The graduates, Alberto Mederos and Jany Carballo, completed Level 6, the highest level of classes offered at IEP. They received graduation certificates and stoles emblazoned with the flags of both their home country, Cuba, and the United States, along with hugs from their instructors. Each of the two graduates spoke during the ceremony.

The ceremony was followed by a potluck meal held in EMU’s Roselawn Building.

Mederos thanked his teachers for boosting his confidence, pushing him forward, and never letting him give up.

“Thank you so much for preparing us for life in this new country, the United States of America, where learning English is a vital necessity,” he said.

He shared a few words of advice for fellow students still in the program. “Never give up and keep pushing,” he said. “With resilience, determination, and effort, you can turn your own dreams into reality.”

Carballo credited her IEP instructors with believing in her, supporting her, and helping her regain motivation and self-confidence.

“This program is the best place to start when you are an immigrant learning a new language,” she said. “You made me feel safe, supported, and as part of the family.”

The path wasn’t easy, she said, with ups and downs and moments when she felt like giving up. But with the IEP’s help, she faced her fears and reached her first goal: building a foundation in English.

“I feel confident knocking on any door and looking for new opportunities,” she said. “Thank you for being my stepping stone to the next level of my life.”

In his address to the graduates, their families and friends, and others gathered for the ceremony, IEP Director Jeremy Samsoe reflected on the idiom “going back to square one.”

“It means to go back to the beginning of something,” he said, and oftentimes, the phrase is associated with some kind of failure. “Maybe you failed at a task, failed at a job, and now you must go back to square one.”

“For many of you here, being in a new country and starting a new life can feel a bit like being at square one—that you are completely starting over,” Samsoe said. “I like to remind students that you are not truly starting at square one. You are starting many new things, but you also bring with you many things: your language, your culture, your expertise.”

“For both of you, Jany and Alberto, this is like moving one more square,” he said. “It’s not the end of your education or your language learning, but it is a step forward. It is an accomplishment, one among many, that you will have in your life.”

The ceremony also included remarks from Harrisonburg Councilman Nasser Alsaadun MA ’17 (education).

The Iraqi-born educator, who came to the United States in 2008, became the first refugee councilmember in the city’s history when he was elected in the fall of 2024. He repeated something he’s often said—that IEP is the best program of its kind from Winchester to Charlottesville—and expressed deep gratitude for its impact on refugees and immigrants in the community.

“It does much more than teach English,” he said. “It opens doors, builds confidence, and creates opportunities.”

Alsaadun said he’s personally witnessed incredible journeys through the program. “I have seen students arrive with little or no English and, through hard work and determination, go on to pursue graduate degrees,” he said. “That kind of growth is inspiring. It shows resilience, talent, and a strong commitment to success.”

About the Intensive English Program

EMU’s Intensive English Program (IEP) helps English language learners from all around the world find their voice and build a better life for themselves. In a typical semester, IEP has 60 to 80 students representing 15 to 20 different countries. 

For more info about EMU’s Intensive English Program, visit .

One of the goals of a road trip is to reach your destination, but that’s not its only purpose, said Samsoe, director of IEP, speaking at the program’s graduation ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 23, in Martin Chapel. Oftentimes, the purpose of a road trip is to see exciting things along the way, meet new people, and learn things that you didn’t know before, he explained. 

“It’s a bit like your experience here,” Samsoe said. “And I would say that your time at IEP isn’t actually the road trip but a part of your road trip—a step toward some of the bigger goals you have in your life. Completing IEP isn’t your destination, but it’s a part of the journey to whatever destination you have planned.”

Thursday’s ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of three graduates who completed Level 6, the highest level of classes offered at IEP, during the summer 2025 term. These graduates, who hail from different countries, languages, and cultures, burst into laughter and fought back tears as they described how meaningful the program has been in their lives. They received graduation certificates and stoles, each emblazoned with both the flag of their home country and the U.S. flag.

The summer 2025 IEP graduates, along with their home countries, are:

• Kensly Cassy, Haiti
• Olga Lara, Mexico
• Kateryna Zharkova, Ukraine

Those attending the ceremony included Tynisha Willingham, EMU’s provost and vice president of academic affairs; Jon Swartz, dean of students; the graduates’ friends and family members; and students enrolled in IEP. The ceremony was followed by a potluck meal held in EMU’s Roselawn Building.

Read on to learn more about each graduate.

Kensly Cassy

Cassy, who has been in the U.S. for two years, joined IEP for Level 6 and described the program as “the best place to start and finish English.”

“It’s fully intensive,” he said. “I tried all the other places (to learn English), but they were all about basics—things I already mastered—so I never fit in anywhere else but here.”

“I learned a lot and we got to know each other,” he added. “Thanks to this program and the help of everyone, I could decide what I’m going to do with my life.”

Cassy is now midway through the semester as a student at EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, where he is pursuing a master of arts in conflict transformation. “I’m from Haiti, where we have a lot of conflict,” he said. “When I went (to CJP), I realized it wasn’t only political or social conflict, but that we as human beings have a lot of conflict inside us. … IEP helped me a lot by helping me discover CJP.”

Olga Lara

Lara immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico about 20 years ago, and began her studies at IEP as a part-time student in Level 3 two years ago. She works at COSPU (Coalicion Solidaria Pro-Inmigrantes Unidos), a Harrisonburg nonprofit that empowers immigrant families through help and support, leadership mentoring, cultural and civic education, and advocacy.

She said IEP has helped her feel more confident. “It doesn’t matter how old you are; age is only a number,” the 56-year-old Lara said. “If you feel inside you need to improve your language, you can do that.”

Kateryna Zharkova

Originally from Ukraine, Zharkova started at IEP in Level 4 last fall and hopes to begin pursuing a master of business administration at EMU in January. Following the graduation ceremony, she described feeling “overwhelmed” with emotion.

“Each person at IEP is really important to me,” she said. “They became my family. I have improved my English language and it’s helped a lot with my goals for the future.”

“You have inspired me to keep learning, growing, and discovering new things,” Zharkova said in a speech to her teachers. “Thank you for always making learning exciting and for your patience and for believing in me.”

About the Intensive English Program

EMU’s Intensive English Program (IEP) helps English language learners from all around the world find their voice and build a better life for themselves. In a typical semester, IEP has 60 to 80 students representing 15 to 20 different countries. 

For more information about IEP, visit .

A meeting of EMU and Harrisonburg city officials on Aug. 7 marked a milestone in representation, bringing together the city’s first refugee council member (Nasser Alsaadun MA ’17 [education]), its first Black woman mayor (Deanna Reed), and EMU’s first Black woman president (Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus). 

The liaison committee meeting was also attended by Deputy City Manager Amy Snider, filling in for City Manager Ande Banks ’97; Melissa Heatwole, director of continuing education and events at EMU; and Amy Springer Hartsell ’92, executive advisor to the president at EMU. The committee aims to identify ways the city and university can partner together to better serve the needs of the community. James Madison University has a similar committee, and Mayor Reed said she felt it was important that both universities had a voice. 

“There’s no Harrisonburg without EMU and there’s no EMU without Harrisonburg,” she said. 

Dr. Dycus, who began her role as EMU’s interim president on July 1, spoke about the importance that EMU places on community. “We want to grow leaders, whether that’s high schoolers coming straight into their undergraduate careers or whether that’s business leaders who want to get new skills,” she said. “We know we are part of making Harrisonburg stronger, our community stronger, and that we are all doing that together in different ways.”

The university celebrated its second-best fundraising year on record in 2024-2025, Dycus shared, and enrollment figures have increased by a significant amount over last year. She also spoke about EMU’s new pickleball and tennis courts. “If you drive down Park Road, it is abuzz,” she said.

Committee members received an update on Royals Go Downtown. Now in its fourth year, the annual event brings together hundreds of students for a walking tour of restaurants and businesses, sampling foods and collecting giveaways, before gathering at a DJ-led dance party. This year’s event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 25.

Much of the discussion centered around the community’s need for interpreter services. Councilman Alsaadun wondered whether EMU’s Intensive English Program (IEP) might be able to help fill the gap in interpreter training. The program has a reputation among the local immigrant community as “the best in the area,” he said. “From Winchester to Charlottesville, you guys are the best there is.”

The liaison committee will meet next in November. 

Hear from IEP students about how the transformative program is positively shaping their lives in from WHSV-TV3.

Native speakers of a language intuitively understand prepositions, but many would be hard-pressed to explain them to someone who is learning the language. Native speakers might also have trouble clearly explaining when to use “because” instead of “so” or naming the situations that call for the present continuous verb tense.

Instructors at EMU’s Intensive English Program (IEP) can explain these nuances of English and teach them in a way that new learners can grasp. Many of the instructors hold master’s degrees in TESOL, applied linguistics, English, or education. This educational background, along with international teaching experience, helps them engage in best practices in ESL teaching to the 60 to 80 students who attend the IEP in a typical semester. 

These students represent 15 to 20 countries and a wealth of linguistic diversity. Many come from three of the world’s largest faith groups: Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist. Their cultural, religious, and linguistic backgrounds vary, but they come together to work on a common goal: learning English. 

On orientation day, Jeremy Samsoe, program director of the IEP, encourages students to speak English at school, both for conversational practice and to make sure everyone feels included. In one Level 1 class where most students know Spanish and often resort to using it, their teacher keeps pushing them to speak in English. One day she jokes with them, “I don’t want to hear anything except English or Chinese in this class.”

As adult learners, most students are committed to attending classes and learning all they can. Students generously help each other spell words or make sense of assignments. Teachers nurture positive environments where students can practice, ask questions, and make mistakes. If someone misreads “chocolate cake” as “chocolate coke,” the class laughs together over the shared difficulty of learning a new language. Sometimes teachers add a fun component to an assignment that might feel stressful. For instance, students give a presentation about food they enjoy making and then share the food with everyone. This rich cultural spread might feature empanadas, chicken feet, banana bread, lentils and rice, and doughnuts.

One upcoming graduate of the IEP, Khan Khanzada, came to the United States in 2021. He didn’t know English and couldn’t explain his educational background or the job skills he already had as an electrician in Afghanistan. He struggled with his new work situation, but what pushed him to learn English was a visit to the doctor. Since they couldn’t communicate, the doctor called in a translator. When Khanzada saw the bill for this service, he wondered why translation cost so much. That’s when he decided he couldn’t continue living in the United States without learning English. 

Khanzada already spoke five languages, but all of them were very different from English. He started studying at Skyline Literacy but wanted to learn English faster than the four-hour-a-week program could offer. In 2023, Khanzada enrolled in the IEP, beginning as a Level 2 student. 

The IEP offers six levels of English instruction and tests students to place them at a comfortable level. Full-time students take 20 class hours per week, Monday through Thursday, with instruction in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar. Class sizes typically range from 6 to 12 students, allowing instructors to give students more attention than they would get at a larger school. Students can also receive tutoring one-on-one or in small groups.

Two years after he started classes, Khanzada reached Level 6. He loves that he can now talk about anything with anyone in English. But his remarkable progress took dedication and hard work. More than once, Khanzada said to himself, “This is my last day. I’m going to stop because I can’t do two things at once.” Like some other students, Khanzada works full-time while also studying full-time. After a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, he comes home briefly before showing up for his first morning class at 9 a.m. When classes end at 3 p.m., he goes home to sleep a few hours before his night shift begins.

Khanzada did not give up though, and now that he knows English, he shares his phone number with recent immigrants and tells them to give him a call if they have any communication problems. But they don’t get a surprise translation fee because Khanzada offers his services for free.

Khanzada doesn’t consider himself a perfect speaker yet, but he “can easily solve his own problems in writing, reading, listening, and speaking.” His goal is to speak English so well that nobody can tell he’s a non-native speaker. After he graduates from the IEP, he plans to perfect his English by watching movies, listening to conversations between native speakers, reading books, and intentionally learning new vocabulary. 

After completing the IEP, some students find better jobs because of their improved English skills. Khanzada, for instance, has already been able to get a job as an electrician. Other students enter universities, graduate programs, and community colleges in the United States. And some return to their home countries, equipped by their language study to pursue a new career.

Khanzada’s advice for people who don’t know English is to start taking classes. They should never say they can’t do it because their situation is too hard. “The only person who can change your life is you,” Khanzada said. “You have to start from somewhere. Starting is the main key that opens a lot of doors to success.”

Watch WHSV-TV’s coverage of the IEP .

The census numbers, collected on Sept. 9, represent undergraduate, graduate, non-degree and non-credit enrollment on the main Harrisonburg, Virginia, campus and the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, site for fall 2024.

“Amidst a challenging higher education environment, I am delighted that EMU is seeing growth in areas that reflect our shared values and ongoing commitment to belonging,” said Braydon Hoover ’11, MA ’21, vice president for enrollment. “It is important to note that while we are reporting our fall enrollment in aggregate, each number represents an individual student who has chosen EMU to be the catalyst of their bright futures. It is a choice we celebrate and a responsibility we take seriously. We will continue to deliver an exceptional education experience that is accessible for them and for all students interested in becoming unifying leaders.”

Explore more data 
in the EMU Fact Book.

The number of incoming students in the aviation program at EMU at Lancaster surged from 9 to 23 (a 155% increase from last year), contributing to a total undergraduate enrollment of 755 students and an incoming class enrollment of 183 students. The Class of 2028 represents 15 states/territories and 10 countries and includes 34% of students who identify as first-generation and 53% who identify as people of color (a roughly 10% increase from last year). Of the incoming class, 43% are athletes.

Top areas of study, starting from most popular, include nursing, business and leadership, STEM, aviation, and education. The Intensive English Program realized an 18% enrollment increase from 84 to 99 students.

This year at least 32 teachers from the Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County public school divisions are renewing their licensure through the Graduate Teacher Education program, further demonstrating EMU’s commitment to community partnerships.

EMU’s retention rate, which is generally used as a gauge of student satisfaction, remains high. According to census data, 76% of the first-year undergraduate students who entered in fall 2023 continued their studies at EMU this semester. This marks the sixth consecutive year that the rate has measured 75% or higher.

“Our retention rate continues to soar above the national average,” said Provost Dr. Tynisha Willingham. “Achieving this for six consecutive years is a feat. EMU’s collaborative approach, involving various departments working in synergy, ensures that students receive comprehensive support and have the opportunity to thrive academically and personally.”

EMU’s eight graduate programs, which include Eastern Mennonite Seminary and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, continue to draw exceptional candidates with total full-time equivalent enrollment at 225 students. The number of new graduate students, including part-time and full-time students, is up by 30%. Those 108 degree-seeking students in the incoming graduate class represent 17 states and 16 countries.

The publication launched on April 18 and features the contributions of 28 students in EMU’s Intensive English Program (IEP) written in their own native languages. Articles in the 12-page issue are written in Belarusian, Dari, Farsi, French, Kurdish, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian. They feature stories by students from Afghanistan, Belarus, Brazil, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Iraqi Kurdistan, Kazakhstan, Puerto Rico, Russia, Ukraine and Venezuela. Near the back of the issue, a series of summaries written in English translates their journeys to the U.S. and their experiences learning English.

Two IEP students and three IEP teachers provided edits for the paper, while six Weather Vane staffers designed the pages for publication. A thousand copies of the paper were printed and distributed.

Senior Hannah Landis and junior Zack Furr, co-founders of Global Voices and co-editors-in-chief of The Weather Vane during the fall 2023 semester, tossed around the idea last summer for translated versions of the student newspaper. They realized they didn’t have the resources for that idea, but discovered a different invaluable resource: the students enrolled in IEP.

“We wanted to recognize them as students at EMU,” Landis said. “We feel like they’re not necessarily the first people you think of when you think of the average EMU student, but they’re just as much a part of our community.”

Furr agreed.

“The primary goal of this is giving a voice to those whose voices have been underrepresented in the 100-plus years that EMU has existed,” he said.

The student writers and editors were compensated for their work — an Inclusive Excellence Grant from the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion funded their paychecks as well as all printing costs. 

“We couldn’t have done this without the IEP,” Landis said. “Having them here on campus and getting to work with them was such a privilege.”

“They did a ton of the heavy lifting,” Furr added.

Landis will be graduating at Commencement this weekend with degrees in Spanish language & Hispanic studies and writing studies. Furr, whose majors are in digital media and communications and photography, said he plans to take on the task next spring with a second edition. 

“We hope to keep it going and get people passionate about it to continue working on it even after we’re gone,” he said.

Global Voices was funded by the Inclusive Excellence Grants, Office of DEI, EMU. Thanks to the Office of DEI, Melissa May and the IEP faculty and staff, Jerry Holsopple, Adam Hoover, Thomas Erickson, Kirsten Beachy, The Weather Vane, and all the writers and editors from IEP. The Global Voices production staff included Doran Kennedy, Caleb Stoltzfus, Will Blosser and Erika Lopez.

Nine Harrisonburg High School students got a feel for campus life at ��ݮ���� (EMU) and plenty of laughs through a summer day camp hosted by the Intensive English Program (IEP). The students, who all speak Spanish as a first language and are enrolled in English learner classes in high school, spent three weeks this July playing games and responding to discussion topics in English. 

The goal of the camp was to provide a fun and educational experience “so they could practice using both conversational and academic English in an immersive environment, and to expose those students to IEP and a college campus, specifically EMU,” said Jeremy Samsoe, who recently stepped into the role of program director for IEP.

Samsoe said the camp was a brainchild of the previous director, Karen Suderman, who worked with EMU’s admissions department and Laura Feichtinger McGrath GC ’18, director of English learner services and Title III at Harrisonburg City Public Schools, to bring it to fruition.

“The students really valued the relationships with the camp leaders, student Abby Olmstead and Rachel Sauder ’21, and the opportunity to use English in an authentic yet lower pressure environment than school,” Samsoe said.

The students, ranging from 9th to 12th graders, wrote that their favorite parts of the camp were indeed meeting the camp leaders, as well as playing sports in the gym, playing games that helped them practice English, and seeing their friends. 

“My favorite part was when we went to the gym to play dodgeball,” said sophomore Ana Pereira. 

Volleyball, basketball, and the card game Uno (uno being the only word they were allowed to say in Spanish – other slip ups resulted in a two-card penalty, which was gleefully enforced by the other students) were also favored activities. 

The camp also included a campus tour, whimsical writing prompts (if you could spend one month anywhere in the world or one day on the moon, what would you choose and why?), and a scavenger hunt. 

“I think the exposure to the university was also valuable. One student even told the leaders that she wants to go to EMU after she graduates,” said Samsoe.

Video by: Paul Hairston