At our November 15 program, we welcomed 4 NMU International students — 3 from Germany and 1 from Jamaica.

• Donna Hanning – Sports Science
• Merle Richter – Graduate Student in Sports Psychology
• Vanessa Stiegauf – Sports Science
• Chrystal Walker – Finance

Each of the students chose NMU because of the sporting opportunities in secondary education that are not available in the their countries.  Their biggest culture shock upon moving to the Upper Peninsula was the food!

We learned that Germany has a statement in their constitution about equal rights for women, although the percentage of women in leadership roles is much lower than the men’s percentage (even with a female Chancellor) and there is still a significant salary gap. In Jamaica, women are not a valued part of the society, and are often degraded in the media. More women than men go into higher education, but are not promoted in the work place. “Women have a right to get an education, but are not recognized as intelligent.”

We are pleased to be able to encourage these women on their journeys and thank them for helping us to understand the status of women in other cultures.