A smile goes a long way

In words that speak for themselves, Sarah M. Gilomen, a first-year SIUC civil engineering graduate student currently studying at Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University, reminds us that smiles are important.

"Since my efforts have changed to smile at everyone I come across who's staring at me, I have discovered that the smile is truly the universal language," Gilomen wrote to Mary Anne Osborne, SIUC's workforce learning and development officer. "No matter if we speak the same language or not, these (people) still know how to smile back, and now when I'm smiling, I'll usually get a smile in return with a 'You're beautiful'. So now I've found that their stares and smile have a purpose.”

Sarah and Dawn M. Brady are the first College of Engineering graduate students to participate in the dual degree "One Plus One" master's program offered by both universities. According to Osborne, Gilomen is a "stranger in Taiwan who has learned when you give something as simple as a smile – you always get more back. Thank you Sarah for sharing!"