Visiting students find home away from home
Campus Times
October 18, 1996
The college experience differs for many students. Some move to different
states or cities to attend the college of their choice, but a large number
of students travel to different continents to continue their studies.
The International Student Program at the University of La Verne is the reason
many students are able to study abroad. The program began in the late 1970s
and continues to grow. There are approximately 30 countries that participate
in the study abroad programs.
Each student who comes to La Verne from a different country must have a
sponsor from the United States or their home country. They must also pay
their full tuition in cash before beginning classes.
There are groups of students from Thailand, mostly comprised of graduate
students, who are sent to ULV from corporations in their country and are
guaranteed better jobs by the company when they return after graduating.
Other students are on an exchange program with La Verne's sister school
in Hokkido, Japan. These are traditional undergraduates with various majors.
They are picked to come to the United States based on a high level of knowledge
of the English language.
Other countries that participate in the exchange program are Greece, France,
England, Germany, Spain and Ecuador.
International student junior Claudia Paez heard about ULV from the Brethren
College Abroad Program from Universidad San Francisco Ve Quito in Ecuador.
Paez applied to come to school here because she wanted to come to California.
She is a business/ finance double-major.
"The hardest part about school here is the language and reading books.
I have to study harder now, more so than normal, but I am doing well,"
she said.
Paez is here for one year and then will return to Ecuador to finish her
senior year.
Other students include Hiroko Hirano, a junior communications major who
came from Hokkido, Japan and Naoko Yokota, a freshman from Osaka, Japan
who ordered a pamphlet on ULV through the mail. Yokota wanted to attend
a small school. She plans on staying at ULV for four years and is majoring
in journalism.
Hirano and Yokota both believe that the English language here is easier
to read than to listen to and harder to speak.
When they arrive at La Verne in September, the students move in two days
prior to orientation and attend workshops, meet with President Stephen Morgan
and go on campus tours. They are also placed in an international student
section of University 100. This year's freshmen found their Orientation
Week Leader was senior Tieu-my Nguyen, along with faculty member Janice
Johnson with the International Student Organization.
The international students are also introduced to Marcy Garcia who is their
adviser. She deals with their immigration paperwork in the beginning.
"I am there to deal with the students when they face culture shock,
and feeling homesick," said Garcia.
According to Hirano, the immigration process was very difficult. "There
were a lot of papers to fill out for immigration; it was complicated. The
United States government in Japan had to approve our paper work before we
could come to the U.S."
Garcia also provides them with a mentor program, where other students who
have travelled abroad come back and share their experiences.
"We also do a lot of sightseeing. The students are always prepared
with extra spending money, so we are able to travel to places like Disneyland,
Hollywood, Knott's Scary Farm, etc.," Garcia said. "If some students
don't have enough money, we have fundraising projects to raise money to
spend on our sightseeing."
An international festival is also held during April, where international
students are encouraged to wear their native attire and celebrate the diversity
of La Verne here and abroad.
According to all three students, they all believe that everyone at ULV is
friendly and nice, and the weather in California is nice.