International students from seven countries met with Moorpark College’s President Luis Sanchez to share their experiences of studying in the U.S. and to learn about on-campus career advising.
Sanchez said the meeting, held on Jan. 28, aimed to expand the college’s international students based by making them feel at home, since they often feel isolated and homesick.
The 13 students who attended the meeting came from China, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Ukraine, Lebanon, Afghanistan and India. The meeting helped the administration learn how the college could improve students’ experience in order to increase the international students population, which is currently 92. Besides marketing purposes, Sanchez said it’s the right thing to ensure that every student have a good experience, regardless of whether or not they will spread the good words about the college when they go back to their home countries.
“It’s our jobs to make them feel welcome,” said Sanchez. “It’s also a joy – that [meeting] was more joyful for me than almost anything else I’ve done all week.”
Sanchez also invited Wendy Berg, career counselor at the Career and Transfer Center, to talk about the services and resources that are available at the center. Berg encouraged all students, not just international, to utilize the center to map out their career or transfer goal. She also urged international students to not be afraid when listing work experience from their home countries on resumés.
“Experience is experience and it still counts,” Berg said.
Kouame Konan, a 21-year-old business major from Ivory Coast, said the meeting was great because he and the others got to introduce themselves to the president.
“The fact that the president of the campus makes time to meet with us and get to know us – that’s something I really appreciated and [am] thankful for,” said Konan. “We come from different part of regions of the world and we decided to come here and Moorpark is like our new home and it always feels good to feel welcome by the president of that home.”
Dean of Student Learning Amanuel Gebru said the meeting provided a good venue for students to socialize.
“I think the social aspect is just as important as the academic piece,” Gebru said. “We want them to be able to graduate and transfer to go to their dream schools, but we also want them to be well-rounded students.”
