Students in the Center for English as a Second Language recently participated in numerous volunteer opportunities, including the Shawnee National Forest’s Panther Den wilderness area. (Photos provided)
June 24, 2025
SIU CESL students engage with community as volunteers
CARBONDALE, Ill. — With the assistance of three instructors in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Center for English as a Second Language, 18 international students recently spent intercession engaging with 11 area organizations.
Depending on the organization’s needs, students either volunteered or had other interactions with the local organizations as part of CESL’s Community Engagement Program (CEP), a three-week experiential learning course based on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals program.
“Students at CESL typically focus on improving their English language skills before beginning a college-level program. However, cultural immersion and community engagement are also a very important part of the CESL program,” said Lilia Angel-Post, CESL assistant director.
The students were led by senior lecturers Kathryn Carpenter and Stacie Lawley, and Colin Robinson, an associate professor of practice within CESL, the third oldest intensive English program at a college campus in the United States. The groups of student volunteers included thirteen 13 Fulbright Scholars that are completing their pre-academic English program at CESL, along with five Japanese students from Reitaku University, Angel-Post said. The students went to a different organization each day from May 19 to June 6.
The goal is “to give CESL students the opportunity to engage with the local community through fieldwork,” Angel-Post said.
“I believe both our international students and the local organizations have the opportunity to reflect about what different countries are doing to improve the quality of life all over the world. This cross-cultural experience allows all parties involved to learn from each other and they bring a lot of diversity to our campus and local community.” Angel-Post said.
In addition to the students from Japan, students were from Chile, Comoros, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, South Korea and Timor-Leste.
“CESL is grateful to all the local organizations that welcomed our international students,” Angel-Post said.
They were AISIN, All Season’s Farm, Dayempur Farm Center for Sustainable Living, Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission, Green Earth, Habitat for Humanity, Herrin House of Hope, Illinois Migrant Council, Rainbow Cafe, the U.S. Forest Service and Voyage Senior Living.