Spotlight on Mongolia
Gantulga Nemekhjargal had expected great faculty, challenging classes, and culture-filled trips when he applied to the Purdue University Northwest (PNW) English Language Program (ELP). A practicing lawyer in Mongolia, what Gantulga, or Ganaa for short, had not expected was a native-speaking Mongolian student mentor named Sarnai Tsogtsaikhan. In terms of size, Mongolia is the world’s 18thlargest country, celebrated for its vast countryside and unparalleled stargazing—but it has a sparse population of just over 3 million, less than half that of Indiana. So upon arriving at PNW in January 2020, Nemekhjargal was beyond surprised—and beyond delighted— to find a representative of home right here on campus.
Student mentors like Sarnai are a priceless asset to the ELP. Born in Mongolia, Sarnai moved with her family to Lansing, IL when she was 11, and she chose PNW for its location, affordability, and excellent education. Now, she is working for the ELP while completing her senior year as a Finance major. Even though she has now run her own simulated company in her Operational Management course (!), she still remembers how difficult it was just to write a basic essay in English when she first got here. This experience inspired her to be an ELP student mentor. And her experiences of both living abroad and living here—and of the transition from living abroad to living here—can provide invaluable perspective and support to new arrivals like Ganaa.
After only one month of intensive English study in Level-1 at the ELP, Nemekhjargal has made remarkable progress. He understands English well, but he needs speaking practice: the ELP has already led two field trips to Chicago for students to speak English in real-world settings while also learning about US culture. He enjoyed the tours of Millennium Park and Chinatown, sharing with his classmates that it is actually much colder in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital. Nemekhjargal is planning to have his family join him in NW Indiana this semester so they can be together, discover more US culture together, and learn English together. When his family arrives, they will find that Ganaa has acclimated to life here—thanks in part to outstanding ELP student mentors like Sarnai.