GETEECA VANAIK, international student and scholar advisor of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in Illinois, USA visited the university, Sept. 5, to speak on the best practices in searching for scholarships abroad.

She started as an international student at SIUE in 2001 from India. She earned her undergraduate in biology (major in integrative biology) and master’s in management (major in biotechnology management) from the said university in 2006 and 2008, respectively.  She joined SIUE’s Office of International Programs after her graduation.

She is in the Philippines as a visiting expert on US higher education sponsored by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs under its Reconnect Program, a program that gives opportunity for an individual involved in a US-based campus cluster for EducationUSAadvisers from different countries to visit one of the countries represented such as the Philippines.

As international student and scholar advisor, she ensures institutional and individual compliance with the law by appropriately interpreting and applying federal policies and regulations pertaining to F-1 and J-1 students and scholars. She also prepares documents for international students and scholars and assists in recruiting international students.  According to her, SIUE has, at present, only one Filipino international student and they project to have 10 Filipinos by 2015.


Vanaik briefed the audience composed mostly of CAS and CHS students on US scholarships, cost of enrolling in an American university, when to apply  (“One year before you plan to start”, she said), scholarships that students can apply for upon admission, graduate assistantships, and on- and off-campus employment.

She encouraged the students to try, not to give up, and to keep trying. She said: “The most motivated are those who succeed.”

The SIUE is a nationally recognized university in the US that educates and develops professional and community leaders through its excellent faculty and programs. With a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1, it offers the advantages of a small, liberal arts college with the lowest tuition of all 12 of the state universities in Illinois. It has a college of arts and sciences and schools of business, dental medicine, education, engineering, nursing, and pharmacy.

Students and faculty members interested to pursue international study at SIUE may get in touch with Dr.Lucena R. Felipe, director of the University Library System, and area director of the American Studies Resource Center based at MMSU.