By Prachi Talwar
Being a thousand miles away from home, a place which shaped my soul inside out has been the most challenging part of my journey at University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL). This is best understood by my fellow international students. My journey from India to the United States as a student has been a rollercoaster ride that has made me into a more adventurous and responsible person.
Being an international student brings new challenges every day. From language to culture, everything requires my utmost attention. I still remember my first day of college, where I had to find my way around campus as well as having to attend orientation. Like most international students I socialized with students with whom I share the same origins. But as time passed I was able to befriend a group of students who were a mix of locals and other international students from other countries.
Since starting school here I have been participating in school organizations and leadership programs. UMSL Ambassadors is one of them. It has provided me with an opportunity to meet many student leaders with rich backgrounds and ambitions. However, the Ambassadors program helps people meet with more than just students. It opens the door to networking with professors, the chancellor and others in the campus community.
Through my experience with the program and UMSL, my approach towards life has come to be more diversified and unique. The monthly meetings and the icebreakers that are played at the beginning of each meeting has helped ease the transition to the new American lifestyle. We were lead into projects which promoted team work.
UMSL has a diversified range of cultures and cultural events and being able to share a part of each other’s culture and traditions not only bonded us more to each other but also broadened our perspective of the world around us.
As months passed by, my anxiety of being away from home had started to wash away with the flow of time. The constant support of our professors in every aspect of my day to day life is always a stress buster in my struggle as an international student.
Over the first year of my college experience, connecting with people from all around the world has not only shaped my conduct but also made me a better student and person. The UMSL Ambassador program has taught me to be an independent and a hardworking learner. It has shaped my instincts while providing me an insight into my potential and aspirations, unlocking my capabilities to socialize and learn something from everything I experience. Further, helping me to grow with focus and zeal. Over the time I have spent at the university overcoming all my personal barriers, it is my heartfelt gratitude now quoting “My UMSL, My Home”.
Since starting school here I have been participating in school organizations and leadership programs. UMSL Ambassadors is one of them. It has provided me with an opportunity to meet many student leaders with rich backgrounds and ambitions. However, the Ambassadors program helps people meet with more than just students. It opens the door to networking with professors, the chancellor and others in the campus community.
Through my experience with the program and UMSL, my approach towards life has come to be more diversified and unique. The monthly meetings and the icebreakers that are played at the beginning of each meeting has helped ease the transition to the new American lifestyle. We were lead into projects which promoted team work.
UMSL has a diversified range of cultures and cultural events and being able to share a part of each other’s culture and traditions not only bonded us more to each other but also broadened our perspective of the world around us.
As months passed by, my anxiety of being away from home had started to wash away with the flow of time. The constant support of our professors in every aspect of my day to day life is always a stress buster in my struggle as an international student.
Over the first year of my college experience, connecting with people from all around the world has not only shaped my conduct but also made me a better student and person. The UMSL Ambassador program has taught me to be an independent and a hardworking learner. It has shaped my instincts while providing me an insight into my potential and aspirations, unlocking my capabilities to socialize and learn something from everything I experience. Further, helping me to grow with focus and zeal. Over the time I have spent at the university overcoming all my personal barriers, it is my heartfelt gratitude now quoting “My UMSL, My Home”.
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