A week before most freshmen said goodbye to their parents and moved into their new dorm rooms, Bobb and McCulloch Halls were filled with a mix of languages, nationalities and majors. For many participants in this year’s international orientation, the building was their first home in the United States, hosting more than 100 new international students from about 30 different countries.
The International Office has yet to compile statistics on the number of this year’s freshmen who are international students, said Nick Seamons, assistant director of student services for the office. Seamons said the figures will be ready in early November.
Involving roughly 120 students, the second annual orientation welcomed more than double the participants of last year’s event. During the four-day program, run by the International Student Association and the International Office, students were encouraged to explore NU’s campus and the surrounding neighborhoods.
“The international student orientation was a great way to start my experience at NU,” said Rin Nirundonpruk, a McCormick freshman from Thailand. “I had time to adjust and make friends who were in the same position as me before being overwhelmed by the rest of the student body.”
For the first time, the program offered older international students the opportunity to volunteer as peer advisors, helping the new students to move in, set up American bank accounts and learn classroom etiquette.
“I thought the students reacted really well,” said Weinberg sophomore Miriam Troostwijk, ISA’s international orientation coordinator, “I was scared at first because I thought we might not have planned enough for them, but then I realized that downtime is the best time to get to know each other, and it became a very relaxed situation instead of a scheduled one.”
The orientation welcomed students with a bonfire, a beach party and a barbecue, all exclusively for international students. Later in the week, the International Office organized student panels and invited several speakers to welcome new students, including University President Morton O. Schapiro. The student panel and speeches were organized like the Essential NU seminars during Wildcat Welcome, and activities like the beach party mirrored those hosted during general freshman orientation.
“These events were great opportunities for me to diversify myself by interacting with so many international students … from all walks of life,” said Shamyle Ghazali, a McCormick freshman from Pakistan who has since been elected vice president of the organization’s Freshman Advisory Board. “I have learned a lot about the world … because they brought us all together. I have forged friendships that shall last longer than forever.”
For several participants, the orientation programming inspired them to become involved with ISA activities once the school year started. The new advisory board aims to voice the views and opinions of freshmen while working to create a more comfortable atmosphere for all international students, said Nirundonpruk, who was also elected to the board.
“I had such a great time getting to know and hang out with everyone in the group, and I want to give back to the association,” Nirundonpruk said. “I want to make the impact they have had on me on other students.”
