ENGLISH LESSONS: LONDON STUDENTS AT UH
FOR TV SERIES
Documentary Will Chronicle Experiences of 5 Brits Transplanted to
Houston
(HOUSTON, March 18, 2005)—The cameras will be rolling when
five students from London trade their lives across the pond for
eight weeks of college life at the University of Houston. The five
are participating in a British documentary chronicling their academic
and social experiences at an American institution of higher learning.
“This documentary is meant to show what American university
life is like for these transplanted Londoners,” said Sebastian
Grant, series producer. “Our cameras will be with them as
they go to class, attend fraternity parties and enjoy UH and Houston
life.” The result will be a 15-part television series to be
aired exclusively for
Trouble TV in the United Kingdom in the fall. Grant, from Princess
Productions, created a similar documentary on British high schoolers
as they experienced American high school life last year.
The British students will be at UH through the week of May 9.
Students and faculty from the UH Honors College will mentor the
group throughout their stay, providing guidance on classes and social
activities. The British students will participate in group discussions
and tests, but will not receive official grades.
“We didn’t want their classes to get in the way of the
fun,” Bill Monroe, executive associate dean of the Honors
College, said. “They’ll take a couple of classes, but
the majority of their time will be spent with the other students
at UH.”
The five students represent a cross-section of London life: Luke
Oakeshott is a 19-year-old Londoner whose father is a lord; Twenty-year-old
Debbie Otubambo is a criminology student who is a devout Christian;
Tara
Al-Wali is a dancer and a fashion design student who is a non-practicing
Muslim; Mitesh Patel is 23-years-old and hopes to learn more about
designing websites; and 19-year-old Claudia Grant is a world traveler
who would like to study anthropology. Three of the students will
be housed with fraternities or sororities. One will live in the
campus dormitories. The other will live off campus.
“They’ll take part in the upcoming Frontier Fiesta
at UH; they’ll visit the Galleria and maybe take in a baseball
game,” Grant said. “One student would like to try out
for cheerleader. Another would like to write for the university
newspaper.”
The University of Houston was chosen because of its diverse student
population and because of the unique campus life, Grant said.
For more information about the UH Honors College, please visit
http://www.uh.edu/academics/hon/
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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