Tang Heng & Jimena Alvarez: Supporting student belonging

Whether you are a student going on an exchange to a different country or getting involved in international learning in other ways, stepping out of your comfort zone for an intercultural experience can be both exciting and frightening. Will you find your place in this new community, and will others support you in finding a sense of belonging? In this episode of the EAIE podcast, we tackle the topic of student belonging with the help of two guests who have both professional and personal experience with this topic.

Tang Heng, Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), has been involved in various research projects looking at how sociocultural contexts shape the values, motivations, and behaviours of learners/teachers. Jimena Alvarez is a third-year Political Science and Economics student at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland). She moved from Peru to Ireland when she was 17 and has experienced the importance of belonging as an international student far from home. Tang and Jimena join host Laura Rumbley in looking at student belonging from both a research and a student perspective and sharing a few good practices and ideas on what deserves our attention when it comes to helping others find that place within their international community.

About Tang Heng

Tang Heng is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. By studying what happens when people and ideas circulate across borders, she highlights issues related to diversity and education through a comparative and international education lens. Her research on how Chinese international undergraduates experience U.S. college education compels her to advocate for rejecting the deficit perspectives of international students. She received the 2021 NAFSA Innovative Research in International Education Award and the Comparative and International Education Society’s Study Abroad and International Students SIG Early Career Award in 2019.

About Jimena Alvarez

Jimena Alvarez is a third-year Political Science and Economics student at Trinity College Dublin. Born and raised in Peru, Jimena moved to Ireland at the age of 17 to pursue higher education. As a Global Ambassador at her university, she assists international students in integrating into university life, addressing immigration questions, organising cultural events, and providing campus tours. In addition to this role, Jimena was a panellist at the Inclusion via Diversity, Equity & Anti-Racism Deep Dive Workshop, organised by the Council of International Schools (CIS) at The Convention Centre Dublin (The CCD) and is continuously contributing to the exploration of the international student experience.