UC’s ACE Pathway program puts international students a virtual step ahead

“The International Pathway Program [ACE] gives UC the opportunity to recruit really strong students who just have to clear the language bar,” said Shepherd, who is both the program manager and the primary academic advisor for its students.

UC hired her in 2016 to create the program. She worked with UC’s Center for English as a Second Language to adapt their offerings for the fast-track curriculum.

Ting (Joy) Xiao, the language center’s director, said the courses build proficiency from basic comfort in speaking to academic reading, writing and presentation skills. Students also practice the independent, project-based learning style that American students are used to.

“It is learning culture as well. Here on a US college campus, students have to take the initiative in a lot of things. They have that experience-based learning and then come back to report. So they will learn that and have solo practice in class.”

Approval for the original Pathway program came from the Department of Homeland Security in April 2018. The pilot cohort of six students enrolled the next fall, and another six in the spring. Most of the early students were from China, plus one from Peru and two U.S. permanent residents.

By spring 2020, enrollment grew to 48. Students from 15 countries have passed through the program, the largest numbers from China, Oman and Vietnam.

Their feedback is very positive. They especially like the opportunity the program gives them to dive right into degree-related coursework and get a real first-year university experience.   

Jinyao Zhang, a fine arts student in DAAP, came to the program from UC’s language center. He had enrolled there to continue his language studies from an international high school in Chengdu in the hope of entering a top arts program.

“After I came to the Pathway program, I felt like a real college student. It’s totally different. When I was in the ELS program, I felt like I was still in high school. In ELS, every day is English class. In Pathway, you’ve got some choice with your major classes and classes that you’re interested in. I’m an art student—I like freedom!”

Bonheur Kikonda, a soccer player from the Congo living in Zambia, weighed multiple offers before choosing UC, and Pathway played a part in the decision.

“The Pathway program definitely influenced my choice to commit to UC,” he said. “I knew that it was going to allow me to balance everything that I wanted to do, athletics and academics. That really helped me throughout my whole first semester, the fact that I was able to have time to do multiple things."

Kikonda is now pursuing a degree in sports administration in CECH.

Melaku Lambebo, a U.S. permanent resident from Ethiopia, was one of the first cohort of Pathway students.

“I graduated high school in the United States. I lived for a while over here—in different places, in Virginia, Columbus. I didn’t go to Ohio State because it’s too big. I was like, ‘I’m not dealing with that.’ UC’s the perfect size for me, I believe.

“I took the TOEFL test, and my score was just shy to get admitted directly to the university. Then Sarah recommended me for the Pathway program. I said ok, and I liked it, and it was amazing. I took only one semester and I really improved my entire basic knowledge about English. And next semester, I took the entrance exam to UC Blue Ash and I passed.”

And the freshman comp class that daunts many first-year students whose first language is English? Easy, he said, after Pathway.

Lambebo studies pre–business administration at the regional campus and plans to transfer to the Information Systems program on UC's main campus next spring.

Lambebo's brother hopes to join him there.

“Melaku reached out to me. He wants to help his brother come to UC through the ACE program," said Shepherd. Tuition for the regional campus at Blue Ash, where the younger Lambebo could gain direct admission, is lower than at UC's main campus. But Lambebo told Shepherd that he wanted his brother to enroll in ACE. “I helped him so much in his first semester that he wants to make sure his brother has the same support and experience that he had,” she said.

Social and academic expectations in the U.S.— talking to teachers, doing group projects, knowing how to research and cite sources to present academic viewpoints—are very different from the lecture-based formats many students were used to in classrooms at home. So Shepherd partners with Michelle Huang, student support specialist in the UC International office, whose job it is to help international students adjust to American campus culture.

Their emphasis on student support benefits UC’s colleges as well as the students. Programs can recruit top students they might otherwise have to turn away and can rely on ACE for one-on-one advising and mentoring for students who might otherwise struggle.

“Their success really depends on it,” Shepherd said. “We engage with the student on what is going on academically and personally. From there we come up with a holistic plan ensuring the students get the support they need.”

The course Huang teaches for ACE is being expanded to give students a personal introduction to important campus life organizations. Staff from the Counseling and Psychological Services center, the Academic Writing Center and other Learning Commons resource centers will visit to help familiarize students with the support systems that are available for them.

The Pathway program offered a direct route into UC's world-class programs for another international student.

Cielo Zabala is a finance and accounting double major from Peru. Even though she had done her junior year of high school in Florida and Georgia, she chose Pathway so she could jump right into her college of choice.

“I think it's a good way to start. If you’re not familiar with [English] and want to jump in your major, sometimes it hurts! When you meet international students, it gets easier because you know people that are struggling the same as you.”

Through the program, Zabala found an international community of friends. She ended up as a student ambassador for the International Admissions office, helping to give other prospective international students a glimpse of life and opportunities at UC.

Qiqi Lu comes from a small town near Shanghai. She transferred from the ELS center into Pathway last spring. Lu had already had two years of university in China before she came to the U.S. but had never traveled internationally, never taken TOEFL classes.

She discovered that translating the classroom English she had learned in China to American slang and picking up the specialized vocabulary of subjects she knew well were challenging.

“At first, my family was very worried about my communication. And me too! They want me to learn English well and just to have the experience of a different lifestyle. My mother said, ‘I don’t care about your grades, you just try your best, and get an experience in the different lifestyle between China and America.’

“I was so nervous. Because in all my teamwork, my team members—they are all native American. I’m the only international student. At first, when we had our team talking, I couldn’t even understand them.”

That’s not a problem anymore. Lu expects to graduate in December 2020 with a degree in international business—the first ACE/Pathway student to complete her undergraduate program at UC. She is looking to the future and making career plans.

She jokes with her mom that she can always teach English.