Montana Tech hosts participants from the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Professional Fellows Program
A Malaysian educator is taking knowledge about writing education, diversity and inclusivity efforts, and other teaching techniques back to her home country after spending a month at Montana Technological University. Nurul Aqilah Binti Azahari’s time at the University was made possible through the U.S. Department of State’s Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Professional Fellows Program (YSEALI PFP) in partnership with the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana.
Nurul Aqilah was paired with Writing Director Dr. Dawn Atkinson, who showcased the ways Montana Tech students receive writing education. Nurul Aqilah noted that students do not receive instruction in individual writing classes in Malaysia. Instead, writing components are included in classes like physics or chemistry.
“My partnership with Dr. Dawn in Montana Tech’s Writing Program opened my eyes to the importance of integrating writing skills across STEM disciplines, a practice not common in Malaysia,” Nurul Aqilah commented. “This interdisciplinary approach prepares students for their future careers more holistically.”
Nurul Aqilah also enjoyed learning about diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from Program Manager of Outreach and Belonging Cheyenne Crooker and disability accommodation processes managed by Shauna Goodell.
“These conversations highlighted the importance of creating inclusive learning environments that cater to all students, regardless of their backgrounds or abilities,” Nurul Aqilah said.
The exchange included a visit to Butte High School, the Butte Family YMCA after-school program and Ability Montana. Nurul Aqilah participated in Trades and Technology Day at Highlands College, took in bed races and other homecoming festivities, and enjoyed a trolley tour of Butte. Nurul Aqilah and another YSEALI PFP fellow, Joshua Soldivillo of the Philippines, made dinner for Montana Tech professors and their families that featured cuisine from their home countries. Soldivillo and Nurul Aqilah also observed Dawn Atkinson’s writing classes, participated in a grant proposal workshop hosted by Adjunct Writing Instructor Janet Cornish, and toured Yellowstone National Park with Dr. Joel Graff, associate professor in the Biological Sciences Department.
“It was an eye-opening experience,” Nurul Aqilah said.
Atkinson said Montana Tech gained important cultural and educational knowledge from Nurul Aqilah’s visit. She plans to use an interview with Nurul Aqilah in a section of a future open-source textbook about cultural considerations in communications. Atkinson added that Nurul Aqilah and Soldivillo’s fellowships offered valuable opportunities for international collaborations.
Many Montana Tech faculty welcomed Nurul Aqilah into their classrooms. She helped students practice informational interviewing techniques in Stacey Corbitt’s writing classes, for instance, and taught others about Pantun, a traditional form of Malay verse, in Dr. Felicia Karas’ honors seminar. Nurul Aqilah and Dawn Atkinson also led a preparing-for-exams session in Engineering and Science Fundamentals, a course taught by Assistant Professor of Mining Engineering Chris Roos. In Biology Professor Marisa Pedulla’s first-year seminar, Nurul Aqilah joined in a lesson about how to address common writing errors.
Nurul Aqilah is taking her experiences back to Malaysia and more than 1,000 STEM educators she serves, together with the other Program Duta Guru's Program Coordinators at Teach For Malaysia.
“These experiences have not only broadened my perspective on education but also inspired me to become an agent of change in my own country,” Nurul Aqilah said. “I'm now more committed than ever to promoting inclusive, technology-enhanced, and practice-oriented teaching methods in Malaysia, ensuring that our education system evolves to meet the diverse needs of all students.”
Nurul Aqilah and Soldivillo were the first YSEALI PFP fellows placed in Butte.