Early Return for New International Students

The start of a school year at Exeter can be nervewracking for any new student, but those coming from abroad also have the added challenge of adjusting to a whole new country. Coming from all over the world, these Exonians not only have to adapt to the unique aspects of the Academy, like Harkness and dorm life, but also must familiarize themselves with American language and culture.

To accomodate these students, the Academy offers the International Student Orientation, or ISO, that helps new students from foreign countries transition into the Exeter community smoothly. All new international students and parents are invited to attend, and this year, 28 students signed up. This year’s ISO started on August 31 and ended on September 3.

In the past, the event had been organized by Christine Knapp, the previous international student coordinator, who now teaches in the English Department. As the Academy awaits the arrival of Jennifer Smith, the new international student coordinator, Dean of Multicultural Affairs Rosanna Salcedo took on the task of leading this year’s orientation with the help of Smith and Tamar Nisbett ‘10, an intern in the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

Going into the event, Salcedo was excited to meet both the new international students and leaders of the orientation. 

“I think I will get to know the new international students and the returning student leaders really well, and I look forward to bonding with them over the three-day orientation,” she said.

Because the purpose of the orientation is helping new international students adjust to both American life and the Academy, a variety of activities were scheduled. These include shopping at Target, learning how to do laundry, Q&A sessions with ISO leaders, a scavenger hunt in Exeter and visiting the town of Portsmouth. Participants lived in dormitories and spent time in sample classes to jumpstart their experience at the Harkness table.

ISO also allowed students to build connections with each other to help them through the difficult transition. Senior Dana Tung, one of two head leaders of ISO, mentioned the importance of allowing the creation of lasting friendships through all of the activities provided.

“Most of the international students appreciate ISO not only for its great activities and resources, but also for the people they meet. Many students become ISO ‘buddies’ with upperclassmen and continue to talk to them throughout the rest of their Exeter experience,” Tung said.

The parents of new international students were also invited to attend, in order to make sure that their children are taken care of. “Parents will have the opportunity to speak with key adults, have their questions answered and make sure their children are settled before leaving them,” Salcedo said.

Many of this year’s leaders were former participants who chose to help those in the same positions as they were years before. Senior Natasha Lim, an ISO leader from Singapore, thought that the orientation helped her greatly when she was a new upper and felt the urge to make other international students’ transitions easier.

“Speaking from a past participant's point of view, I know how important my time at ISO and the ISO leaders were to my transition to Exeter,” Lim said. “Whenever I saw an ISO leader on the path waving to me or saying hi, I would feel so happy because I knew that there was someone watching out for me.”

Like Lim, senior Abigial Shukan was also inspired to become an ISO leader because of the early bonds she formed through the orientation. 

“I wanted to ensure that new international students had a great transition to Exeter, just like I did when I arrived as a new lower,” she said. “The ISO leaders, when I arrived, were incredible and so supportive. I felt like I made so many friends during those few days, and having familiar faces was extremely reassuring.”

Other leaders, however, that are native to the United States or even the town of Exeter itself,  such as day student upper Audrey Hood, were simply interested in meeting new students who were from unique and diverse backgrounds. “I'm not only at ISO to introduce America and PEA, but I'm also there to learn about where my peers come from and to discover what they are bringing to Exeter. It's wonderful to be able to make those connections,” Hood said.

Regardless of their backgrounds, all the leaders shared one goal: to help clear any doubts in the new students and parents about their decision to join the Exeter community. “Our goal is to make students and families as comfortable with Exeter as possible in the three days of orientation,” Hood said. “Leaders are there to represent the Exeter community. We want parents and students to come out of orientation feeling confident about the upcoming year.”

In order to provide additional support for the new international students, Exeter also provides a separate program called Exeter Embassadors that linked each of these new students with a current Exonian over the summer. Many of the ISO leaders, such as Lim, participated in this program as well.

With all of the planned activities and interactions that ISO offers, Salcedo, along with all of the leaders, hoped that the first experience of Exeter for new international students would be positive. “I will do my best to welcome these students and their parents so that their initial experience at Exeter is a positive one, and I hope to convey information that will help the students thrive here,” she said.