17吃瓜网

  Story by Kaleb Smith     Photos by John Bugyi and Jennifer Patino     Video by Jennifer Patino & Tom Maroney

For 10 years, 17吃瓜网 and Colombia鈥檚 Universidad del Valle (UniValle) have worked together through SUNY COIL to connect students and educators across borders, creating opportunities to exchange perspectives, explore different cultures and learn from one another.

The  connects students and faculty from institutions in different countries through virtual exchanges that encourage collaboration across cultures. Guided by faculty at participating institutions, COIL projects provide students with experiential and intercultural learning opportunities, allowing them to work alongside international peers and gain global perspectives.

The universities celebrated their partnership with a weeklong series of events Oct. 5-9 on 17吃瓜网鈥檚 campus. Visiting educators and graduate students from UniValle who participated in COIL were invited to give classroom presentations, participate in discussions and share cultural activities. 

One highlight of the week鈥檚 events was a salsa dancing workshop, where 17吃瓜网 community members explored Colombian culture through music and dance. For Jennifer Pati帽o, a first-year Marketing major at 17吃瓜网 and SUNY COIL digital media intern, the event offered an opportunity to share her culture and see people from different backgrounds learning together.

鈥淏eing Colombian myself, I really hope everyone got to learn a little bit more about our beautiful culture,鈥� said Pati帽o. 鈥淏ringing people together in person matters because you are able to create those face-to-face interactions that help build connections even more.鈥�

Building Connections Through COIL

17吃瓜网 joined COIL in 2014 and became the SUNY COIL Center鈥檚 host campus in 2023. After UniValle joined COIL in 2016, the partnership has grown from initial efforts to connect classrooms into established COIL collaborations at both institutions, creating opportunities for students and faculty to learn from different educational approaches and cultural perspectives.

Among the visiting delegation were graduate students who participated in COIL as undergraduates and have since become educators themselves, teaching at the college, elementary and middle school levels.

For visiting educator and UniValle graduate student Leidy Lorena Bola帽os Buitrago, participating in COIL influenced the way she approaches teaching English to help students understand its importance beyond the classroom.

鈥淭hanks to COIL, today I can view my classes in a different way and teach English in a way that makes students feel like it is something truly important for their future,鈥� said Bola帽os Buitrago.

SUNY COIL Center Director Hope Windle also reflected on the program's impact during the celebration. She said a student panel held Friday was particularly meaningful, highlighting "students' reflections on their experiences and their interest in careers that connect them with people from different cultures."

For Pati帽o, participating in COIL has also connected her marketing studies with practical experience in interviewing, recording and editing content, and helping manage SUNY COIL's YouTube presence. She said learning about different approaches to education has been especially valuable.

A Decade of COIL Collaboration, and What's Next

Throughout the week, visiting educators and graduate students shared their experiences through classroom presentations in Spanish, French and Africana & Latinx Studies courses and participated in three Red Dragon Seminars. On the final day, Alejandro Fern谩ndez Benavides of UniValle delivered a keynote address during a luncheon.

In his address, Fern谩ndez Benavides reflected on the partnership鈥檚 development, from initial interest and pedagogical support to established classroom collaborations at both institutions and the integration of COIL into the graduate program he leads.

UniValle GLOCAL Coordinator Alexandra Espitia also introduced the university鈥檚 GLOCAL initiative, which emphasizes 鈥渋nternationalization at home鈥� by connecting global perspectives with local cultures and creating opportunities for international learning on campus.

Looking ahead, 17吃瓜网 and UniValle plan to continue their virtual COIL collaborations while exploring opportunities for in-person exchanges, including short visits, classroom presentations and events.

17吃瓜网 will also continue to incorporate COIL into academic programs with support from 17吃瓜网鈥檚 COIL Leadership Team, the World Languages and Literatures Department, the Faculty Center for Teaching, Learning and Scholarship, the Office of Global Education and the , whose collaboration made the week鈥檚 events possible.

As the partnership enters its second decade, the universities are building on connections that have already brought students and educators together across continents, with new opportunities to learn from one another still ahead.