New International Students Welcomed

Incoming population adds to school's diversity Naushaba Khan THE SANTA CLARA September 26, 2013 [dropcap]S[/dropcap]anta Clara has 365 fresh faces from around the world on campus. Over 50 percent of these students are from India, while the second greatest ethnic group is from China.International Student Services held a welcome weekend that was designed to help introduce the American culture to the incoming study abroad students. The students participated in activities that exposed them to various resources such as the Career Center and Bursar’s Office, and helped familiarize them with general nearby locations. They also had opportunities to take part in bus trips to San Francisco with Santa Clara’s Into the Wild program, as well as trips to the Valley Fair Mall and nearby restaurants. “This new student population certainly adds to the diversity of (Santa Clara’s) campus,” said Coordinator of ISS Parinaz Zartoshty. “(Santa Clara) is moving toward incorporating a global population.”A fairly large percentage of the incoming — as well as existing — international student population is composed of graduate engineering students, followed by graduate business majors, and then those working toward their master’s in information systems degrees. “As the world generally becomes more international, we must learn to work with a more global marketplace,” said Susan Peters, Student and Exchange Visitor Information System Coordinator of the ISS. Incorporating such diversity into campus give those of Santa Clara the opportunity to learn about different cultures from within this very community. “I come from a different culture,” said Rima Siauruseviciute from Lithuania in an email. “I have quite some years of experience in management in completely different environments. I think my insights and comments during class discussions and team assignments may give other students a better idea of business in Western and Eastern Europe as well as Russia.” Santa Clara offers “an excellent academic and business research environment where a brilliant group of skilled professionals from around the world share their knowledge and experience,” said international student Asti Chandrakar in an email. “With a deep passion for sustainable and responsible business management backed with my substantial experience in Information Technology industry, I hope to be a valuable addition to the university’s management research and social responsibility communities.” ISS has plans to continuously engage study abroad students throughout the year. They will be offering employment workshops, coffee socials and general quarterly meetings to evaluate the progress of students and to discuss potential opportunities in the future.Contact Naushaba Khan at nakhan@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.