International Programs

Each summer since 2006, INTO OSU has been host to English teachers who teach in the English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) overseas.  Access is a network of language schools sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, operating primarily in the more remote parts of the Muslim world, but also increasingly in non-Muslim communities. They provide a window to the world, through English language, for kids who would have no “access” otherwise.

In July, Access teachers will spend two weeks in Corvallis studying U.S. culture and sharing their experiences, followed by a week in Washington, D.C. These are fascinating people from countries we normally don’t get to visit or even hear about very often. (This year, we will have 25 visitors from 25 different countries such as Mauritania, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Guatemala, Thailand, and many more.) Corvallis was selected for the program because of the warm and welcoming community here.

You can participate in this event in several ways:

Become a dinner host!
Sunday, July 10
5:15pm. Pick up your Access teacher (or teachers) from the GEM (155 NW Kings Blvd.) and take him or her home for a family meal. Feel free to invite others to meet your guest!

Become a conversation partner!
Two evenings: Thursday, July 7 and Tuesday, July 12 – and/or attend a Knights Game on July 11
7:00-9:00pm. Meet at the GEM.
Spend the evening chatting with a teacher about cultures, your lives, etc. These teachers are fascinating people with amazing life stories. Feel free to invite them over for dinner, explore downtown Corvallis, or just go to a coffee shop or restaurant and talk.  You would also be welcome to attend a Corvallis Knights Game on July 11 with the group.

If you are interested in being a dinner host, conversation partner, or both, please send an e-mail to Carolyn Bonoff at Carolyn.bonoff@oregonstate.edu and be sure to include:
Your name:
Your preferred e-mail address:
Your phone number (cell phone preferred):
The dates you will be available to help:

There will also be a public event at the Corvallis Public Library on July 13, from7-9 p.m. called Culture: Face to Face.   Each participant will have a table displaying items from his/her country and visitors are invited to circulate as if at a market to visit with the participants.