By The Scene staff
Keith Hulsey is retiring from Forest Park, so international students are losing a key mentor and advocate.
He has taught English as a second language (ESL), served as program coordinator, sponsored the International Club and helped hundreds of students from other countries adjust to American life.
Hulsey has also developed friendships with these students, some lasting 20 years. Social media such as Facebook has provided a way to keep in touch.
“Professor Hulsey gets involved,” said Jeremy Dennis, an English professor who has worked with him for 20 years. “He gets to know his students personally.”
Eve Fonseca, another professor of English as a second language, has been working with Hulsey for all 25 of his years at Forest Park. She calls him her “second brother” and describes him as a supportive colleague, someone she can always rely on and feel comfortable bouncing ideas off each other.
Fonseca said Hulsey was instrumental in getting international students involved on campus and participate in activities outside of class.
“He has been a real link between ESL students and the campus at large,” she said. “I know that the campus will dearly miss Keith’s energy surrounding World Languages Day and the (International Education Week) celebration.”
Hulsey is retiring early to spend more time with his family and travel, including trips to Malaysia, where his wife grew up. Hulsey has identified more than 80 languages spoken by students at Forest Park. He noted that many countries have more than one language and multiple dialects.
“English may be the second or third language they have had to learn,” he said.
Hulsey has witnessed fluctuations in migration from different continents and regions over the years due to hardships that forced people to flee their homelands. The International Institute of St. Louis helps many get settled in the United States.
One of Hulsey’s students went back to his home country before returning to the United States and becoming a prominent real estate agent in the St. Louis area.
“Many (students) go on to pursue further education, jobs/careers and families,” he said.
As an offshoot of teaching, Hulsey has spent the past decade scanning papers submitted by international students as part of classroom assignments to create a digital collection of stories from around the world.
Dennis said Hulsey’s departure will create a big void at Forest Park. English 102 instructor Layla Goushey agrees.
“His work with the International Club has helped me learn more about different parts of the world through is students’ stories and events they share during the club meetings,” she said.
“Students would bring their unique cultural dishes to share. It was a fun and educational.”