CIE hosts discussion panel for International Education Week

Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST

By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez Arts & Features Editor

By Sarah Daponde Asst. Arts & Features Editor The International Student Services and Study Abroad Department held a discussion panel in the Center for Inclusive Excellence as part of International Education Week on Nov. 19. The panel featured FSU international students and students who have previously studied abroad. The panelists were asked questions by Joanne Farley, director of International Student Services and Study Abroad, Cecilia Reyes Alarcon, assistant director of International Student Services, and Study Abroad, and Jerome Burke, director of the CIE. “We can all learn from each other. We can all learn from different cultures,” Farley said. She said the week used to be celebrated by the federal government, but not this year. Farley said they’re celebrating International Education Week because “everyone comes from a different culture, or a different country, or people study abroad in different countries, and you can just always learn something from somebody else.” Thiago Magalhaes, a sophomore from Brazil, is studying health and wellness at FSU. A “culture shock” Magalhaes received when coming to America is how people socialize and communicate, he said. He said playing soccer at FSU helped him find his community. “Sports have a power to bring people together.” Taimoor Khan, a senior from Pakistan studying computer science at FSU, said he found his community during Orientation, and found friends in his classes. Khan said working in the CIE also helped him make many connections. Khan said being the president of the Muslim Student Association has been a positive experience because Massachusetts is such a diverse place and the people he has met have been “good at accepting [religions] they don’t believe in.” Alisson Alvarez, a junior Criminology student from Columbia, said she finds her community through other Latin people, and through dancing. “Latin people are very warm and friendly,” she added. Cameron Doyle, a junior history student, studied abroad in Greece in Spring 2025. He lived with people from different countries during his stay and said it was “great to see all these different people from all over the world come together.” He said in order to meet new people, he made it his “mission” to talk to as many people as possible and to be his authentic self. “I said to myself, ‘You’re in Europe - just have a good time,’” he added. Khoa Bùi, a junior finance major from Vietnam, said he was shocked at how straightforward people are here. He said people will say “the truth to your face … for better or for worse.” The food is also really different, he said. “What’s the word here? Indulgent, I’ll put it that way. It’s a lot more indulgent and has a lot more sugar,” Bùi said. Alvarez said the first two years here were difficult, as she missed her family. She used to update her family very frequently on FaceTime and WhatsApp, she added. “Every 15 minutes I was checking in, like, ‘I’m still alive!’” Alvarez said. Doyle said making friends helped him deal with homesickness while abroad. “Just because I had such a real, genuine group of friends that I could hang out with … that definitely made things easier as well,” Doyle added. He said he appreciated what he had more when he returned home. Khan said it’s helpful being able to message his parents and sister. Making good friends on campus is also important, he added. “People are more than willing to listen to you, give you advice, and comfort you when you need it,” Khan said. While discussing favorite cultural restaurants, Khan said Americans tend to expect particularly good service and get offended if their expectations aren’t met. “People aren’t as empathetic anymore when it comes to treating service workers the right way,” Khan said. Bùi said in his culture, people go into a restaurant and simply find an open table, rather than wait to be seated. “Even when the table is not clean, you just sit there and wait for people to clean it up, and that’s your table,” Bùi said.