26th Annual International Education Celebration

Since 1995, the Office of International Programs has coordinated an annual awards celebration to recognize the accomplishments of a UNC Charlotte faculty member who has contributed to international engagement and to mark the international education contributions and learning experiences of faculty and students.

The 26th annual International Education Celebration took place on April 13, 2023. Adriana Medina, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Reading Education in the Cato College of Education, was recognized as the faculty award recipient for her outstanding contributions to the enhancement of the international education experience at UNC Charlotte. Medina’s accomplishments are many, and in addition to her scholarship and research in areas such as literacy, language arts, reading comprehension, and multicultural and global education, she has also led education abroad programs both in the traditional sense and through globally networked virtual learning with partners in multiple countries. Medina also serves on the Office of International Programs’ University Council, and is president of the Mu Chapter Phi Beta Delta international honor society board.

Eniolaoluwa Ogunyemi, and international student from Nigeria who will receive her bachelor degrees in Psychology and Biology in May, was the student recipient. Ogunyemi has participated in a number of co-curricular activities and is a member of Tau Sigma National Honor Society for transfer students.

The event also recognized education abroad faculty leaders and student scholarship recipients as well as the winners of the Marian Beane Crossing Borders student writing competition.

This annual celebration was marked this year by a special surprise recognition of Fumie Kato, Ph.D., Professor of Japanese in the Department of Languages and Culture Studies, who will be departing UNC Charlotte to return to Japan after over 20 years at Charlotte. Kato Sensei has long been a champion of internationalization at Charlotte, and during her tenure she was instrumental in building the highly successful Japanese program. In large part due to her efforts, the Japanese major sends the highest number of students on full academic year exchanges at the institution.