International Cultural Service Program (ICSP)

ICSP cohort 2025-26

International Cultural Service Program (ICSP)

As cross-cultural ambassadors in the Eugene-Springfield area, ICSP recipients receive a scholarship covering approximately half their tuition. In exchange, they lead presentations about their home culture in local schools and community organizations.

View the ICSP Brochure

 

ICSP Scholarship

New and continuing international students may apply for the International Cultural Service Program (ICSP). Selected ICSP students are granted a partial tuition-waiver scholarship that is renewable annually until the completion of a UO degree, contingent upon fulfilling ICSP program requirements. Participants commit to completing 66-80 hours of cultural service per year, which may involve speaking or demonstrating aspects of their country's heritage and culture to schools or community groups, or engaging in international campus events.

Application Deadline: February 13, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. (PST)

ICSP Scholarship Application

Request An ICSP Visit

ICSP students are multi-talented, enthusiastic and eager to share their cultures and stories with US audiences. All students are trained to make powerful public presentations to diverse audiences.

Campus and community members can request an ICSP student for a presentation, panel discussion, performance, or other type of events. Please place the request at least 2 weeks in advance using your work email address. We appreciate the collaboration with you! Any questions, please email icsp@uoregon.edu.

 

Request Form

 

Donate to ICSP

Current Members

Africa
Head shot of Aurelien

Aurélien Kossi Daglo-Agbodo

Lomé, Togo

Major: Business Administration and Management 
Languages: Ewe, French, and English
Interests: Writing and reading French poetry, watching anime and docuseries, learning more about history and philosophy, watching sports contents, basketball, soccer, football, and painting.

 

Head shot of Neema

Neema Kariuki

Nairobi, Kenya

Major: Computer Science
Languages: English and Swahili 
Interests: Baking, cooking, reading, soccer, listening to music, going to the gym, watching movies, trying new cafes and bakeries, meeting new people, and golf.
Head shot of Enoch

Nkongolo (Enoch) Mulunda Elumba

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chiba, Japan

Major: Computer Science
Languages: Japanese, English, and Kiswahili
Interests: Basketball, puzzles, foreign languages, cooking, and playing instruments.
Head shot of Erick

Erick Munene Njue (Honorable Member)

Kirinyaga County, Kenya

Major: PhD in Special Education
Languages: Kikuyu (native), Kiembu, Kiswahili, Sheng, and English
Interests: Linguistics, education, culture, sports, movies, and music.
Head shot of Favour

Favour Fatmata Foday

Freetown, Sierra Leone

Major: Biochemistry
Languages: Mende, Krio, and English
Interests: Poetry, global issues, soccer/football, comedy, inductive arguments, music, cooking, and celestial bodies.
Head shot of Catherine

Catarina Majere

Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Major: Language Teaching
Languages: English and Swahili
Interests: Reading, swimming, and volunteering in local shelters.
Head shot of Beamlak

Beamlak Tirufat Negash

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Major: Neuroscience
Languages: Amharic and English
Interests: Fashion, reading, movies, soccer, music, sunsets, outdoor activities, travel, and volunteering.

 

americas
Head shot of Maria

María Soto Cuesta

Caracas, Venezuela

Major: Biochemistry
Languages: Spanish and English
Interests: Reading, baking, skateboarding, playing golf and volleyball, and science.
Head shot of Anna

Anna (Annita) De Sanctis

Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Major: Business Administration
Languages: English and Spanish
Interests: Working out, cooking, baking, reading, and dancing.  
Head shot of Mariana

Mariana (Bee) Arredondo Durán

León, Guanajuato, Mexico

Major: Art and Technology
Languages: English and Spanish
Interests: Art, film, music, Mexican history, food, languages, storytelling, politics, and human rights.
Head shot of Ariel

Ariel Gandolphi de Faveri

São Paulo, Brazil

Major: Cinema Studies
Languages: Portuguese, English, and Italian
Interests: Reading, watching TV shows and films, writing, storytelling, listening to music, journaling, hiking, learning languages and cultures, traveling, dancing, outdoor activities, reiki, and meditation.
Head shot of Rodrigo

Rodrigo Valverde Alpizar

Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Major: Business and Sports Management 
Languages: Spanish and English
Interests: Music, basketball, going to the gym, spending time with friends and family, deck shuffling, hiking, and reading.
Head shot of Nathan

Nathan Hannon

Penticton, Canada

Major: Business Administration
Languages: English
Interests: Hockey, golf, watching Netflix, photography, and biking.
Head shot of Siqi

Siqi Zhao

Guangdong, China and Puebla, Mexico

Major: Political Science
Languages: Spanish, English, Cantonese, and Taishanese
Interests: Cooking, baking, hanging out and making new friends, hiking, Formula 1, and learning new cultures.
Head shot of Amanda

Amanda Evelyn Oliveira de Menzes

Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

Major: Language Teaching
Languages: Portuguese, Spanish, and English
Interests: Dancing, sports, music, climbing, hiking, and langauges.
asia
Head shot of Chris

Batjargal (Chris) Batgerel

Mongolia and Russia

Major: Computer Science
Languages: English, Russian, and Mongolian
Interests: Basketball and physical training such as the gym. 
Head shot of Makoto

Makoto Nezu

Nagoya, Japan

Majors: Business Administration and Sports Business
Languages: Japanese and English
Interests: Watching sports (soccer and baseball), traveling, cooking, learning foreign languages (Korean and Chinese), yoga, and watching k-dramas.
Head shot of Aziz

Aziz Akturin

Aktobe, Kazakhstan

Major: Mathematics and Computer Science
Languages: Russian, Kazakh, and English
Interests: Basketball, volleyball, playing video games, watching TV and films, mentoring students to get into top universities, hanging out with friends, spending time with family, kitties and doggies. 
Head shot of Nikita

Nikita Klepikov

Astana, Kazakhstan (born in Yekaterinburg, Russia)

Majors: Computer Science
Languages: Russian and English
Interests: Sleeping, traveling, cooking and eating good food, complex math and CS problem-solving, hiking and being outdoors, researching neuroscience and machine learning, swimming, badminton, and gym. 
Head shot of Ilhan

Ilhan Mahmood Haniff

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Major: Data Science
Languages: English and Malay 
Interests: Ice hockey, boxing, cooking, fishing, outdoor activities, music, and technology.
Head shot of Paul

Kanisorn Busapavanich

Bangkok, Thailand

Major: Finance and Business Administration
Languages: Thai and English
Interests: Traveling to new places, global issues, economics, drawing, creativity, watching movies, listening to music, volunteering, and learning about different cultures.
Head shot of Gayatri

Gayatri Misra

Roorkee, India

Major: Architecture (CHC)
Languages: English and Hindi
Interests: Playing guitar and keyboard, sketching, painting, dancing, singing, experimenting with gadgets, and creating layouts for different varieties of indoor and outdoor settings. 
Head shot of Enoch

Nkongolo (Enoch) Mulunda Elumba

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chiba, Japan

Majors: Computer Science
Languages: Japanese, English, and Kiswahili
Interests: Basketball, puzzles, foreign languages, cooking, and playing instruments.
Head shot of Tenzin

Tenzin Tseten

Nainital, India and Lhasa, Tibet

Major: Human Physiology
Languages: English, Tibetan and Hindi
Interests: Music, Tibetan Buddhism, conspiracy theories, movies, karaoke, fashion and human rights issues in Tibet. 
Head shot of Siqi

Siqi Zhao

Guangdong, China and Puebla, Mexico

Majors: Political Science
Languages: Spanish, English, Cantonese, and Taishanese
Interests: Cooking, baking, hanging out and making new friends, hiking, Formula 1, and learning new cultures.
Head shot of Elizabeth

Elizabeth P. Gaña

Pampanga, Philippines

Majors: Language Teaching
Languages: Kapampangan, Tagalog, and English
Interests: Movies, anime, reading non-fiction, plants, and traveling.

 

europe
Head shot of Darya

Darya Kotava

Zhlobin, Belarus

Major: Business Administration
Languages: Russian, Belarusian, English, and Mandarin
Interests: Drawing, doing sports (specifically, volleyball and swimming), foreign languages, learning and studying (literally anything and everything), traveling, reading, and cooking.
Head shot of Flavia

Flavia Gjishti

Berat, Albania

Major: Interior Architecture
Languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Albanian
Interests: Interior architecture, fashion, styling, painting, traveling, photography, film, going to the gym, volleyball, hiking, TED Talks, music, and matcha. 
Head shot of Marton

Marton Schillinger

Budapest, Hungary

Major: Business administration
Language: Hungarian, English, and Russian
Interests: Soccer, tennis, skiing, working out, traveling and cultures, and cooking. 
Head shot of Nikita

Nikita Klepikov

Astana, Kazakhstan (born in Yekaterinburg, Russia)

Major: Computer Science
Languages: Russian and English
Interests: Sleeping, traveling, cooking and eating good food, complex math and CS problem-solving, hiking and being outdoors, researching neuroscience and machine learning, swimming, badminton, and gym. 
Head shot of Mert

Mert Yapucuoglu (Honorable Member)

Istanbul, Türkiye

Major: Computer and Information Science
Language: English and Turkish
Interests: Istanbul, Turkish language, education system, food, theatre, community involvement, and American high school in Turkiye. 
Head shot of Ossean

Ossean Barbès

Le Teich, France and Türkiye

Major: Cinema Studies
Language: French, English, and Turkish
Interests: Drawing, photography, traveling and discovering new cultures, writing poetry, reading, watching movies, and baking.
Head shot of Alper

Alper Cengiz

Kocaeli, Türkiye

Major: Language Teaching
Language: Turkish, English, and Finnish
Interests: Linguistics, education, culture, folklore, music, storytelling, medieval poetry, stage arts, culinary arts, and traveling.

 

middle east
Head shot of Kerlos

Kerlos (Kero) Rizk

Alexandria, Egypt

Major: Economics and Business (Finance)
Languages: Arabic and English
Interests: Entrepreneurship, economics, reading books, music, trying new foods, traveling, and chess.
Head shot of Joud

Joud Alaqad

Ramallah, Palestine

Major: Biology
Languages: Arabic and English
Interests: Cooking, hiking, fashion, listening to music, volunteering, going to the gym, traveling, and hanging out with friends.
Head shot of Amira

Amira M. Abbid

Cairo, Egypt

Major: Language Teaching
Languages: Arabic, French, and English
Interests: Traveling, cars and driving, learning languages, cultures, fashion, cooking, movies,  adventures, organization, and listening to music.

 

 

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Testimonials

Large group of students smiling outside of the University of Oregon's Johnson Hall.
Claire K. Wiles, North Eugene High School
I began my career in education 25 years ago as a student teacher at North Eugene High School. My cooperating teacher left me a textbook, a few ideas for assignments, and contact information for ICSP at the University of Oregon. I was so inspired by the idea of literally bringing the world into my classroom, I designed a unit for my global studies curriculum around the ICSP students. A quarter of a century later, thousands of students from North Eugene High School have spent part of their freshman year learning about the world through the eyes of ICSP students. We have recently held an alumni event to mark the end of our campus at 200 Silver Lane (we now have a new campus at 250 Silver Lane). As former students strolled the halls, they all poked their heads into my classroom and demanded to know if I still did "the cool project with the international students" because it had inspired in them a profound curiosity about the world. My students begin the unit sifting through sources, working to understand the geography, culture, and history of their assigned country. They dutifully complete assignments and occasionally call me over to share some interesting idea or picture, but they remain relatively uninspired until... The day the ICSP students arrive and they get to ask their thousands of questions, see artifacts from the country, laugh at shared stories, and understand the shared human experience of this world. I can't imagine trying to teach my students about the world without ICSP. Thank you!
 

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