Alumni
Coming to America
With the number of international students on the rise, here's a look at how they adjust to life in a different country.
By Lindsay Beller | Photos by Jon Cancelino
Mariyana Zapryanova '09 spent her first flight from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, to O'Hare International Airport worried that no one would pick her up and was relieved to find Director of Admissions Bill Motzer waiting for her. Jennillee Wallace '09 exited the same airport a semester later into her first snow, feeling a winter chill unlike anything she'd ever felt in her balmy hometown of Port Antonio, Jamaica. Less than two years later, Palestinian Hussein Daraghma '11 was devastated to discover that his visa was invalid despite spending two years at a pre-university school in the United States. He boarded the next flight home to Nablus, reapplied for a new visa, and enrolled a semester later.
These students are among the millions of international travelers who pass through O'Hare each year. But unlike most passengers steering through customs lines, security checkpoints, and baggage collection, they are navigating issues that come with leaving their countries behind to attend Lake Forest College. Academic, social, and cultural differences await as they travel 26 miles to the curvy, tree-lined streets of Lake Forest, but so does a college dedicated to easing their transition and celebrating their diversity.
Since the 1980s, customs agents at O'Hare have stamped an increasing number of passports from students who live abroad. This fall, the College welcomed the most international student body, along with the most diverse first-year class, to date. Schoolwide, about 10 percent, or 135 students, hail from 48 countries. Two decades ago, less than one percent came from abroad. (The College also saw an uptick in students who live in the United States and have permanent residency or dual citizenship. Combined with international students, 15 percent of the student body, or 209 students, come from 69 countries.) The increase in international student enrollment reflects national trends. In the 2007-2008 academic year, the number of international students who enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities increased 7 percent since last year to nearly 623,805 students, according to the Institute for International Education.
But to the Lake Forest community, they are more than a statistic. Their matriculation fits with the College's mission to embrace cultural diversity and prepare students to become responsible citizens of the global community, says George Speros, associate provost and associate dean of the faculty, who initiated international recruitment efforts more than 20 years ago.
"All of a sudden, people from different parts of the world are creating friendships," he says. "While they're here, they bring a different point of view. If they're bumping heads over issues, they're talking about it. They're sitting down in the cafeteria, in classes, and in residence halls, listening to each other."
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They come for different reasons — the draw of academic choices, the threat of unstable governments at home, scholarship opportunities, and the prestige of an American education were all cited by nearly a dozen international students who spoke with Spectrum about their experiences at the College.
But once they are here, it takes time to adjust to life in another country. Mariyana Zapryanova '09 arrived with the expectation that an American education would eventually help her get a good job back in Bulgaria, but she worried about her English skills. "I was scared to speak because I was afraid that no one would understand me," she recalls.
In addition to language barriers, international students also experience cultural and academic differences, strict immigration regulations, and homesickness. The Office of Intercultural Relations (OIR) helps students through programs and advising. "When you're 18 and you can't see your family, we want to make it as much a home for them as possible," says Assistant Director Erin Hoffman.
This begins at the airport, where a Lake Forest representative typically picks up arriving students. Then comes First Connection, a pre-orientation program designed by OIR for all students, but is helpful particularly for students who are international, U.S. ethnic minorities, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and first-generation American. First Connection helps students get to know resources on campus and nearby, offers cultural workshops, and teaches lessons on how to succeed academically. The program also organizes trips to buy cell phones, winter gear, and other essentials. OIR holds multiple workshops and one-on-one advising sessions throughout the year.
Students find First Connection provides a chance to get comfortable on campus and make friends before classes start. It helped an intimidated Nengding "Julie" Wang '09 of Chongquing, China. Scheduled to meet her mentor in the cafeteria, Wang balked when she saw a big group inside. But her mentor called out to welcome her in. "First Connection helped me settle in and meet other international students," says Wang, who now spends most of her time in the Johnson Science Center, where she conducts research on genetics for her senior thesis and serves as president of Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society and as a member of Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society.
Zapryanova also has excelled academically with support from professors whom she credits for not pushing her to speak in class right away. She overcame the fear to win three merit-based scholarships and to become one of two juniors admitted to Phi Beta Kappa. She is also a member of two other honor societies, has held a spot on the Dean's List since August 2006, and interns at Scott Balice Strategies, a financial services company in Chicago.
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As students hit the books, many find that joining campus groups are not only a good way to make friends, but they provide opportunities to educate others about their own countries and the global issues that impact them. After Jennillee Wallace '09 first arrived on that snowy winter day, she quickly warmed to the International Student Organization (ISO), a popular club that plans events like a week-long celebration of international traditions and hosts a dinner with food from different countries. "I like learning about different cultures and sharing my culture with other people," says Wallace, who now serves as co-president.
Wallace is not alone. Other international students have taken advantage of the support offered by the Gates Center for Leadership and Personal Growth to form clubs and organize events that raise awareness about world issues and different cultures. Last year, Annti "Eemeli" Isoaho '11 of Vantaa, Finland, and Henry Salas '10 of Arequipa, Peru, helped organize an event called "Children and War," in which three invited speakers talked about child soldiers in conflict regions around the world. "You can start something on your own if you want to do something for the school or the community," Salas says.
Deepika Ramachandran '11 of Mumbai, India, and Kelebogile "Kelly" Tlhokwane '11 of Gaborone, Botswana, combined their dancing talents to start the International Dance Club, which has performed Bollywood, Irish, ballet, hip hop, and belly dancing at events like the Student Symposium and Global Fest. For Tlhokwane, the more at home she feels at Lake Forest. "My favorite part is that my schedule keeps building, and there's always something to add," she says. "When I walked in I was intimidated. Now that I'm here and I fit, I don't feel limited that I'm an international student. It gives me an extra edge."
Another group, Students Educating Students, invites students to share personal experiences to raise awareness about an issue. Speakers have included Sudanese and Zimbabwean students who shared political issues in their countries. Other internationally focused groups include Amnesty International and Model United Nations, although many students join organizations based on their interests, not just their international background.
Fabricio Sordoni '11 of Rosario, Argentina, is organizing this year's Business Plan Competition. He likes belonging to a group where international students are in the minority and believes interacting with Americans helps reduce stereotypes. "My country isn't all about soccer and tango," Sordoni says. "The big problem is people generalize a lot. As international students, our role is to break those stereotypes."
Students from other countries also admit to arriving with their own preconceptions. When Isoaho first arrived, he had an anti-American bias, but making new friends alleviated that. "It's been helpful to have American friends and see that they think the same way as me," he says. "When you live in this society, you learn why people think a certain way." The classroom is another forum for dispelling stereotypes. Salas recommends, "Take politics classes. You can see so many points of view in the small classes here."
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These restrictions are well worth it for the opportunity to study here, students say. Although Hussein Daraghma '11 had to reapply for a visa that delayed his start at school, he is taking chemistry and economics classes in hopes of going to graduate school for petroleum engineering. "For us, it's a dream to study in the U.S.," says the Palestinian student.
In his entrepreneurship class, he's working on a proposal to educate prisoners about business so they can rebuild their lives. He also serves as ISO treasurer and joined Lambda Chi Alpha, a new fraternity on campus. "That's why I came here," he says, echoing the sentiments of other international students. "To have experiences that I've never had before."
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The history of how Lake Forest Became an international campus began decades earlier. One of the first examples of cultural diversity came in the 1940s, when a small group of Nisei students considered "patriotically reliable enough to allow the American Friends Service Committee to sponsor them at a number of Midwestern schools" enrolled at the College after their families of Japanese descent had been interned in California during World War II, according to 30 Miles North: A History of Lake Forest College, Its Town, and Its City of Chicago.
The first notable spike in international students came in 1961, when 15 students from 12 countries matriculated. A year later, as Lake Forest increased enrollment and drew students from out of state, the College joined 48 other schools to provide scholarships to students from Africa. Lake Forest also received funding from the Grew Foundation to enroll Japanese students.
By 1963, Lake Forest had a long-established foreign language requirement and aimed to "Europeanize" the College through study abroad programs. President William Cole and Dean of Faculty and Provost William L. Dunn charged new Professor of Spanish George Speros to establish a program in Madrid, which served as a model for Professor of French Jean-Luc Garneau to set up a program in Dijon, France, and for Professor of German Ingrid Speros (then Henkels) to establish one in Berlin, Germany.
The College discontinued these programs in 1973, three years after starting a program in Athens, Greece, which still runs today. During the 1970s, President Gene Hotchkiss increased efforts to make the curriculum more internationally focused as a little more than a dozen students came from other countries.
By 1985, only nine international students enrolled. Hotchkiss and Speros initiated the first effort to recruit more. "We had a lot of foreign programs so I thought why don't we reciprocate and try to bring students here," Hotchkiss says. "It would enrich the College and add more to our international thrust."
Speros regularly traveled to Europe to visit the College's study abroad programs. On one such trip, Hotchkiss asked Speros to stop in Hong Kong and Tokyo, where some Lake Forest students were studying through an Associated Colleges of the Midwest program.
"I thought why not meet with alumni, why not meet with the Grew Foundation (which had sponsored an exchange program between the College and Waseda University in Tokyo), why not go to secondary schools and talk to students and introduce the College through alumni who were back home, and visit U.S. embassies, consulates, and Fulbright Scholarship commissions," Speros says. "And why not carry the College flag."
His efforts began to pay off. By 1989, the number of international students had doubled and by 1992, it had tripled. "George was like a roving ambassador of the College," Hotchkiss says.
The numbers continued to rise and by 2001, the College had enrolled 103 international students from 28 countries. Although U.S. schools saw a drop off in international student enrollment after September 11, 2001, the College sought ways to make it possible for international students to study here.
About five years ago, the College entered into a partnership with philanthropist Shelby Davis. The Davis United World Scholars Program gives need-based scholarships to international students who graduate from among the 12 United World College (UWC) secondary schools and are accepted by select U.S. colleges and universities.
UWC matriculates a diverse international student body with a "willing-to-change-the-world mentality," says Sordoni, a UWC graduate. In May, the first four UWC students to study at Lake Forest received diplomas. This year, the College enrolled 14 new UWC students.
Regardless of where international students come from, the College celebrates their presence, Speros says. "We want them to grow socially and we want them to be contributors to society," he says. "It's not just a question of what they bring to us, but what they leave behind. Every student has an opportunity to leave a legacy here."
A legacy that Speros will leave behind — after he retires in June following 45 years at the College — is a Commencement tradition that he started in 2001. Since then, he has arranged to display flags representing the countries of all graduating seniors on the stage. Flags from dozens of countries also line the shelves in his office, which is decorated with items from his travels around the world."The flags show who we are, who our students are, and who our alumni are."
Lindsay Beller is the editor of Spectrum.
Meet Lake Forest College International Students
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Mariyana Zapryanova '09 |
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Hussein Daraghma '11 |
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Fabricio Sordoni '11 |
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Timila Dhakhwa '10 |