From stammers to success: Language and Culture Institute opens doors for international students

Paanwaris Paansri held his breath as he waited for the Zoom meeting to connect. When Luis E. Escobar, assistant professor of disease ecology in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, appeared on the screen, Paansri managed a smile, but he could feel his heart beating faster. 

Escobar wasn’t just a researcher whose publications Paansri had read. He was searching for a new doctoral student and could hold the key to Paansri’s academic goals. Nerves gripped Paansri as his future hung in the balance.

While earning his master’s degree in wildlife conservation in Thailand, Paansri had been nominated by his professors to pursue his Ph.D. in the United States. But first, he first needed an advisor. 

Paansri stared at Escobar’s face in the Zoom window, his smile wavering. Despite years of studying English, the pressure of the moment made it difficult to form a sentence. He stammered. His cheeks flamed, and everything he’d learned about English seemed to slip away.

What should have been a straightforward conversation with a potential advisor turned into a harrowing ordeal. If that halting interview hadn’t closed the door on Paansri’s hopes to study in America, his low score on the TOEFL — the test usually required for non-English speakers to study in American universities — nearly sealed it shut.

But Escobar saw potential in Paansri and was determined to find a way to reopen that door.

“Professor Escobar could have just said, ‘Your English is not good, so we cannot accept you.’ But he didn't. He helped me find another way,” Paansri said.

For Escobar, helping Paansri pursue his goals wasn't just about assisting one student — it also touched on larger issues of access and inclusion. Escobar was determined to do what he could to tear down the barriers to education that students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds face. 

“Lacking access to high-quality English training is often a result of resource scarcity. I am passionate that Virginia Tech isn’t barring bright students from higher education simply because they lacked access to specific resources — in this case, English training,” Escobar said. “Paansri is a brilliant, young scholar with the potential to make a significant positive impact in wildlife conservation in Asia. If we are a global land-grant, it is critical that a student’s access to resources does not determine their access to higher education.”

English training and academic preparation

Escobar recommended that Paansri, who received a scholarship from the Wildlife Conservation Society to study English, enroll at the Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute (LCI). There, he could improve his TOEFL scores, use his scholarship, and start his research without delay. The LCI offers classes for international students looking to improve their English proficiency and gain admission to Virginia Tech or another U.S. university.

The summer before the Ph.D. program began, Paansri spent 2 1/2 months practicing his English at the LCI, part of Outreach and International Affairs. He spent hours each week working with tutor Becky Etzler and taking two classes: Reading and Writing with Bonnie Sumner and Grammar, Listening, and Speaking with Steven Rieg.

Paansri, who goes by the English nickname “Nine,” expected the classes to be like ones he’d had before — boring. “I would just do the homework, give it to the teacher, and wait for a grade," he said of his previous classes.

His classes at the LCI, however, were markedly different. “Every morning, I wanted to go. I wanted to be there even though it started early at 8 a.m. every day.”

His teachers made practicing English an engaging and interesting experience. Sumner and Rieg, for example, integrated cultural and language learning with field trips and campus excursions. “We would tour somewhere on campus and then come back to the classroom and summarize what we learned about the places. It was good because it wasn’t just English practice — it was also preparing me to be a student here,” Paansri said.

The LCI classes were engaging, he said, because the instructors are genuinely interested in their students. “They got to know my culture, and they would do lessons around things that were happening back home,” Paansri said. For instance, during the Thai elections, Sumner had her entire class discuss the differences between the Thai and American elections.

Paansri said he got to know several different cultures this way as the instructors gave students opportunities to share about their homes. His classmates represented a wide variety of nationalities. As they all shared about their homes and their customs, they weren’t just reminiscing — they were also listening and speaking in English and discovering American culture through comparative discussions.

Likewise, after class, Paansri found himself continuing to practice English as he became close friends with other LCI students. If he wanted to hang out with his new friend from Japan, their only common language was English. So that’s what they spoke.

Within two months of joining the LCI, Paansri — the person who had stammered through an interview with his future Ph.D. advisor — was having casual conversations in English with his friends.

When he took the TOEFL again at the end of the summer, his score rose by 29 points. In just 10 weeks of study at the LCI, Paansri’s English had improved so significantly that he was eligible to start his Ph.D. program.

Fostering a diverse international community

Paansri didn’t waste a moment. His first semester as a Ph.D. student would be a strong start for his future career. He presented his master’s degree research at a department seminar and was entrusted with two National Science Foundation grants to study the biogeography of rodents and the ecology of bats. For both, Paansri believes the research and the findings will help him achieve his goal of contributing to the wildlife and habitat management practices in Thailand.

“The Language and Culture Institute has played a crucial role in my academic journey — not just in improving my English skills but also in instilling confidence in communication,” he said. “Learning from mistakes and consistently improving has been a valuable lesson.”

Pamela Smart-Smith, co-director of the LCI, said Paansri’s experience is emblematic of the institute’s mission. “One of the aims of the Language and Culture Institute is to ensure that Virginia Tech is a top destination for international talent. We are committed to helping bring international students here and then helping them meet their personal, academic, and professional goals.”

As a leading global research university with a land-grant mission, Virginia Tech is increasingly recognized as an institution with a worldwide perspective, one that brings together top talent from around the world. One of President Tim Sands’ top strategic priorities, Virginia Tech Global Distinction, centers on the university’s commitment to elevate its international prominence and strengthen its capacity to act as a force for positive change.

“Supporting promising students still in the process of polishing their language skills demonstrates the commitment of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, the Language and Culture Institute, and, I think, Virginia Tech as a whole to be more diverse and inclusive,” Escobar said. 

“We work hard to foster a diverse international community at Virginia Tech and to ensure our international students like Nine feel welcome here,” Smart-Smith said.