion, offers a perfect balance: the kind of urban living that brings “enough excitement and cultural diversities without the stress of the big metropolis”.

Abuthamerah has been here only for seven months and she is looking forward to being “part of the famous American traditions: Halloween, Thanksgiving and the New Year’s holiday festivities.

To learn more about the University of Colorado Denver’s ESL Academy, visit:
esl.ucdenver.edu.

Find out about past Level 5 research presentations at:
ESL Academy Level 5 Research & Presentations.

ESL ACADEMY – LEVEL 5 – RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Necrotizing Fasciitis: An Uncommon Life-Threatening Disease
The Consequences of Unsafe Mining
Music Therapy
Cloud Computing and Personal Data Protection
Solving the Phenomenon of Acid Rain and Its Effect
Using Video Games as Education Tool
General Information about Electronic Payment

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Alternative Solutions to Secure Online Shopping
The Effects of Implementing E-marketing in a Business
Stand Your Ground as Legal Defense Strategy
The Causes of Oil Fluctuation
Effects of US Economy on Vietnamese Economy
Performance Comparison of Current Mobile Technology
Color Energy of Urban Architectural Design