Volume 159, Issue 11- April 6, 2026
ELI at the Florida International Leadership Conference (FILC)
By Christine Voigt
ELI at the Florida International Leadership Conference (FILC)
On March 27-29, Tate and I had the amazing opportunity to take three ELI students to attend the 2026 Florida International Leadership Conference (FILC) in Fruitland Park, FL. FILC is a chance for students from all universities in Florida to participate in conference sessions and trainings about international leadership, as well as have fun experiences like bonfires, karaoke, a “Glow in the Dark” dance, and other camp-style activities. It was a great time!
Zennure Arga wrote the following about her experience:
Attending FILC was an incredible experience. The campsite setting made the learning process both fun and relaxing, far from a traditional classroom feel. Every activity was thoughtfully designed to improve our leadership skills, teaching me the importance of teamwork and cultural adaptability. It was a perfect balance of education and enjoyment.
In addition to the fun and learning, all of the students from the ELI participated in the Elevator Pitch contest, where they had to present a 1-minute speech in front of all 140 people who attended the conference. This is something that is difficult to do in your primary language, but they did in English and all did an absolutely amazing job!
I couldn’t be more proud of Zennure, Ildemar, and Silvano for being open to the experience and showing other Florida universities how amazing ELI students are.
CIP Photo of the Week: Coffee Talk
CIP Weekday Activities
 Monday, April 6th – Coffee Talk – 5:30 – 8:00pm *New Time this week only |
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| Socialize with LAs and ELI friends at Sweetberries! Play games, speak English, and get coffee, or get dinner in downtown! Take bus 10 or 5. The location will change each week. Address: 619 NW 5th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601 |
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 Tuesday, April 7th – Volleyball – 6:30 – 9:00pm |
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| Play volleyball and hang out at Lexington Crossing Apartments Phase 2 Volleyball Courts with us! No experience necessary! You can also watch, socialize or play other games if you don’t want to play volleyball. Take bus 35. Address: 3700 SW 27th St, Gainesville, FL 32608 |
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 Wednesday, April 8th – Depot Park– 7:00 – 9:30pm *New time |
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Come socialize with friends at One Love Cafe where you can enjoy their outdoor patio, order food, and listen to live music! You can also walk around the areas shops and restaurants or play games outdoor games. Take bus 43. Address: 4989 Northwest 40th Place, Gainesville, FL 32606 |
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| Call Tate or Paola if you have any issues finding the ELI at an activity. Their numbers can be found on the signups. |
Friday, April 10th – Rotating Activity: One Love Café Live Music – 5:30 – 8:00pmWeekend Activity:
No weekend activity. Study for final exams!
CIP Recommendations
Get different recommendations from your LAs and CIP friends each week! This week is hobbies!
Hobbies
Aurora: Reading and crocheting
Elijah: Karaoke and roller skating
Kemarah: Journaling and nail art
Lexa: Dancing and looking up flights I won’t take
Paola: Duolingo and making pasta from scratch
Sam: Yoga and taking pictures of flowers
Shawn: Cooking and planning events
Tate: Mixing music and bird watching
Talk to LAs and the CIP Office to learn more about their favorite hobbies and tell them about yours!
Other CIP Reminders
Conversation Partners (CPs)
Want to meet with a fluent English speaker and make a new friend? Sign up for a CP! If you choose to sign up, you must meet with your partner for one hour a week. It can take up to two weeks to get a partner from when you sign up. Sign up here!
Returning students, you will not automatically be paired again if you had a CP last semester. Please make sure to sign up again here for the Spring semester if you did not request a /spring partner in your end of term evaluation from last semester.
Please email Elijah at conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu for any issues, questions or concerns or visit him in the CIP Office during office hours.
CIP Passport Completers
Congratulations on completing your passport and being so involved in the CIP!
Silvano Tandela
Fahad Sumait
AD Murshid
CIP Passports
Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders at the event (not after). We don’t hole punch passports after the event. Redeem your completed passport for a small gift, a photo for the ELI Instagram, and your name published in the ELI weekly!
Need a new CIP Passport? Stop by the CIP Office.
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Need a new CIP Passport? Stop by the CIP Office!
Find the Pineapple
Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office. Stop by and find it for hole punches!
Notes from the Office
EOT Evaluations: Soon we will be doing our final course evaluations. This is your opportunity to provide feedback for how the class went this semester. Please go to this link https://bit.ly/4048gmH to review the evaluations so that you know how to fill them out when they are distributed in class. ELI administrators will review them and share the results with your teachers and Language Assistants to help them plan the class for next semester.
Apartment Leases: As the semester draws to a close, keep in mind that your lease might be ending soon. It is important to know the exact date that your apartment lease ends so you can make plans. If you’re not sure when it ends, ask your apartment office. If you need help finding a hotel to stay in short-term (you should ask your friends first!), someone to take over your lease, or a new apartment, talk to Christine in Matherly 223.
Check your I20s: If your I-20 is expiring soon, make an appointment with Daryl in MAT 223 to renew your I-20 before it expires.
We Need Volunteer for ELI Promo Videos: Do you want to be a social media star? The ELI is looking for students to appear in videos on our YouTube channel and Instagram page. You will meet with Christine to film a 15-20 minute interview talking about your experience in Gainesville and at the ELI. If you are interested or have questions, please talk to Christine (christinevoigt@ufl.edu).
ELI Class Photo: On Tuesday, April 7, we will be taking a group photo of everyone at the ELI at the bronze Gator sculpture outside the Southwest entrance of Matherly Hall. The sculpture is known as Gator Ubiquity (see photo). Your Listening/Speaking teachers or LAs will walk you over there between the two L/S periods on Thursday. If it rains, we will take the photo on Thursday,
Birthdays
| Students | Staff | ||
| Veronica Marinelli | April 8 | Emily Szydlowski | April 8 |
| Jaehyung Lee | April 11 | Thomas Dolce | April 12 |
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Student Questions: Grammar
Q: Does English have any wise sayings like we do in my language?
Yes, wise sayings in English might be called a proverb, an aphorism, or adage.
Here’s one: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
What do you think that means?
Joke of the Week
Q: What does a house wear?
Address!
Student Voices
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Please submit your writing for Student Voices by Tuesday, April 7th. You can email it to Olga Moody (omoody@ufl.edu) or to your teacher. Please include your name and class on your submission. |
From the Editor
An invitation to contribute: Time is running out! Would you like your writing to be featured in the ELI Weekly before the end of this semester?
- Write a paragraph about your experiences this semester. You could write about an ELI activity, a Gainesville event, a fabulous local restaurant, or tell us about a place or event in your country that we should visit.
- Send me grammar questions for me to put in the Weekly.
- Send me manners and culture questions for me to put in the Weekly.
- Send me jokes to put in the Weekly.
Send your paragraphs and/or questions to Jen Ramos (jenramos@ufl.edu) Use the subject heading: ELI Weekly.