Taiwanese students visit UHV faculty in Katy
Eight years ago, when Hsin-Hui Lin heard that a group of students from Taiwan were going to visit the Houston area, she made a point to reach out and invite them to the University of Houston-Victoria at Katy. Since then, it became a regular event for the UHV College of Education & Health Professions every fall semester until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. After a three-year gap, the fall visits resumed in 2023.
Four Taiwanese students, accompanied by Dr. Chen, a professor at Soochow University in Taipei, recently sat down with UHV College of Education & Health Professions faculty members to learn more about higher education and teacher certification in the U.S.
Lin, a UHV professor of curriculum and instruction, put together a group to talk with the students about the process of becoming an international student and studying at UHV. “It can be challenging to attract international students to education because the pay for teachers typically isn’t as high as in business or science-related fields,” Lin said. “However, we often find that if a student becomes certified to teach in the U.S., they can also teach in many other areas of the world. I wanted the Taiwanese students to know that UHV can help them become excellent educators in any area they choose to study.”
The students met at the UHV Katy instructional site, 22400 Grand Circle, with five members of the school’s faculty to discuss different aspects of the teaching program, including student teaching, Master of Education program options such as English as a Second Language, special education and the VOICE program, which allows students who already have a bachelor’s degree to become certified to teach in as little as a year.
The visiting students presented projects they plan to use as guest presenters at grade schools in Houston. These projects are designed to introduce Taiwanese culture to students. The topics included the Dragon Boat Festival, the nightlife in Taipei, wedding customs in Taiwan and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The UHV faculty members were impressed by the students' presentations and enjoyed learning about a new culture, Lin said.
“The faculty members were happy to share their experiences and encourage these students to further their studies in education,” Lin said. “We encouraged the students to be brave in their studies and try new things outside their comfort zone. Studying in a different country can be intimidating, but it’s also a great opportunity to gain new perspectives.”
Rachel Martinez, Dean of the UHV College of Education and Health Professions, shared her thoughts with students. Education is an instrumental need in all parts of the world, and it is exciting to see students so interested in gaining a global perspective on teaching methods. The visiting students will have plenty of information about UHV to take home and share with others. We hope we can continue to meet with more international students in the future.
“I’m grateful to Dean Martinez and the UHV faculty and staff who helped me welcome and share information with these students,” Lin said. “With their support, we were able to connect with some wonderful, intelligent students, and I look forward to being able to meet more students in the future.”
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.