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Rasmus Hindkjaer, whose home university is Aalborg University in Denmark, attended Western Illinois University in Spring 2009 as an exchange student. The International Student Exchange Program named Hindkjaer the 2010 Ambassador of the Year recently.
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WIU Exchange Student: Ambassador of the Year

July 9, 2010

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MACOMB, IL -- For Rasmus Hindkjaer of Sunds, Denmark, his "great American adventure" began at Western Illinois University. Although it ended more than a year ago, Hindkjaer -- who came to study at WIU as an exchange student in Spring 2009 through the WIU Office of Study Abroad -- recently had a good reason to remember the highlights of what he calls an "experience of a lifetime." Last month, he was named the 2010 International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) Ambassador of the Year. This honor, according to the ISEP website, is due to Hindkjaer's hard work "to contribute to the international community on his campus and the ISEP Network as a whole."

Hindkjaer, who returned to study at Aalborg University in Denmark in June 2009, noted that the Ambassador of the Year award is given to one ISEP-affiliated exchange student and the receipt of it is based on the activity logs that each exchange student sends the ISEP organization.

According to the ISEP website, Hindkjaer's "hard work" included: arranging airport pickups for the exchange students who came to study at Aalborg University (as well as helping them locate lost luggage); leading a guided tour of Aalborg University and Aalborg (the city in which the university is located); creating a Facebook group for Aalborg University students to network; reinitiating writing workshops with Aalborg University's international office to help exchange students with their project work; coordinating a day trip to the town of Arhus for exchange students to experience the Christmas exhibits and traditional holiday food; and compiling and distributing a questionnaire for ISEP students to evaluate their individual semesters abroad.

"Rasmus is a great advocate of study abroad," said Leonie Meijer, academic adviser for WIU's study abroad and exchange programs. "While he was studying at Western, he made a point to immerse himself in the culture. He also actively and frequently participated in the activities put on by the Center for International Studies, and he talked to students who were interested in studying abroad, too."

As Meijer noted, while at WIU, Hindkjaer was also an enthusiastic study abroad advocate. In addition to taking graduate-level courses in English and history (his major and minor, respectively), Hindkjaer took advantage of his experience by meeting and getting to know fellow WIU students, traveling around Illinois and the continental U.S., taking in a Blackhawks game in Chicago and much more. Hindkjaer's photo essay includes photos of his time spent in the U.S. and in Macomb. At the end of the essay, he notes:

    My experience at Western cannot be described in one short essay, it is not summed up by a picture or a quote. My ISEP experience was: Going to lunch with a bunch of friends, a spontaneous road trip, talking in the lounge, a half-court shot at the buzzer – 'NECKS WIN! A late night pancake dinner, Friends from all around the world, crackers and cheese in the study lounge, a roaring crowd at my first NHL game, an out of service bus that gives you a ride home, barbeques, fireflies and swapping stories at my International friendship family's house. A professor that finishes his arguments with 'Y'all with it?' Joking with my roommate before bed.


"Every one of these little sentences has a story attached to it," Hindkjaer continued in his essay. "Individually they may not sound like anything special. But the sum of these stories, and so many more, made my ISEP experience the experience of a lifetime! So if you are asking me if you should study abroad… I'll say GO! If you are asking me if you should join 'The Fighting Leathernecks' at Western Illinois University… I'll say GO 'NECKS!"

Currently, Hindkjaer is finishing up his master's degree at Aalborg University, and he will soon be teaching English and history to high school-level students. He said that he has hopes to move back to North America one day, where he might like to pursue a doctorate degree. He also noted he would like to teach or work in international education here in the U.S., as he benefitted tremendously from his experience at Western.

"My study abroad experience taught me a lot both in and outside of the classroom," he explained. "It strengthened my academic platform, gave me experience with intercultural relations, taught me much about American culture and made me a more independent person. I encourage all students to go and study abroad! It will be the experience of a lifetime and will change the way you see the world and your place in it."

For more information about the WIU Office of Study Abroad and study abroad opportunities, contact Emily Gorlewski, assistant director, at (309) 298-2504 or EJ-Gorlewski@wiu.edu. Read about Hindkjaer's Ambassador of the Year Award on the ISEP website at www.isep.org/students/Alumni/ambassadors2010.asp .

Posted By: Teresa Koltzenburg (WIUNews@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing