What common thread unites an international business student from Ecuador, a professional basketball player from Spain and a journalist from Turkey? The answer is simple: Temple.

Temple University’s Intensive English Language Program (IELP) brings together students and professionals from all over the world to study English. Unlike other programs of its kind, in addition to classes in reading, writing, listening and speaking, IELP also offers students creative electives, such as “Learning English through Movies,” and opportunities to get involved with the surrounding Philadelphia community.

“We take our students from the microcosm of the classroom, into the Temple community, then into the city of Philadelphia so they are able to take what they have learned in the classroom and use it in real-world settings,” said IELP Assistant Director Maureen McNerney.

It works. Temple student Gabriela Sanchez came to the United States from Ecuador in 2005 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business. Lacking college-level proficiency in English, Sanchez enrolled in IELP.

“The IELP changed my life,” said Sanchez. “It gave me the opportunity to be in a diverse classroom with students from all over the world, acculturate to life in America by living with a host family and explore language through coursework and trips.”

Sanchez was accepted into the Fox School of Business’s International Business degree program after completing one year in IELP. She enrolled and at the same time worked as a student worker for the IELP office, where she was able to apply her experiences to help other international students.

“Being here in the U.S. and studying at Temple has helped open my eyes to the world and discover there is so much to learn and so many different places to go,” she said. “These realizations have pushed me to explore beyond Philadelphia.”

And that’s exactly what Sanchez is doing. This semester she is studying international business at Temple University Japan.

While some students study at the IELP to pursue a bachelor’s degree, others come with the goal of eventually earning a master’s. Before enrolling in the IELP over a year ago, Orhan Akkrut, who is from Turkey, worked as a professional journalist at Crhan News Agency in Istanbul. Now, Akkrut hopes to enroll in Temple’s Master’s in Journalism Program. To improve his speaking, he practices daily with both undergraduate and graduate students.

“I like Temple. Why? Because, I can talk to a lot of people on campus. Everybody helps me,” said Akkrut.

In addition to Sanchez, Akkurt has many other successful IELP alumni to emulate, including Sergio Olmos (CST, ‘09), a Temple basketball player from Spain, and Daniel Turcina (Boyer, ‘13), a renowned violinist from Slovakia, who is currently playing in the Boyer College of Music and Dance ensemble in-residence iPalpiti Orchestra, an acclaimed international group.

But not all IELP students plan to go to Temple or even university. Whether students’ goals are learning English for educational purposes, business, social expression or personal satisfaction, the IELP equips them with the tools they need to succeed, says McNerney.

“They may come here for English, but they get so much more.”