Brady Gossett ’19 — Director of International Programs Amy Weir welcomed a new group of international students to campus Monday, tending to all the little details to ensure their transitions was smooth.
Any travel is draining enough, but many of these students are coming off long flights across several time zones.
“Maybe they don’t want to sleep right away,” said Weir, but just in case, she has beds ready made by the time they arrive. “Your first night on a new campus really determines what your overall experience in college is like.”
Weir’s focus then becomes getting the students acclimated to life in the US and life at Wabash. Along with the time difference, there are a lot of other cultural differences that affect new international students.
Weir works tirelessly orienting students to Wabash prior to the beginning of classes. Activities include meeting with various faculty and staff, campus scavenger hunts, discussing immigration rules, and lots of icebreakers.
In one particular ice breaker, Never Have I Ever, students shared experiences with each other in a race to find an open chair.
“Never have I ever had a pet cat.”
“Never have I ever owned a gaming console.”
Lots of laughing, joking around, and jockeying for seats. I finished up taking photos and joined the game. After the first couple “Never Have I Ever’s”, I think they noticed I hadn’t moved from my seat.
“Never have I ever been a US Citizen.”
More laughter as the student mentors and I scrambled to grab a seat. That was a good one, I thought.
They’ll fit in just fine here at Wabash.
