STAFF SPOTLIGHT CONNECTING on a personal level M MARLENI FEINSTEIN SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES arleni Feinstein was born and raised in Singapore and came to the United States to study at Indiana University-Bloomington, where she earned two masters degrees (English literature and library science). She taught writing courses at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, and in the Distance Learning Program for Indiana University. Her languages include Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, and some Indonesian dialects. For ten years, she served as a court appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children in Lycoming County. In 2017, Lycoming College welcomed Feinstein to the staff as an English instructor. Soon after, she assumed the role of international student advisor for the Academic Resource Center, a role that suited her incredibly well given her international background. Her skill set and empathy for the students was recognized, and her position was elevated to that of special assistant to President Trachte for international initiatives in 2019. Most recently, she was appointed to the additional role of secretary to the board of trustees at Lycoming. Why did you choose to pursue a career in higher education? My family values education very highly, and one of my parents’ aspirations for their three children was that we would achieve educations that surpassed their own. My mother is a teacher, and I have always known that is also where my talent and passion lie. Being able to work with young adults as they start to discover and develop their identities and academic interests is an absolutely rewarding experience, and to be able to work with international students at Lycoming really brings my journey full-circle. I came to the United States as an international student 37 years ago. While much has developed, especially in the area of support services for international students, I believe my students today still experience much of the same combination of excitement, trepidation, and awe that I felt all those years ago. It is a privilege for me to be able to mentor and advise my students, and their curiosity and resilience is inspiring. Describe the responsibilities in your role with International Initiatives. The focus of my work revolves around promoting and supporting internationalism at Lycoming. We have international students from 15 different countries on our campus, and that number easily doubles when you consider faculty, staff, and students who were born abroad, but are now naturalized citizens of the United States. I greet new international students when they arrive on campus and take them through an orientation designed to help them move comfortably into our community. I periodically teach the international section of composition, and this gives me an opportunity to interact with the students in an academic setting. 20 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2023 SPRING MAGAZINE
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