Change can be one of the most frightening or exciting experiences a person can go through. Even the simple move from high school to college can be life-changing. For many international students, moving across the globe can be a trying experience. Whether it be language barriers or culture shock, being an international student is not for the faint of heart.
The International Student Alliance (ISA) is a group on campus that unites international students from all over the world to have a space where they can commune. Despite having different cultural backgrounds, these students are connected by their shared experience of moving to a foriegn land that is not their own.
Junior and ISA President Ben Okenge said, “Moving to Kentucky from a different country is oftentimes a very challenging experience. Students need each other as a support system in order
to make this transition smoother than it otherwise would be.”
Freshman Juan Jose Martin stated, “The ISA has helped me a lot. I got to know people in the same situation as me who are in a new country. . . . they just helped me engage and be a part of a new culture.”
Apart from the ISA being a group that fosters community amongst themselves, they also strive to share their culture with the rest of campus. The ISA plans multiple events every semester, such as the Festival Latino de Asbury, the International Christmas Market, Carribean Festival and the Embrace Conference. All of these events are focused around trying to build a strong sense of community for students that can share in the experience of not being from America, according to Okenge.
Sophomore Willens Alcime says that he encourages Americans to attend these events because they get to learn about the different cultures that are represented on campus.
“One of our goals for this year is to try to get many American students that would not typically attend our events to start showing up,” Alcime said.
Sophomore Jonah Fern says he enjoys attending the ISA events because it helps “bring us closer to people that are not the same as us.”
With every event that is hosted, Asbury’s community experiences a new culture by engaging in activities, games or eating food from each respective country’s event. ISA Vice President Daniel Aziz says that the cabinet is currently in the works of proposing new events for future semesters like a color festival and a kite-flying festival. Talks of a possible cultural mentoring program are also in the works.
Be sure to follow the ISA’s Instagram page (@au_isa_mk) to get more info on future events and get to meet some of Asbury’s own international students.
