WVUToday

WVU’s international students experience the American Dream through mentorship program

Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to be stuck in an unfamiliar country with a confusing language and a completely different culture?

It wouldn’t be easy, as many West Virginia University students who study abroad each year have learned. However, WVU is making it easier for exchange and international students to transition to American culture through a new mentorship program developed by the University’s Office of International Students and Scholars.

The mentoring program was made possible with a $6,000 grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Student mentors were given a stipend for their participation and had to apply and interview for the positions. All mentors must have had at least a 2.5 GPA. Study abroad or international experience was recommended.

The goals were to give 11 selected international students an opportunity to seek advice and gain important information from someone their own age and to gain cultural diversity between domestic and international students.

“This is obviously something that I thought we would need,” said Grace Atebe, assistant director of the Office of International Students and Scholars. As international students coming in, they don’t know anybody to find their way around, so I always wanted to have a program like this.”

The program will continue next fall after earning another grant from HEPC, and Atebe said it will have enough to fund 15 mentors and at least 15 mentees in 2012.

“Based on the one-semester experience, this is something that is needed. It’s something that WVU is all about,” Atebe said.

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Helen Nditsi, left, mentored Divine Nwafor, middle, and Renu Watalingan, right in the international mentorship program. (WVU Photo by Mark Brown)

Connecting through common cultures
For Helen Nditsi, her experience as a mentor was different from that of her peers; not only was she the only student with two mentees, but as an international student from Ghana, she was once in their shoes.

Nditsi, a senior psychology major who graduated in December, served as a residential assistant in the International House for three years.

“It would have been nice, since it can be a struggle to find things on your own sometimes,” Nditsi said. “It’s a tough transition as it is seeing where things were and how the system here works.”

Divine Nwafor is a freshman chemistry major from Nigeria with the dreams of going to medical school in the United States. The connection between Nwafor and Nditsi was easier to make than other pairs since they are from West Africa, he said.

“Our countries are right next to each other, so there isn’t much of a cultural difference,” he said. “It helped us to connect. It was really easy, nothing to worry about compared to the other mentor and mentee couples, who I’m sure had more difficulty at first.”

Nditsi said that Nwafor took more of an interest in academics and resume-building opportunities on campus, and she was able to teach him about some basic practices.

The two were able to find out more information about some of WVU’s student services opportunities like the Office of Student Employment, Admissions and Records and Undergraduate Advising among others.

“That’s why we international students come to the United States – to get our academics running,” she said.

Nditsi is also a mentor to freshman student Renu Watalingan, a freshman forensic science student from Malaysia.

Watalingan was more interested in learning from Nditsi about the lifestyle and activities at WVU rather than academics.

“One thing I’ve learned is that cooking is fun. We cook a lot,” Watalingan said. “We have lots of potlucks with all different kinds of food from different mentors, mentees and friends, which means food from all over the globe.”

Both mentees felt the weather was the biggest change from what they’re used to.

“Back home, it’s summer year-round, and it’s neat to have four seasons here,” Watalingan said as the first snowfall of the year came down outside. “I guess I’ll get bored of the snow when it’s an everyday thing, but now that it’s happening once in awhile I’ll say, ‘Yay, it’s snowing!’”

She is confident in the program’s success and encourages students in her shoes to join.

“When you’re coming from a different country, you need someone to share your feelings with, and this program is good for that,” Watalingan said. “I clicked immediately with Helen, and she isn’t just a teacher to me, she’s my good friend.”

Nditsi recommends the program to all incoming international students, as well.

“I wanted my mentees to know that I haven’t just become their friend, but I’ve become a great resource at the same time to talk about anything they want to know,” Nditsi said. “People are nice here, just ask for help. It’s a great place to be.”

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Maud Noel, left, and Kelsey Gaus, right participated in the international mentorship program. Noel, from France, and Gaus, from Pennsylvania, became good friends through the program. (WVU Photo by Mark Brown)

Learning new American traditions
Most of us know how to carve a pumpkin. It’s an American tradition – one that was probably a childhood favorite for Halloween.

Maud Noel, a senior business major and exchange student from France, had never celebrated the holiday before this fall, however. So, when her mentor Kelsey Gaus, a newly graduated English major from Audobon, Pa., gave Noel the pumpkin, she didn’t know what to do.

“Carving pumpkins is a tradition that we as Americans do but don’t think about,” Gaus said. “I totally forgot to tell (Noel) to carve a hole in the stem big enough to scoop out … I felt so bad.”

Noel’s pumpkin had too small of a top to scoop out the insides and no mouth. But, it didn’t matter, because it allowed her to experience an American holiday tradition.

“This program allowed me to meet native people from the country and discover the country from a different point of view,” Noel said. “When you are an exchange student, you spend most of your time with international students, and it’s not the same. All of my French classmates stayed together, because they didn’t know anybody. They thought I was so lucky to have a mentor.”

Gaus had the experience of studying abroad in England and Fiji before the fall semester, so she had a better idea of how to help Noel.

“We clicked instantly. She’s just like me, that she wants to do as many things as possible, and she wants to make the most of her time here,” Gaus said.

The pair spent more than the required hour per week together including a weekend trip to Pittsburgh and a day at the Buckwheat Festival in Preston County.

Noel had actually been a mentor for exchange students at her school in France, as well. Despite disliking big cities, she wanted to see as much of the U.S. as possible before leaving the country following the spring semester. She took trips to New York, Washington D.C., more than a handful to Pittsburgh and even spent Thanksgiving break in California.

“I’m only going to be here for two semesters, and I want to see everything. I’m going to sleep later,” she said. “I’ll have time then.”

In her first time in the U.S., Noel said the people are nicer than in France.

“In France, if you want to ask where something is in the store, they’ll say, ‘Go away. You’re bothering me,’” she said. “Here, people are going to try to help you if you need anything. You don’t have this sense in France of belonging to a community. In the US, that’s much stronger.”

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Kah Wai Chong, left, and Alex Balmer, right, both say they benefited from the international mentorship program. Balmer, from Buffalo, New York, took Kah Wai to a basketball game. Kaw Wai, from Malaysia, helped Balmer learn about his country’s culture. (WVU Photo by Mark Brown)

Bonding over the Old Gold and Blue
Freshman Kah Wai Chong, a freshman forensic science major from Malaysia, has always been a fan of the NBA. He had an opportunity, along with his mentor Alex Balmer, to enjoy the Mountaineer men’s basketball team’s game vs. Akron at the WVU Coliseum on Nov. 28.

“That was the common bond that we had,” said Balmer, a senior criminology major from Buffalo, N.Y. “We also toured the football facility. We spent a Sunday at the Boston Beanery just watching football together. It was interesting to explain to him the fascination of American sports in this country.”

When Chong got to campus in Morgantown, he knew a few senior students from Malaysia who were able to help him get comfortable to life at WVU. Despite being in the mentorship program, he didn’t think it was important. Balmer would text Chong every now and then to start. Then, he’d call to set up programs.

“I ignored him at first, because I thought it was a program that I could just ignore since I already had some help,” Chong said. “In the end though, I think I got the best mentor.”

It wasn’t until three weeks into the process that the two became friends. After that, it was a truly memorable experience, both said.

“I was excited about this program, because it would make you another friend. It’s really hard to get along with local people,” Chong said. “When you join the program, they are forced to have a weekly activity with you, so you have to have more conversation and learn more about American culture.”

Balmer focused on introducing Chong to American foods and culture. Chong said the most important thing that he learned from his mentor was how to be more responsible and punctual – something he had never had to be in the past.

Balmer studied abroad in Barcelona and said that his experience wasn’t as ideal as he would’ve liked. He used that as motivation to help Chong learn more about the American culture than he otherwise would have.

“The cultures are just so vastly different that it can be hard to adjust,” Balmer said. “When he goes back to Malaysia, he’s going to look back on it and realize how much he learned.”

By Tony Dobies
and
Mel Moraes
University Relations/News

-WVU-

td/mm/12/28/11

CONTACT: Grace Atebe; Office of International Students and Scholars
304.293.5937, Grace.Atebe@mail.wvu.edu

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