International Students Association
On a campus with students living far from home and accustomed to vastly different cultures, International Students Association (ISA) provides a haven for students from very different backgrounds. Every Tuesday night from 6 to 7 p.m. ISA gathers for dinner in the Mezzanine room of Elm Street Dining Hall. The club seeks to develop relationships among students and promote awareness about international student experiences and the variety of different cultures on campus.
The club is not exclusive to traditional international students, those that require an F-1 visa to study at Exeter. According to club advisor and International Student Coordinator Jennifer Smith, the club hosts a variety of students including those whose parents have immigrated to the U.S., or students who have grown up in a foreign country. “We have a really wide range of students that identify with an international experience. Whether it be their home life here in the U.S. or their home life abroad, anyone with an international focus, an international lens, is welcome to join,” Smith said.
“It’s an exciting chance to display the different backgrounds here at Exeter, and also to do other things like food and dress and a whole bunch of different activities.”
Prior to every meeting, the ISA board meets during lunch to plan out an agenda. The board looks for worldwide issues to bring to discussions. According to upper Anishta Khan, in the past, members have engaged in discussions about topics such as the earthquake in Ecuador and incidents of shootings. During these moments, the club acts as a support group. “Different events affect different people, but when we discuss it as a group, it affects all of us, regardless of where we come from,” upper Anishta Kahn said.
In addition to this, members share their experiences as international students living on an American campus. ISA acts as a forum for students who deal with issues regarding homesickness or adjustment to American culture. “We talk about these small moments, something as small as not getting a joke,” Khan said. The ISA also hosted workshops throughout the school year including a discussion centered around homesickness with Chris Thurber, Associate Director of Counseling and Psychological Services of the Lamont Health Center.
The ISA was also responsible for hosting the annual International Student Orientation (ISO) at the beginning of the year. Many of the students in ISA are also ISO leaders. The orientation takes place three days before the school year officially begins, and welcomes new students who signed up for the program to Exeter. Smith said, “The students leading ISO are the first faces that international students see if they elect to be part of the ISO program.” This year, it offered practice Harkness discussions and a chance to ask returning students any questions. “For me, ISO was the first time I ever stepped on the campus, so it was really nice to get a preview of what it was like,” Khan said. Moreover, the ISO featured a trip to the hilltop fun center where students go-karted, mini golfed and played laser tag. Kahn enjoyed the event and added, “When school started, we already knew each other.”
This year, the club hosted a drive-in movie showcase during fall term, International Tea in the winter and Asian Night Market in the spring. ISA also collaborated with the Asian Advisory Board to host the assembly speaker Janet Yang ’74 who spoke about Asian representation in the media.
In the upcoming school year, the club plans to host an international festival during the fall, where affinity groups and people will set up tables representing their country of origin and different home cultures. “I think it’s an exciting chance to display the different backgrounds here at Exeter, and also to do other things like food and dress and a whole bunch of different activities. I’m hoping a lot of people will participate,” Smith said. Additionally, the club plans to host an ISA dinner with food from Las Olas, Bubble Tea and Pine Garden. Smith hopes to do this more frequently in the year as a way to bring together not only Exeter’s international students, but all Exeter students.
Khan also raised the concern of involvement. “We really want to expand because this year our assembly got cancelled due to funding issues, and International Day was cancelled because there wasn’t enough interest around campus,” Khan said. “Even though the international student body is around 13 percent, it doesn’t feel like it. It always feels like ‘This is an American school—that’s it.’”
Smith continuously looks to emphasize the importance of welcoming international students. Throughout the year ISA will send kind reminders to let students know that they’re there, such as a care package to international students during Parent’s Weekend. “We just try to welcome international students as much as possible,” Smith said.