Students at Pierce, both International and American, can come together through the Conversation Partners program

Neal Curtis-Duguay Staff Writer

The Conversation Partners program is aptly named: one signs up to pair up with a conversation partner. The program isn’t as simple as that, however, as it is a program designed to help International students refine their understanding of the English language through repetition and practice outside of a stressful classroom environment.

Once a week, one native-speaking English partner will meet up with an International student to converse and hang around for about an hour. It is not required to be one-on-one, but it is recommended that there is at least one English speaker actively participating.

There are many things for the partners to do together. The two partners can educate each other on their respective home countries; maybe teach each other a few words of their native languages. Students from Hong Kong, for example, know the difference between Hong Kong and China and would be able to entertain their partner by discussing the difference and the history.

Learning things about other countries that one might otherwise be ignorant to is an eye-opening experience for students. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to engage and learn from each other’s cultures,” said Kim Woolhouse.

The two partners can also do other activities together: work out, eat lunch, go to a movie—the possibilities are endless. Breanna Baker, International Activities Coordinator, said, “It’s an opportunity to form relationships—friendships [with each other].”Conversation partners are in a situation that would commonly end up with friendships forming, as they do things that friends do together. Conversation partners is more than merely conversing—it’s forming a relationship with another human being that transcends normal culture and helping one another achieve mutual understanding of the world that goes beyond country borders.

Sign-up is simple: applications can be picked up and turned in to the International office by the third Friday of each new quarter, when the new “cycle” begins.