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E3P program helping with communication skills

Photo+by+Samantha+Rodriguez%0AStudents+discuss+various+topics+at+a+recent+E3P+event.+%28Left+to+right%2C+Saleh+Alsagoor%2C+Sultan+Ajas%2C+Victoria+Hoschar+and+Lucia+Duran%29
Photo by Samantha Rodriguez Students discuss various topics at a recent E3P event. (Left to right, Saleh Alsagoor, Sultan Ajas, Victoria Hoschar and Lucia Duran)

Photo by Samantha Rodriguez Students discuss various topics at a recent E3P event. (Left to right, Saleh Alsagoor, Sultan Ajas, Victoria Hoschar and Lucia Duran)
Photo by Samantha Rodriguez
Students discuss various topics at a recent E3P event. (Left to right, Saleh Alsagoor, Sultan Ajas, Victoria Hoschar and Lucia Duran)
The English Practice Partner Program, which pairs native English speakers with non-native speakers to improve conversational skills in English, already has more than 90 participants.

But junior marketing and management major and E3P student liaison Victoria Hoschar doesn’t want to stop there.

“My goal for the program is to let our international students know that they are welcomed here on campus,” she said. “They shouldn’t have to limit themselves to only a certain group of people.”

E3P participants “choose their own topics” for conversation, she said.

“We talk about anything and everything,” Hoschar said. “Saleh (Alsagoor) and I have had conversations from anything about cars to our school day, marketing and our classes.”

Alsagoor is a junior business major from Saudi Arabia. He went to school in Chicago before starting at Texas Wesleyan in 2013. He said he’s excited to be graduating next fall.

“I like E3P because I learn about American culture,” he said. “I would like to form friendships and meet people from other countries.”

Alsagoor said that in the past he’s experienced miscommunication with American students, and keeps to himself in class.

But since he came to Wesleyan his improvement with communication has been good, he said.

“Sometimes some people don’t like to talk to me, and some are friendly,” Alsagoor said. “It’s very hard to make friends in Texas.”

Sponsored by the School of Business, E3P has been in place since fall of 2013. Hoschar has been busy taking classes and striving to improve E3P this semester.

She said she wants to encourage students of all majors to participate in the program and doesn’t want to limit the program to business majors only. Participants are able to meet day or night, on or off campus.

“For business students, some professors are giving out extra credit for being a part of E3P,” Hoschar said.

After logging 10 hours in the program, participants are awarded a President’s Appreciation certificate. Students are encouraged to exceed the minimum amount of hours.

“I’m thinking I’ll complete more than 10 hours,” Alsagoor said.

For international student participants, a minimum of 10 hours plus one workshop/outside lecture is required for the certificate. The School of Business will distribute the certificates at the end of each semester.

E3P meets in the School of Business foyer Tuesdays and Thursdays during free period and Mondays and Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

“I would like to increase membership, even though we do have 90 members,” Hoschar said.  “But I mostly want our international students to feel welcomed and for them to learn to speak more conversational English.”

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E3P program helping with communication skills