The Welcome and Belonging team at the Office of International Students and Scholars is pleased to announce our selection of Cross Cultural Mentors for the 2023-24 academic year. The office welcomes more than 200 new international students each semester, and the Cross Cultural Mentors are integral to creating meaningful connections with our new students by providing a friendly and consistent presence to navigate academic, social and cultural differences.

This year the office is delighted to welcome 16 graduate students and 14 undergraduates to our team. In addition to our 30 mentors, the office is also excited to announce three orientation ambassadors to provide additional support during the beginning of the semester.

Our graduate CCMs for the 2023-24 year are Abbas Jamali, Abigael Iyabode Omolewu, Charith Nanayakkara Ratnyake, Cristina Stan, Dani Torres Miro Quesada, Evelyn Osei, Jossie Santamaria, Juliet Igboanugo, Kabi Raj Khatiwada, Meutia Hanafiah, Mitchell Carabio, Nadeeshani Ekanayaka, Nailah Rawnaq, Najee Stubbs, Ruiling Gao and Sagar Chandra Roy. These students are joining us from a variety of programs and countries, and we are very happy to be able to provide authentic insight to incoming students.

We know that transitioning from high school to college can be uniquely challenging, even more so for international students, so we are pleased to have several undergraduates to provide support and connection to new students. Our undergraduate CCMs for the 2023-2024 year are Abdullah Asif, Archy Pattanaik, Chinmaya Joshi, Emily Roberts, Erije Ben Aissa, Grace Martin, Jack Norris, Jason Hoang, Jessica Webber, Nathan Liu, Reira Shibata, Sherjeel Naeem, Vaishnavi Vanteru and Yi Wang.

A large function of the Welcome and Belonging team is organizing orientation for incoming students. For 2023-2024, we are re-introducing the role of orientation ambassador to ensure our students receive the warmest welcome possible. Our OA team this year is composed of two graduate students, Isini Ranawake Arachige and Obed Johnson, and one undergraduate, Ryan Moh.

Our CCM team is essential to fostering feelings of welcoming and belonging for new international students during their first semester, and we are eagerly anticipating a great year with our team. You can read more about these amazing individuals on the ISS website.