Program to support student projects at TWU, African university

Oct. 16, 2026 — DENTON —  It’s the second-smallest country in mainland Africa and roughly 9,000 miles from Denton, but Texas Woman’s assistant professor Siyoung Choe will soon have an impact on nursing students in Eswatini that no textbook can match.

Choe, who is in the School of Health Promotion and Kinesiology, was one of four recipients statewide to receive the Texas International Education Fund’s Virtual Exchange Grant, which provides direct support for faculty in classroom projects. 

Through the exchange program, he’ll partner with Southern Africa Nazarene University (SANU) in Eswatini, a country about the size of New Jersey bordered by South Africa and Mozambique. 

Choe was introduced to SANU through a research consulting project two years ago. He had a fulfilling experience with faculty there and wanted to find a way to continue the professional relationship after starting to work at TWU. 

Choe sees the virtual exchange program as a stepping stone to a more long-term relationship between TWU and SANU. 

“I just figured that it's a perfect fit for what we're trying to do,” Choe said. “It's one thing to teach students about global health and then just have them memorize things or show them videos versus actually introducing them to our global partners and then have them talk amongst themselves so that they really get a better sense of how things really are on paper versus in reality.”

Starting in the summer of 2027, Choe will integrate the virtual exchange into his introduction to global health course. The same will happen with a similar type class at SANU except with nursing students. Students from both universities will work in small, cross-institutional groups to analyze and contrast rural healthcare issues existing in both regions. 

“What excites me most is the opportunity for students from two places to learn from one another,” Choe said. “I hope they'll learn that rural communities thousands of miles apart can have similar kinds of health problems, but addressing those problems requires understanding the unique circumstances of each community." 

The groups will communicate asynchronously via the free instant messaging service WhatsApp. 

Choe anticipates that merging the global health element with rural health issues will resonate with many of the students. 

“I'm hoping that in the long run, or at least for a couple of students, they're going to be able to maintain the relationship that they built through this class and then maybe use that as an opportunity to visit one another,” Choe said.

Long-term, Choe is thinking about applying for another TIEF grant to set up a study abroad program with SANU.