International Alumni Newsletter

WINTER 2022

Hello International Alumni & Friends!

Warm greetings from chilly Valparaiso, Indiana!  

We are glad that fall 2021 saw a return to normalcy in many ways after the COVID-related precautions & disruptions of the 2020–2021 academic year. Through the challenges, we have learned how to use new technologies and become more flexible in our operations, as well as more thankful for person-to-person interactions when we can have them.

Below, take note of the Hugh McGuigan Scholarship notice for spring 2022, highlighted events from on campus in fall and early spring 2021–2022, a notice for World Banquet 2022, the International Alumni Spotlights, and ways to stay connected with us here at Valpo.

Keep in touch!

— The Office of International Programs (OIP)

Looking Back: Fall 2021 and Early Spring 2022

Every week, memories are made at Valpo. Here’s a quick look at some of the international student events in fall 2021 and early spring 2022.

Friendship Family Dinner, September

International Food Bazaar, Early October

OIP Thanksgiving & Indian Chai Events, November

Christmas Party, December

Ski Trip, Early February

December Alumni Career Panel

Every semester, the OIP invites international alumni to share tips, tricks, and insights regarding career prep and in particular tapping into the U.S. job market. The flyer below summarizes the Zoom panel held on Dec. 20, 2021. Click here for the recording (passcode Dec20.2022) and here for details of past panels.

If you are interested in joining a future panel, email andrew.knox@valpo.edu. We'd love to have you share your wisdom with current international students!

World Banquet Dinner, Feb. 19, 2022

If you're anywhere near Valpo, don't miss it!  The World Banquet Festival, one of VISA’s biggest events of the year, cordially invites international alumni to attend the festival scheduled for Feb. 19, 2022. See the flyer below for details.

International Alumni Spotlights

Yiming Shen ’18 M.S., Analytics and Modeling
Li Shen ’18 M.S., International Economics & Finance

Yiming completed his analytics and modeling degree in 2018 and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, in computational science - data analytics with an area of focus in multiple canonical correlation analysis on brain images. During his stay at Valpo, Yiming worked as a research assistant, and he now has published several papers under the guidance of Professor Ceyhun Ozgur from Valpo’s faculty of information and decision sciences. One of his recent research papers was titled “Statistical software Programs Used for Business Research,” which can be accessed through this link. Yiming believes the faculty of Valpo has been of immense help in shaping his career trajectory.

Yiming’s wife Li Shen (pictured above) also is a Valpo alumni, graduating with a master's degree in international economics & finance in 2018. She is now a Ph.D. candidate at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Muhammad Hameed ’16 M.S., Information Technology

Hameed completed his M.S. in information technology from Valpo in 2016. He worked as a big data developer for a few companies in the U.S. for 3.5 years, including Verizon, Comcast, AT&T, and Walgreens. He has since been able to set up his own venture back in his hometown of Hyderabad, India, providing technology staffing solutions to clients based in the U.S. and other countries. He cherishes his time at Valpo and is confident the degree played a vital role in helping to open his own company.

Stay Connected

The OIP and Alumni Engagement Office would be thrilled to hear from you through LinkedIn and the International Alumni Stories page.