Committed administrators help incoming students feel comfortable at NWC, guiding them through recruitment, admissions and immigration processes and providing academic advising, orientation and helping students enroll in the department’s program.
In northern Wyoming, English traditionally has been the dominant language.
But now the ranges and plains of this rugged region are alive with the sounds of Japanese, Mandarin and Korean, thanks to the efforts of Amanda Enriquez, intercultural program manager at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, and her colleagues at two nearby universities. The intercultural program at Northwest works to bring foreign students to Wyoming. Enriquez and intercultural program coordinator Kara Ryf help incoming students with everything from recruitment, admissions and immigration to academic advising, orientation and enrolling in the department’s program.
Students study abroad for cultural and language immersion
Until recently, the college lacked the resources to send Northwest students abroad to study. That changed in the fall of 2020, when Northwest partnered with Montana State University in nearby Billings, Montana, in applying for an International and Foreign Language Education grant to strengthen undergraduate classes in international studies and foreign languages at both schools.
Under the terms of the three-year grant, Northwest students can take classes in three languages, then apply for a scholarship to study for a full semester in Japan, China or South Korea.
Yet the expanded program does more than help make students fluent in those languages.
“Part of my goal has always been not just bringing students to the U.S. and our campus,” says Enriquez, “but building cultural awareness and helping all our students get those global skills that are so valuable in today’s competitive world to transcend cultural barriers.”
Northwest students can now apply for a scholarship to study for a full semester in Japan, China or South Korea after taking classes in the three languages.
A partnership to foster students’ international experiences
Northwest College, a longtime regional leader in internationalization efforts, is the key partner in the grant. Both it and Montana State will develop programs to support their students and faculty.
A third partner, the University of Wyoming in Laramie, has a study abroad program that’s open to Montana and Northwest students. One barrier has simply been a lack of awareness about opportunities for diversity and inclusion.
“This is a small college in a town of 6,000 people in the middle of nowhere,” says Enriquez. “Not a lot of people realize that you can come to Northwest, study these languages and get to go on field studies, study abroad and meet international students. I think that’s pretty phenomenal.”
Students can turn to a supportive staff with overseas expertise
The intercultural program staff at Northwest exemplifies diversity and an openness to new cultures and experiences.
Enriquez was born in Zurich, Switzerland, grew up in Santiago de Chile, and lived in New Jersey before her family moved to Cody, Wyoming, when she was a teenager.
Ryf, who studied abroad in Italy and Mexico and has visited more than 25 countries for work and the love of travel, is well-qualified to help foreign students engage in campus life and become immersed in Wyoming’s culture.
Some 1,400 students attend Northwest College, which is located in Powell, Wyoming, about 70 miles south of the Montana border.
To learn more about the intercultural programs at Northwest College, visit nwc.edu/intercultural. Or contact Amanda Enriquez at amanda.enriquez@nwc.edu or 307.754.6424.
