The Bok Center’s Professional Communication Program for International Teachers and Scholars supports international PhD students at all stages of their academic careers through seminars and resources on teaching, cross-cultural communication, and English language proficiency development. Our team of undergraduate Culture and Communication Consultants (CCCs) serve as language partners, lead discussion groups, and organize special events such as Harvard House tours. The CCCs offer insights about Harvard undergraduate culture and support international graduate students as they develop their English language and communication skills. The result is a mutually beneficial learning relationship. This spring, we asked two of our graduating seniors about what they learned from working at the Bok Center.
Jackie Feffer is graduating this May after being part of our team for more than 3 years.
This work involves helping TFs learn how to present information to a variety of audiences, formulate professional introductions for job searches, answer questions in a clear and succinct way, and so much more. These are strategies that also help us [undergraduates] as we navigate similar experiences in our own lives; we also have class presentations to give, jobs to interview for, and questions to answer. Sitting in on the different classes that the Bok Center has to offer definitely helps our own professional development as well.
I enjoy helping the international TFs (ITFs) advance in their professional development; I know how eager many international TFs are to start teaching undergraduates, so helping them excel in their presenting and speaking skills feels very gratifying. There was one ITF that I worked with for three semesters; she was my language partner, so we met once a week to work on her English skills. A couple semesters later, I enrolled in an intermediate economics class, and coincidentally she was a TF in the class! It was so fulfilling to see how much her English had improved and to watch her teach other students using the strategies that we had practiced in our meetings.
I enjoy helping the international TFs (ITFs) advance in their professional development; I know how eager many international TFs are to start teaching undergraduates, so helping them excel in their presenting and speaking skills feels very gratifying. There was one ITF that I worked with for three semesters; she was my language partner, so we met once a week to work on her English skills. A couple semesters later, I enrolled in an intermediate economics class, and coincidentally she was a TF in the class! It was so fulfilling to see how much her English had improved and to watch her teach other students using the strategies that we had practiced in our meetings.
Other undergraduates should consider working as a CCC. First and foremost, this job is rewarding because you get to have an integral role in helping international TFs improve their English skills so they can teach in the classroom. Secondly though, you get to learn about a variety of other cultures, meet and get to know so many ITFs and CCCs that you may have never met otherwise, learn about the ITFs' own interesting grad school research, and so much more!
Elijah Schimelpfenig is graduating this May after being part of our team since 2019.
Working as a CCC has helped me talk to people from all walks of life and granted me a greater latitude of cultural references and schemas that facilitate intercultural communication.
Learning about the various intellectual and academic journeys of each of our international teaching fellows was definitely a highlight of this position. Especially during microteachings [short, 5-minute practice lessons] it was fun to hear the grad students try to explain complex and nuanced topics from their fields while also practicing their language skills.
Congratulations and thank you to Jackie and Elijah, and our entire CCC team! We are hiring for Fall 2022; interested students can learn more and apply here.