International Tutors' Magazine October 2018 | Page 4

OCTOBER 2018 INTERNATIONAL TUTORS’ MAGAZINE Dear Readers, Welcome to the inaugural issue of the 4th volume of the IT Magazine. I am honored to introduce myself as the magazine’s Editor for the academic year 2018-2019, and even more excited to introduce to you the newest edition of the IT Magazine, previously the IT Newsletter (read on to hear the story behind the change). Language is a powerful thing . It can connect people across unbridgeable differences and it can Marcus Bennevall is from Felipe Castañeda (Fel) is from Sweden. He lives in Hall B. Colombia. He lives in Hall B. This semester, you can find If he's not teaching Spanish him teaching workshops like classes or workshops about "Pokémon" and "Reflective poetry reading and writing, Writing" or teaching a special he's probably lost in a good Academic Writing course! book at Book Club. shatter the deepest of bonds. It can empower someone to the highest successes and it can be the most dangerous of weapons. With language, we are capable of so much. Without it, life can become very dull and difficult indeed. Dilan Dalkiran is from the Netherlands. She lives in JC. This semester she will be organizing Debate Club and teaching workshops like "Welcome to the Netherlands!" and "Effective Public Speaking". Which is why the IT Magazine exists . It seeks to encourage the twin sets of skills of English language proficiency and international communication. And to achieve these goals, you, dear readers, are crucial . Yes, on the surface this is the International Tutors’ Magazine, featuring heavily the activities and events relating to the IT Team. But this is also a community publication, supported by and created for those students, faculty, and staff interested in English language media and international learning. This magazine is for you, and it thrives on your involvement . This principle was also the driving force behind the change of name from the IT Newsletter to the IT Magazine; we aim to be more than just a news circulator. We invite you to contribute your skills, whether in writing, art, or design (see back cover); and to use this magazine as a resource for language and cultural development. We want to empower you to take your education into your own hands . We understand that when language differences get in the way, human connection becomes difficult. Candy Zhang reflects on such challenges in her article, “Surviving in Cantonese”. But we also recognize that the connections we make when we do overcome those barriers can be very sweet indeed, as Mon Zhang shows us in “Been There, Done That”. Penny Lin, reporting on the ITs’ Language Festival, describes how we can even have fun with unfamiliar languages! Language is our means of expressing the most beautiful and the most ugly human experiences. I invite you to feel its emotional power in Quinta Liang’s poem, “Rare Species”. As we look forward to this school year, let’s strive to use language for improvement and enrichment . If you speak three languages, challenge yourself to meet new people and try new things using those communication skills. If you speak only one language, take advantage of the opportunity to grow by learning another. Keep speaking, keep writing, keeping communicating (if it’s by contributing to the IT Magazine, all the better!). The things you will learn by opening up your world through language are infinite. Sincerely, Noga Zaborowski EDITOR’S NOTE 4 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Each issue, we shine a spotlight on members of the International Tutor Team and certain students, staff, and faculty relating to them. We hope to encourage like-minded people who are interested in English language development and global cultural enrichment to get to know each other. We begin with a brief look at the International Tutor Team! Gabriel Franchi (Gabs) is from Temuulen Ganzorig (Temka) Brazil. He lives in Hall A. Find is from Mongolia. He lives him in Lyrics Appreciation in Hall C. He'll be teaching Club or teaching workshops workshops on IELTS, self- about Brazilian culture. He's leadership, and Mongolian also in charge of social media culture and making self-study for the ASLLC! materials for the website. Juho Valtonen is from Finland. He lives in Hall A. When he's not playing games at Board Games Club, he'll be teaching workshops about IE