2008 Woodie Awards
'Third culture kids' experience WU differently
By: Breanna Herschelman
Issue date: 10/5/06 Section: News
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Junior Stephen Freeborn's passport is from the United States. Freeborn himself is not American; at least he does not identify himself as American and has not lived here in more than 16 years. Freeborn, whose mother is French and father is American, lived in Germany most of his life.
Freeborn, along with numerous other Webster students, are referred to as "third culture kids," students who are Americans raised abroad.
Researcher Ruth Hill Useem defined the term in the 1960s while studying Americans living in India. Through her research, Useem published a number of books and articles on the subject. She found that third culture kids experienced prolonged adolescence and had problems relating to their own ethnic groups.
For Freeborn, an audio production major who transferred this semester from the Leiden campus, this was his first visit to the United States since he was four years old. He remembers little of living in America when he was younger.
Freeborn also is called a repatriate, someone who has returned to his or her native country after living abroad for an extended time.
At the same time, many American students return from international campuses experience trouble with everyday issues such as living in a residence hall and driving a car.
Junior Trace Cates, a natural-born American citizen and international relations and sociology double major, also transferred this semester from the Leiden campus. Cates, who grew up in Biloxi, Miss., lived in the Netherlands since high school. Cates lived with a Dutch family as an exchange student. He enrolled at Webster to stay in the Netherlands while attending an American university. This is the longest period in five years that Cates has lived in the United States.
For Cates, one of the more difficult issues with moving back to the United States was dealing with student housing. Since Webster categorizes his situation as a site transfer from Leiden, he was told before he moved into the Webster Village Apartments that he had to live on campus for at least the first year. A site transfer is when a student transfers from one Webster campus to another for the remainder of their degree.
Freeborn, along with numerous other Webster students, are referred to as "third culture kids," students who are Americans raised abroad.
Researcher Ruth Hill Useem defined the term in the 1960s while studying Americans living in India. Through her research, Useem published a number of books and articles on the subject. She found that third culture kids experienced prolonged adolescence and had problems relating to their own ethnic groups.
For Freeborn, an audio production major who transferred this semester from the Leiden campus, this was his first visit to the United States since he was four years old. He remembers little of living in America when he was younger.
Freeborn also is called a repatriate, someone who has returned to his or her native country after living abroad for an extended time.
At the same time, many American students return from international campuses experience trouble with everyday issues such as living in a residence hall and driving a car.
Junior Trace Cates, a natural-born American citizen and international relations and sociology double major, also transferred this semester from the Leiden campus. Cates, who grew up in Biloxi, Miss., lived in the Netherlands since high school. Cates lived with a Dutch family as an exchange student. He enrolled at Webster to stay in the Netherlands while attending an American university. This is the longest period in five years that Cates has lived in the United States.
For Cates, one of the more difficult issues with moving back to the United States was dealing with student housing. Since Webster categorizes his situation as a site transfer from Leiden, he was told before he moved into the Webster Village Apartments that he had to live on campus for at least the first year. A site transfer is when a student transfers from one Webster campus to another for the remainder of their degree.
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