Professors at the University of Windsor are very supportive, says Mattheus Zanivan. Here on a one-year study abroad experience, the Brazilian engineering student attributes his academic success to their help.

“They knew I was having difficulty working in English and were very patient with me,” says Zanivan, one of six study abroad participants to make the dean’s list in their respective programs last semester.

He says he enjoys the way courses are taught in Canada, with assignments, tutorials and labs spread through the term, rather than dependent on a final examination.

“It helps you to keep learning all the time,” he says.

Zanivan was one of dozens of visiting students welcomed to campus at a reception Tuesday night, which also served as a homecoming for Windsor students returning from international exchange and as a send-off for those about to embark on exchange.

Vice-provost, students and international, Clayton Smith told attendees that international experience is a key part of being a university student.

“Our hope is that by students meeting students from other places, we create a more peaceful world,” he said.

Zanivan has taken advantage of the opportunity to see some Canadian culture, travelling to Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec over the holidays, and making day trips to Pelee Island, Niagara Falls and Oktoberfest in Kitchener.

“I’m going to be sad to go home,” he says.