A new International Students Specialist, Stacey Chen, was hired on Sept. 14, and will now help students, face-to-face, both inside her Fountain Hall office and outside.

“[I’m] looking for something more personal with interactions with international students,” said Chen.

Her role is to aid students from outside the country, to get them situated within the college and to make sure they are feeling comfortable where they’re at. She will support the students as they are in the application process to come here from abroad.

“[I’m] honored to have this job,” Chen said. “It is my passion to help students.”

Chen said that a cultural gap can cause students to have emotional struggles, feel homesick or have no group of friends to interact with, leaving them feeling isolated. She wants to do the best she can to stop that from happening.

“[I want to] reach out to faculty and staff to assist international students, inside and outside of the classroom,” Chen said.

She was once an international student, as well. From San Bernardino Community College to California Polytechnic University at Pomona, she got her undergraduate in International Business. However, it wasn’t until she got her degree in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at California State University of Northridge. that she decided she wanted to help students that are in the position she was once in. She previously spent seven years at C.S.U.N as an international recruiter.

Chen never wants a student to walk by her office and see it empty. She always wants her office to a place of rest for students looking for guidance.

When Stacy Chen was not yet at Moorpark, several international students went to the Division Office of Behavior and Social Sciences for help.

One student by the name of Lahiru K. Samarakkody explained how the office was treating the international students.

“Cassandra [the previous specialist] was a nice person,” Samarakkody said. “But since she isn’t here, these wonderful people have been doing so much for us.”

Dean of Behavioral and Social Sciences Amanuel Gebru, his secretary and two student workers did what they could to assist them.

“Doesn’t bother me at all, I enjoy helping people,” said Danny Men, one of the student workers.

Stacy Chen, along with many other faculty, look forward to being there for students who need them.

Gebru even shed some on light of things to come in the near future.

“A lot of potential to do new things for international students and get them connected with everyone,” said Gebru. “Look for many exciting things to come from the program.”

There you have it. Stacy Chen is the new girl in town, going out of her way to secure a future a bit more easy for international students to acquire.

Students can contact Chen at [email protected]