International Student Resources

"Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow."  ~Anita Desai, Indian novelist and Emerita John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Academic and Career Resources

International Student Services

The advisors in International Admissions at Parkland College are ready to help you through every step of the admissions process, from applying through orientation. We work with international students one-on-one via email, phone, Skype, and more to make the process of becoming a student here as simple as possible. We can help you with immigration, visa, and F1 status questions as well.

English as a Second Language

Parkland's ESL classes are designed with your success in mind. Our classes average 12 to 14 international students, allowing for extensive interaction with instructors. Our teachers will help identify skills needing improvement, develop a learning program, chart progress in specific skill areas, and prepare you for successful interaction in an American college environment. For refugees and immigrants not studying on a visa, Parkland Adult Education offers free ESL classes and English Communications classes for specific career pathways. 

Project READ

Project READ provides free tutoring to adults seeking to improve their reading, writing, math and/or ESL skills. Tutors are volunteers who meet learners at public places around Champaign-Urbana.

Career Services

Whether you are a student choosing a college major or you are a dislocated worker, career changer, or retiree, we have career resources and services designed to assist you. 

Scholarships

Parkland offers a wide variety of merit-based, need-based, and identity-based scholarships. Search the list of Parkland Foundation scholarships which accept applications each fall and spring.

Engagement and Mental Health Resources

Student Organizations

Student Life maintains a list of student organizations that are currently active, as well as ones that have existed in the past but have become inactive. If you do not find one that meets your interests, contact Student Life for information on starting a new one.

Club Latino

Club Latino is for those who want to serve the community, learn about Hispanic/Latino cultures, and have fun. We spend our time doing service activities, kick back activities, and having club meetings where we share information and discuss what we want to do next.

Advisors: Charles Larenas (clarenas@parkland.edu)

President: Maricela Mata-Villa (mvilla3@stu.parkland.edu)

Treasurer: Paulina Reynoso-Ixcoy (preynosoixcoy1@stu.parkland.edu)

Meeting: Thursdays @ 12 pm in D203

International Students Association

The International Students Association is designed to promote social and friendship opportunities to the international student community at Parkland College. ISA has weekly meetings and possibly some cultural performances. All students are welcome to come have fun with us!

Advisors: Amber Landis (alandis@parkland.edu)

President: Anggana Yudono (ayudono1@stu.parkland.edu)

Treasurer: Vahagn Chiflikyan (vchiflikyan1@stu.parkland.edu)

Meeting: Thursdays @ 12 pm in X148

Japanese Culture Club

Explore common interests in learning about Japanese culture. Japanese Culture Club is open to all students, including fluent speakers and those learning the Japanese language, as well as those interested in our stated goals.

Advisors: Travis Sola (tsola@parkland.edu)

President: Brennen Chaney (bchaney9@stu.parkland.edu)

Treasurer: Ryan Cipkar (rcipkar1@stu.parkland.edu)

Meeting:Thursdays @ 12 pm in D105


Center for Community Engagement

The Center for Community Engagement supports and promotes the active engagement of the College’s students, faculty, and staff in partnership with the communities of Illinois Community College District 505. Many volunteer opportunities are available.

Counseling Support Center

Our Counseling Support Center offers counseling services, workshops, peer mentoring, and more.

TalkCampus

Parkland is part of TalkCampus, an anonymous mental health peer support network, available to you 24/7. The TalkCampus platform combines intuitive design, clinical excellence, world-class technology and global support to over 250 institutions and millions of students worldwide. Available in 26 languages.

Community Resources

Community Resources

African Cultural Association, University of Illinois

The African Cultural Association is a student organization at the University of Illinois with a mission to build a community that appreciates African culture, to contribute to the advancement of Africa and the African Diaspora, to educate about current issues that affect Africa, and to dispel myths and stereotypes about the land and its people (descendants). 

Asian American Cultural Center, University of Illinois

Opened in fall 2005, the Asian American Cultural Center provides the University of Illinois community with space to gather and share the diverse and rich cultures that are a part of the Asian American experience. The Center provides events and programs throughout the year, some of which are open to the public.

Chinese American Association of Central Illinois

The Chinese American Association of Central Illinois (CAACI) is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization for Chinese Americans and their friends in Central Illinois. Its goal is to engage in cultural, educational and social activities, to help members play a more active role in the community and to promote the well being of Chinese and Chinese Americans of the area.

Japan House, University of Illinois

Japan House.jpg

Japan House is a unit of the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, made up of Japanese tea rooms and class space and surrounded by Japanese gardens. It has both University classes for academic credit, as well as community classes open to the general public. Although it is not a cultural center for Japanese students, it often becomes a home away from home to Asian students because of its traditional stylings and peaceful environment.

Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, University of Illinois

Through the caring for and sharing of cultural collections, the Spurlock Museum creates space for people to learn, collaborate, and build connections. By providing opportunities for engaging experiences, they foster compassion and empathy, amplify community voices, and inspire further exploration. The museum is open to the public.

Religious Organizations

Visit Champaign County maintains a list of religious organizations that includes non-Christian services in Champaign County, as well as Christian churches in Champaign-Urbana that offer services in languages other than English.

New American Welcome Center

New American Welcome Center logoThe New American Welcome Center at the University YMCA works to co-create a community where all immigrants can thrive and flourish. They do this by engaging local institutions and mobilizing community resources to ensure equitable access to services, economic opportunity, and meaningful belonging.

The Immigration Project 

ImmigrationProject_logo The Immigration Project provides non-profit immigration legal services in Central and Southern Illinois. The Immigration Project endeavors to provide access to justice for immigrants and their families through immigration-related legal and educational services to immigrants, refugees, their families, and others in downstate Illinois.

The Refugee Center

Refugee Center logoThe Refugee Center exists to provide services essential to refugee and immigrant resettlement in East Central Illinois, and to aid in the exchange and preservation of their respective cultures.


National Resources

National Resources

Center for Global Education

Center for Global Ed.jpgThe Center for Global Education promotes international education to foster cross-cultural awareness, cooperation and understanding. Their website is an international resource center to provide assistance with issues in American culture, challenges you might face in the U.S., academics, visas, and immigration.

Mental Health for International Students

This guide outlines challenges international students may face, and signs they might need help.

Inclusive Therapists

Inclusive Therapists logo Inclusive Therapists is an organization cultivated by BIPOC mental health professionals committed to allyship, advocacy, activism, and abolition. They maintain a directory of therapists that can be searched for cultural knowledge of a given international region or spiritual belief. 

Asian Mental Health Collective

Asian Mental Health Collective.jpg The Asian Mental Health Collective aspires to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide. They maintain an Asian American Therapist Directory.

Therapy for Latinx

Therapy for LatinX.pngTherapy for Latinx provides resources for the Latinx community to heal, thrive, and becomes advocates for their own mental health. They maintain a directory of Latinx therapists.