Service, Networking & Spiritual Resources
Welcome to Chicago! We're glad you are here. Bridges International has many ways to help you adjust to life in the US, meet new people and have a great time. Please see our calendar for more details, or visit our facebook page Bridges International IIT.
Bridges International is an organization that seeks to meet the real needs of international students by doing the following:
- Service: Providing international students with valuable services that meet their tangible needs.
- Social: Providing social networking opportunites for international students to engage in their communities.
- Spiritual Resource: Providing international students with opportunities to learn about Christianity and the Bible.
Last year the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois at Chicago combined hosted 4,851 international students. Additionally, international students attend many other colleges and univeristies in the Chicagoland area.
Chicago Bridges Staff Members
Mindy McClanahan recently moved to Chicago from Indiana. She also spent two years abroad in Skopje, Macedonia, loves to travel internationally and drinks her coffee black. Dericious! Mindy.McClanahan@uscm.org
Emily Barkley is a Cleveland native, Miami University graduate and worked overseas for two years in Skopje, Macedonia. She loves to practice her Eastern European accent and spend time in the nature. ecernoia@bridgesinternational.com
Brett Barkley and Derrick Snyder give the team a special southern twang, as they are recent transplants from Nashville, Tennesee and Lexington, Kentucky, respectively. Brett's background is in Economics and Development and served the international community for several years in Washington DC. Brett.Barkley@uscm.org
Derrick has worked with Bridges International for the past five years, and has worked overseas in Russia. In his free time he likes to go on family adventures with his wife and four young children. Derrick.Snyder@uscm.org
Chicago Bridges International staff members have lived and worked overseas. Staff members have experienced culture shock in adjusting to a foreign culture-from language and traditions to food and traffic. Since they have lived overseas, they understand the unique challenges facing international students and enjoy serving the diverse city of Chicago!
The Windy City
Chicago is one of the most diverse cities in the entire United States! The Illinois Institute of Technology alone hosted 3,500 international studnets in 2008, and those numbers are increasing! Students from all over the world study in the United States. Below are the top 10 nations that currently have the most international students studying in the U.S.
- India (74,603, up 12%)
- China (64,757, up 2%)
- Korea (51,519, up 5%)
- Japan (45,960, down 2%)
- Taiwan (28,017, down 3%)
- Canada (26,513, unchanged)
- Mexico (12,801, up 2%)
- Turkey (11,601, down 4%)
- Indonesia (10,432, down 10%)
- Thailand (9,982, down 14%)
Additional statistics can be found at opendoors.iienetwork.org
More information about Chicago.