ELS students enroll at Grand Valley

Among the 120 international students enrolled for the fall semester are eight who have been on campus for about six months.

They are graduates of the ELS Language Center, housed in the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences on Michigan Street, and have matriculated to Grand Valley. They are also the largest class of ELS graduates to enroll at once.

Jie Zhang, from China, has a bachelor’s degree in music from a Chinese university. She said six months of language classes have helped her writing and research skills, necessary for her plans to be admitted to Grand Valley’s nursing program.

ELS has more than 80 centers worldwide. The company was established in 1961 to teach English skills to non-English speakers. Grand Valley formed a partnership with ELS in 2004.

Kate Stoetzner, director of international student services, at left, stands with four ELS graduates who are now enrolled at Grand Valley / Photo by Courtney Newbauer