GET TO KNOW US
The students below make International Orientation possible and will be with you throughout the three days to make sure you have an easy transition to Taylor :)
Chrishauna Curry
Major: Creative Writing
Home: The Bahamas
I love that the OIP is comprised of many different cultures and nationalities. OIP is a place where you can be yourself no matter which part of the world you're from.
I wish I brought to Taylor pictures of my family.
Mariana Pratas
Major: Marketing and Business Management
Home: Portugal & Mozambique
I love IO because it's a crucial time to make lifelong friendships with people who have gone through the cultural transition you are about to go through and understand your feelings like no other.
I wish I had brought packaged snacks I can't find in America for days where I feel homesick.
Kendra Copeland
Major: Film and Media Production
Home: Cambodia
I love IO because you get to meet so many people that understand you before school starts so you know some friendly faces when all the craziness begins.
It was really helpful for me to physically print out the pictures from my time overseas to hang around my room. Every time I got to my dorm after a long day, it felt like I was welcomed by my family and all the sweet memories of my old life surrounding my bed.
Elaine Christian
Major: Chemistry
Home: Minnesota, US
I love all the diversity in the OIP!
I'm always glad I have a lot of pictures of me with my family to put up on my wall.
Chin Yi Oh
Major: Accounting and Finance
Home: Malaysia
I love that IO allows me a taste of the world because I get to meet people from different countries. Some of my best friends are people I met during IO and we've stuck together since day 1.
What I wish I brought from home is packaged traditional food and my mother's recipes.
Jeanna Evans
Major: Elementary Education/ Special Education
Home: Zambia
I love how OIP creates a place where international students can connect and feel a little bit at home; while sharing with the larger Taylor campus a little bit about this great big world we live in.
I am so thankful for all the photos of home that I've been able to string all over my room, to help ease the homesickness and make my life a little bit more visible to everyone who drops by my room.
David Chinn
Major: Music Education
Home: Malaysia & USA
The OIP is full of friends who you can relate to on a deeper level than many other students and can provide support when you need it.
I wish I brought home a flag from Malaysia and a lot more local food.
Lynreshay Johnson
Major: Theatre Arts
Home: The Bahamas
I love IO because its an opportunity for international students to get together and learn about the transition to America before the stress of school begins.
One thing I wish I brought from home is local foods that could be stored that aren't sold in America like yellow grits and frozen items like our local seafood.
Andrea Leon
Major: Graphic Design
Home: Venezuela
I love interacting with different cultures and being surrounded by constant diversity and people who understand how challenging it is to come from another country and live in the middle of nowhere :)
Something I wish I brought from home was corn flour to make arepas!
Logan Tuckey
Major: Math Education
Home: Vienna, Austria
International Orientation connected me with so many of my international and MK friends. I would not be friends with a lot of international people had I not been at IO.
I'm glad I brought my books from home. Reading is a huge part of who I am and even though I don't have a ton of time to read, it made the gap feel a lot smaller.
Kyrie Lewis
Major: Art Education
Home: New Jersey, US
My roommate is an MK from Indonesia and I have several very good friends who have lived over seas who are here at Taylor. They have made my time at Taylor sweet and have welcomed me into their hearts as I look forward to welcoming incoming international students!
I wish I had brought a picture of my family when I started my freshman year of college.
Julie Kim
Major: Exercise Science
Home: Louisiana/South Korea
One thing I love about the OIP is how welcoming the office is to everybody. Although the OIP is a space designed for international students to make an easy transition to Taylor, I love how open it is for every student, international and non-international.
Jason Abisherkaraj John
Major: English, concentration in Creative Writing
Home: India & Singapore
My favorite thing about the OIP is that I get to meet other international students who understand what it is like to be an international.
Something I wish I brought to campus are chopsticks and a bowl.
Aubri Skaggs
Major: Anthropology/Sociology
Home: Egypt
I love IO because it allows freshman with diverse backgrounds to gain a sense of community with each other before the huge rush begins. I met friends at IO that I'm not sure I would have ever gotten to know if we hadn't started together.
I wish I had brought a little more of the food from Egypt. I brought some tea that I love, but I didn't realize how much I would miss some of the specific spices and flavors until I was already at college.
IVANA SEMPERTEGUI
Major: Public Relations
Home: Ecuador
One of the many things that I love about the OIP is the way we interact with each other, it is not easy being so far from home and in this office everyone is going through the same things. I feel everyone is very welcoming and we are a small family on campus. I love the different events that we have to show the University our different cultures and diversity.
Something I am glad I brought to Taylor was all my family pictures and some clothes that reminded me of home. Sometimes when I am really missing home I love to see those pictures.
Stephanie Mithika
Major: Politics, Philosophy, Economics (PPE)
Home: Kenya
I love that IO gave me a chance to make some of my closest friends at Taylor. It was also such a comforting time to be experiencing a new place and culture with people who kind of have similar experiences to you. You get to have a taste of the world before the rest of Taylor.
I wish I brought more of my favorite Kenyan snacks from home, especially for those freshman year bouts of homesickness.