Weinberg junior Maria Chebli and SESP junior Sarah Norman entered the school year with a game plan to revitalize the International Student Association.
About a month into school, the two ISA co-presidents have followed through.
“A lot of people don’t really know what ISA is, even the international students, and that’s because there’s been a lack of programming,” Norman said. “We’re hoping that over the course of this year, it’s going to become a really big student organization.”
For years, ISA has provided a space for international students to engage with global issues, spread cultural awareness and interact with other international students. This year, the ISA obtained funding from the Associated Student Government.
“We ended up getting around $9,000 this year,” Norman said. “We had nothing in the past, so it’s a pretty big win.”
With funding, ISA is able to host more social events than it has in previous years.
On Tuesday, members held a U.S. trivia event themed “How well do you know your host country?” And on Saturday, they have a trip to H-Mart planned.
In general, their goal is to increase their programming by hosting events on a bi-weekly basis and engaging with more members.
Besides social programming, Chebli and Norman said they intend to organize more informational sessions that can help international students overcome problems that are often overlooked.
The pre-professional and financial aspects of living abroad tend to be challenging, said Chebli, who grew up in Lebanon. Getting company sponsorship, obtaining a social security number and filling out complicated tax forms are just some of the difficulties.
“This is a form of support that has been neglected in the past and that we’re really trying to work on,” Chebli said.
The team is also working to expand on the philanthropy front.
Chebli said she wants ISA members to be able to fundraise for organizations important to them and their home countries.
“I know that a lot of students come all the way to the U.S. to make a change back home,” Chebli said.
ISA is also encouraging more interaction between upper- and lowerclassmen. For the first time, ISA implemented a new family pairing system — similar to other multicultural clubs — for underclassmen to meet on a regular basis with upperclassmen while fostering a close community.
For many ISA members, what makes the club special is the people they meet, motivating members to rejoin year after year.
That rings true for Weinberg sophomore Ghali Derrij, who is a first-time member of the organizational committee.
“I love the sense of community,” Derrij said. “You get a lot out of each other just by being present and listening to each other’s stories.”
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