Michigan, USA - With the help a leading Chaldean educator at Wayne State University, efforts have been made to help qualified Chaldean students receive admission, garner scholarships, and transfer to Wayne State University from Oakland Community College.  Preferring to remain anonymous the Chaldean professor and lead administrator has been aggressively pursuing new options and pathways to help high school and community college students overcome barriers. 

Chaldean American Student Association (CASA) is pleased to inform Chaldean college bound students that Wayne State University and Oakland Community College (OCC) have signed an agreement making it easier for students in business, computer science and engineering at OCC to complete a bachelor's degree at Wayne State.   Chaldean students wishing to transfer to WSU will find it convenient to attend their upper-division courses on the main campus of WSU or at Wayne State's Oakland Center in Farmington Hills.

Michigan, USA - A handful of Chaldean-American Wayne State University (WSU) students were recently able to do something that not a handful of Catholic churches could do: attain approval of 24-hour Adoration sessions, something many churches overall, have not yet had.

Rasha Kashat, 20, a pre-medical student at WSU, is one of the students that made efforts to allow one 24-hour Adoration session to be held at St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church per week.

Kashat said that "Adoration" is a meaningful gathering of individuals at the church to encourage religious practices, as well as have a great time while committing to such practices.

Chaldeans who are bilingual or Multilingual have an advantage over the rest of us, and not just in terms of communication skills. The multilingual brain develops more densely, giving it an advantage in various abilities and skills, according to new research.

According to the 2002 U.S. Census, more than 7.5 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 (about 14 %) speak a language other than English at home and the number of bilingual speakers is expected to increase in the coming years.

Most children have the capacity and facility to learn two or more languages. Research suggests there are advantages to being bilingual, such as, linguistic and metalinguistic abilities and cognitive flexibility, such as, concept formation, divergent thinking and general reasoning and verbal abilities.

Researchers from the Department of Imaging Neuroscience and experts from the Fondazione Santa Lucia in Rome researched brain densities of bilingual people. They recruited 25 people who speak one language, 25 who learned a second European language before age 5, and 33 who became bilingual between ages 10 and 15. 

All the participants spoke English as their primary language. Those who had learned a second language later in life had practiced it regularly for at least five years.

A Chaldean home filled with reading material is a good way to help our kids become enthusiastic (and proficient) readers. English is not the primary language spoken in most Chaldean households.  This challenge makes it a bit more difficult for Chaldean children to do well in reading and language arts.  To give your Chaldean child an additional boost you might consider these wonderful suggestions. 

First ask your kids about their interests. If they're too young to have a preference, visit your local library and ask a librarian to offer suggestions about age-appropriate books.

Here are some other wonderful tips shared by Chaldean parents Basima Kizzy, Joan Bazzi, Freddy Razooky, and Sabri Zora:

Michigan, USA - Developing on their growing relationship the Chaldean Education and CareerCenter and the University of Phoenix, Chaldeans are offered two local career fair opportunities in Southfield, Michigan. 

Corporate developer and diversity expert Stephanie English from University of Phoenix has been working with the Chaldean Education and Career Center to develop college education and career solutions for the Chaldean community.  The University is offering Chaldeans easy registration processes, one-on-one counseling, and now hosts two career fairs exposing job opportunities in the telecommunications and information technology industry for interested Chaldeans.     

“The Chaldean community has unique needs that the University of Phoenix perfectly fits.  We offer accredited college education and corporate training directly to hard-working Chaldeans.  Our university understands that many Chaldeans have a family to care for and may be unable or unwilling to travel to distant campuses or sit in a class for three to four hour stretches in the middle of the day.  Many Chaldeans are required to work long hours to provide for their family.  Our online courses are broadcasted directly to the homes or businesses of Chaldeans with ease and simplicity,” says English.

Michgian, USA - The Chaldean Federation of America (CFA) with supporting coordination from the Chaldean American Student Association (CASA) will be hosting the 26th Annual Chaldean Commencement and Gala Party.  The Chaldean Commencement celebrates the 2007-2008 Chaldean high school and college graduates.  The event showcases the community’s top student scholars and helps raise tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship money for Chaldean students. 

The event will be held Thursday, June 12th starting at 4:00 p.m. at the Southfield Millennium Center, located on 15600 J. L. Hudson Drive in Southfield, MI. 48075.

Michigan, USA - Ask most southeast Michigan residents about Chaldeans and you’re likely to hear that Chaldeans are well known for their creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, intelligence, hard-work ethics, competitive drive, and success.   The influential group of Iraqi immigrants seems to have a special knack of turning lemons into lemonade. 

“We learned from our parents and grandparents to rely on ourselves and to reject being dependant.  Our community struggle taught us not to rely on the government.  Doing so will enslave you and make you weak.  We were taught to work together as a family, help one another, and that each and every Chaldean, no matter where they work or how old they are, must make a difference,” says Renee Hindo of the Chaldean Education and Career Center in Southfield, Michigan.   

Can such a spirit survive in corporations where thinking outside-the-box is reserved only for executives?  Can the Chaldean entrepreneurship gene survive in professional and corporate environment?

Theresa Sitto, an English Language Learners and Reading Recovery teacher at Pleasant Lake Elementary in Walled Lake, Michigan seems to think so.  The 20 year teaching veteran shows that no matter what type of work or profession you do, you can make a difference.

Michigan, USA – Chaldean Education and Career Center (CECC) and the Southfield Public Library hosts a Chaldean community workshop series on computers.  The five week session invites Chaldean adults every Saturday morning from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., beginning March 29 to learn computer fundamentals. 

The five week course is free of charge to all registered guests, thanks to the donation of a Chaldean philanthropist and the Southfield public Library.  The course will cover computer basics, introduction to office applications, internet surfing, internet applications, and internet safety. 

The course will be taught in English, Aramaic/Syriac (Sourath), and Arabic.  Guests are required to register by calling (248) 356-0565.  The event is available to the first 30 respondents.  

Michigan, USA - The Chaldean Education and Career Center, Chaldean American Student Association of Michigan, and Chaldean American Professionals share with the community four very important instructional family based seminars on children with special needs.  The events are free and will be held throughout Oakland and Wayne County.

Chaldean parents and health professionals which include teachers, counselors, social workers, nurses, psychologist, ministers, and community family aid providers as well as Chaldean college students studying in these fields are strongly encouraged to register and attend.  The events offers state accredited certificates and an opportunity to network with other professionals in your field. 

The seminars will be held in English by industry experts.  The dates for the events are February 16, March 5, and March 18. The seminar will cover state aid and educational services for families with children of special needs. 

Afterwards CE&CC, CASA-MI, and CAP will be organizing special culturally focused sessions for families with children of special needs.  A brief summary including the seminar syllabus, location, and registration requirements follows.

Michigan, USA - Many Chaldeans are often forced to work in dangerous neighborhoods and high crime areas.  Some feel the local city police apathetic concern for Chaldean businesses bolsters the criminal to act.    Although Chaldeans have taken wise precautions to reduce the threat of attack and robbery, Chaldeans remain victims.  With bullet proof glass, immediate armed robbery alarm systems, video surveillance systems, and armed security guards or employees Chaldeans remain at risk. 

Working to address these challenges the Chaldean Education and Career Center is working with other Chaldean organizations to help address these growing concerns.  Groups like the Chaldean Justice League, Chaldean American Bar Association, Chaldean Caucus, and the Chaldean Federation of America are consistently looking for ways to help reduce attacks against Chaldeans and their property. 

In that spirit, the Chaldean Education and Career Center is organizing a series of Advanced Small Arms Self-Defense Training near Camp Chaldean.  The CE&CC along with the Livingston Gun Club and Live Safe Academy will be holding a three Self-Defense training session.