That snapshot will be forever etched in the minds of four young college students who arrived at Fordham by way of Brazil in August to pursue a one-year scholarship exchange program administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

This year marks the first that Fordham University is participating in the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP), which sends students pursuing the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields to colleges and universities across the United States for one year of study.

The initiative is part of the Brazilian government’s effort to grant top-achieving students the opportunity to gain global experience, improve language skills, and increase international dialogue in science and technology.

“Brazil realizes that it’s vital to invest in sending students overseas,” said Maura Mast, PhD., dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill. “This is a fantastic opportunity to tap into a new group of STEM students and add to our current students’ experience, letting us diversify in ways that will benefit all.”

Internationalization is a passion for Mast, who assumed her role as dean this August. Study abroad experiences, “have to be more than just ‘academic tourism,’” she said. “How do we prepare students when they graduate to be at home in the world?”

Mast and Carla Romney, associate dean for STEM and pre-health education, believe that BSMP does just that. They hope to grow Fordham’s partnership with Brazil each year, because, Romney said, “it’s a wonderful way to globalize our classrooms. It not only benefits incoming students, but it’s like a reverse study-abroad experience for Fordham students as well.”

Three of the four students comprising Fordham’s first cohort are computer science majors, and one is pursuing chemistry. All are junior- or senior-level students who will return to Brazil to complete their degrees.

Since arriving on Aug. 25, the students—who became acquainted on Facebook before they met in person on campus—have been immersed in Fordham’s global transition orientation, meeting other students over pizza, learning the lay of the land at Rose Hill on scavenger hunts, cycling in Central Park, and strolling through Times Square. Their weekend plans included trips to Coney Island and Chinatown.

“I’m looking forward to watching football—my football,” said Caio Batista de Melo, 21, from Universidade de Brasilia. He is focusing on the area of data mining and is excited to take the Bits and Bots course at Fordham in which he’ll explore robotics. There’s no doubt he will have plenty of opportunities to play soccer on campus, too.

Not only have the students left their country, but, as commuter students at home, three left their families for the first time.

Aryadne Guardieiro Pereira Rezende, 22, who attends Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, said that while she’ll miss her older brother, she is excited about her first-ever year away from home, and feels that Fordham is the right fit for her.

“Fordham not only gives students knowledge, but the values to learn how to use that knowledge,” she said, adding that she hopes her experience here will help her decide whether to apply her computer science background to a career in academia or business.

One of six children, Dicksson Rammon Oliveira de Almeida, 21, works while studying at the Universidade Federal del Pernambuco. He said he was worried about not being able to contribute to his family while abroad. “But being here will make it possible for me to contribute more later on,” he said, noting he hopes to work as a developer for a start-up firm in the future.

Tulio Aimola, 22, from Sao Paulo, had already left home to study at Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos—though he is grateful for “Skype, texting, and e-mail, which makes it much easier to stay in touch,” he said. Like his peers, he expressed gratitude for the warm welcome they’ve received in the short time they’ve been at Fordham.

The cohort will reside at the Lincoln Center campus, enjoying the camaraderie of studying science and technology with their U.S. counterparts while taking in the rich culture of New York City.

–Claire Curry

�My hair fell out, and doctors in Georgia told me it could be because of the stress and the scare,� she explained. �That�s the reason I wear a headscarf every day. But I don�t mind. I like wearing it, and I think it�s my own style.�

Style is important to the 19-year-old budding fashion designer who left Tbilisi for one year to study international studies at Marymount College of Fordham University. Tsereteli took advantage of the Eurasian Undergraduate Exchange Program, organized by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State and administered by IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board). She is one of only 175 students accepted to the program from more than 6,000 applicants, and she hopes to combine fashion and peace-building into a career.

�People think international relations and fashion are different. But I don�t think they�re so separate. With culture, we can make important steps,� she said. �These two are really linked to each other. In the face of beauty, anger is powerless.�

She�s off to a good start proving her theory. She first showed her ornate gowns made of cellophane at a peace camp she attended that brought together young people from both Georgian-Abkhazian sides to study conflictology�how to resolve their differences without war. When the two groups first came together, �In our minds, we had created enemies out of each other. But we did not do wrong to each other. The problem is with politics, not people,� she said.

One way she bridged the gap was by asking some of the Abkhazian girls to model her dresses during the show. �They were surprised and happy. The dresses played a role in breaking the ice. We saw that we were more like each other than we thought. By the end of the camp, we were friends.�

Tsereteli brought several of the cello-dresses with her to Marymount, and her fellow students modeled them at the campus Night of Expression event held in late January.

�In addition to her serious academic pursuits, Tina�s gift for creativity has brought people together in a focused way, transcending their differences and facilitating communication,� said Sister Rita Arthur, R.S.H.M., Marymount study abroad adviser, whose sister was recently a relief worker in the Republic of Georgia. �Tina�s experiences reflect the impact of war and terrorism in today�s world and the efforts that must be made to rise above these very difficult situations.�

On April 29, Tsereteli will show a new dress designed in her Clothing I class at the annual Marymount Fashion Show, held at 8 p.m. in Spellman Auditorium on the Marymount campus.

When she�s not designing dresses, Tsereteli, who speaks four languages and is learning two more, is interning at the United Nations Association of the United States of America, a nonprofit, nonpartisan center of policy research on the United Nations and global issues such as peace and security, health and human rights. In 2002, she was honored by the United Nations for her winning essay on the theme �If I Were an Ambassador of the Peace.� She is also secretary of the Italian-American club on campus, a member of the Asian club and has volunteered at the R.S.H.M. convent.

She returns to Georgia in May, where she will continue to study, design and work. �The war has had a real effect on me,� she said. �I decided to dedicate everything I do to peace-building. I don�t want other children to have to feel what I felt.�

Fordham’s proposal, “Humanitarianism in the Age of Terror,” highlighted the IIHA’s International Diploma in Humanitarian Affairs (IDHA), a monthlong residential program that brings to campus about 40 aid workers from relief agencies, including the Red Cross, the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF, as well as members of the military. While at Fordham, IDHA participants, most of whom are actively engaged in humanitarian assistance, share field stories, discuss common challenges and objectives, hear from leading experts in the field and dissect case studies.

Journalists awarded the fellowship will spend from one week to a month at Fordham next summer sitting in on IDHA sessions; hearing firsthand about the complexities of humanitarian aid work in an age of heightened terrorism; and working closely with Fordham faculty, including and Visiting Professor Larry Hollingworth, C.B.E.

For the reporter, it’s an opportunity to enhance his or her understanding of humanitarian issues by gaining insight and making contacts. For Fordham, it’s an opportunity to build lasting relationships with journalists.

The International Diploma in Humanitarian Affairs at Fordham University was one of 20 programs selected to participate in the CASE Media Fellowship. According to CASE, the IDHA program was selected for its relevance to the news media, its quality, and the reputation and distinction of Fordham faculty.