International Community
Seniors and other members of the international student community at St. Olaf, May 2006.
International students are active members of the St. Olaf, here are some highlights:
Profiles of Current Students, Alumni, and Faculty
Read about some current students.
Geoff Blanton, ’09. Geoff attended UWC USA in New Mexico.
Sonja Bretschneider '95, US/German. Sonja currently teaches and lives in Singapore.
Scott Christensen ’85, US. Scott works in international banking in Thailand.
Erin Mickens Choi '04, US/Hong Kong. Erin lives in Hong Kong.
Janne Dale '08, Norway. Janne graduates in May 2008 with psychology and Women's Studies majors.
Linn Dale ’07, Norway. She graduated from St. Olaf in 2007 with a major in psychology and a concentration in biomedical studies. Linn is currently a graduate student in Olso.
Reidar Dittmann '47, Norway. Prof. Dittman taught art and Norwegian at St. Olaf, and is cofounder of St. Olaf’s International Studies program.
Magnhild Eggen, Exchange Student, Norway.
Global Oles: Spotlight of Kristen Solid '94, who worked as an animator on King Kong the movied in New Zealand; Rev. Mark Brown '78 who lives in East Jerusalem; and David Carp '86 who designs cars for BMW in Munich, Germany. For a list of other Oles or alums visit this site.
Arisa Iizuka '08, Japan/Singapore. Arisa graduated from UWCSEA (Singapore); she and her father reflect upon her St. Olaf experience.
Jonthan Hill, originally from England. Prof. Hill has taught English at St. Olaf since 1969.
Chartchai Lertsachanant ’72, Thailand. Khun Chartchai is an international businessman and graduated with an economics major.
Anders Jonas Lind ’09, Sweden. Jonas is a junior studying political science and history with a management studies concentration.
Melanie (Ramstead) Nassar '75, and other alumni share their experiences living in Israel.
Jose E. Martinez-Romo, ’08, Mexico. Jose graduates in May 2008 with a Spanish education major.
Akiko Minowa, Exchange Student, Japan. Akiko was an exchange student from Nagoya University.
Ekaterina (Kate) Placzek, ‘03, Belarus/US. Kate double majored in biology and chemistry and is a graduate student at Purdue University.
Anantanand Rambachan, originally from Trinidad. Prof. Rambachan has taught religion since 1985. He discusses fostering dialogue between the world’s major religious traditions.
Bjørn Sæter Sjue '03, Norway. Bjørn graduated with double majors in political science and history.
Toshi Tanaka, '06, Japan. Toshi lives in Yokohama and works for Ericsson as a mobile phone network engineer.
R. Pratima O. Upadhyay ’06, Nepal/Philippines. Pratima currently resides in Switzerland where she recently obtained her Swiss citizenship.
Krittidech "A" Yoosiri, '03, Thailand. Krittidech works for Japan Airlines in Bangkok.
International and Multicultural Student Organizations
International Student Orgnization (ISO)
Model United Nations (SOMUN)
Office of Multicultural Affairs and Community Outreach (MACO) - Resource for those interested in increasing awareness and appreciation of cultural, social and ethnic differences.
Student Organizations - to see list of diverse organizations, and to view a complete list of St. Olaf student organizations, click here.
International Night
Every year International Students Organization (ISO) organizes a spectacular show with food reception catered by the students. March 14, 2009, is the date of this year's celebration. View photos and read the articles from the past few years.
Global Market: Unity Through Diversity (2008).
Colors of the World (2007) and read the story.
A Night Around the World (2006) - 40th Anniversary.
Lost in Translation (2005), article by Insa Feye, Exchange Student from Flensburg, Germany, in Manitou Messenger.
United Nations Day 2007
Led by Ladeisha Bhide '09, International Students Organization organized St. Olaf's first UN Day celebration, view photos and read about the day.
Lilly Grant International Service Learning Program in Thailand
Luyen Dinh Phan ’92, (International Student Advisor and Associate Director of Admissions), led a group of St. Olaf students to Thailand in June 2006 where they worked with the McKean Rehabilitation Center in Chiang Mai in order to understand how non-governmental organizations work to improve the lives of the people they serve. Click on this link to read journal entries from the students who come from Macedonia, Mexico, Norway, Thailand, and the U.S.
