International Student Center’s Ambassador Program helps incoming global enrollees feel like they belong

While studying abroad in South Africa this summer, Indigo Eatmon stayed with a family that generously shared their culture of hospitality, kindness and “opening your heart.”

“That is actually one of the terms my host mom used,” said Eatmon, a San Diego State University Mundt Peace Scholar majoring in journalism. “She doesn’t host students only to get paid or get benefits. It is because she wants to open her heart, learn about new cultures and meet new people.”

Eatmon is paying forward that mindset this fall. She volunteered for the SDSU International Student Center’s Ambassador Program, which pairs SDSU students with incoming international students for support and mentorship.

Around 45 SDSU students signed up for the Ambassador Program. Three training sessions prepare the participants for respecting language, cultural, and religious differences, being aware of busy schedules and knowing where to go for additional help.

For the more than 100 International Students currently enrolled, the program assists in maintaining high GPAs, improving confidence, participating in the classroom and building bonds with fellow students.

“The goal is to really help international students adjust to life at SDSU and the U.S.,” said Sophia Man, Inbound Exchange Coordinator at SDSU International Affairs. “It can be hard to feel like you belong in a country that is very different from what you may be used to.” Sometimes, she said, it’s as simple as providing a person to call.

Like Eatmon, many SDSU Ambassadors recently returned from studying abroad themselves. They say the experience gives them empathy for what new international students might be facing culturally, academically and socially.

“While the ISC Ambassador Program serves as a platform for mentorship to new international students as they transition to life at SDSU, it also strives to foster global connection through cultural exchanges that capitalize on the study abroad experiences of our SDSU students. By giving these students the opportunity to give back, we continue to encourage global citizenship right here on campus," said Michael Moak, SDSU International Student Retention Coordinator and head of the Ambassador program. 

Bernardette Solares Bolanos studied abroad in Taiwan and is now mentoring a first-year student from Singapore. The pair explored campus during an icebreaker scavenger hunt.

“I am hoping to help her ease into things and be somebody to turn to if she has questions or needs anything,” said Solares Bolanos. “Like for me when I went to Taiwan, it could be a little difficult or embarrassing to ask questions. The amount of information can be overwhelming when you are in a new environment or new system, so I want to help her with that transition.”

Gemiel Smith studied abroad in South Korea with the benefit of the host university’s own ambassador program. “I understand and empathize with that feeling of not really having a community or support group when you’re living in a new area,” he said.

Smith, a theater arts major who also studies languages, has been paired with a student from South Korea who is studying English and Literature. He is looking forward to introducing her to San Diego’s cultural scene while sharpening his Korean language skills.

“It is a nice opportunity to connect with someone who is having the same experience that I had coming to a new place,” said Smith, “and it’s even better because we are both on the common ground of speaking the same language.”

For college, Lizzie Epps traveled across the country to SDSU from Tampa, Florida. Her mom served in the U.S. Army, so she moved periodically while she was growing up. Epps knows how to make a new place home.

Now she aims to help SDSU international students do the same as an ambassador.

“I know it is a big change coming all the way across the ocean and seeing a new culture,” said Epps. “But my first-year experience (at SDSU) was so amazing. I want everyone to have the experience at SDSU that I had.”

Epps, an international business major, recently studied abroad in Italy. She hopes to take her international students to an Aztecs football game, as well as introduce them to the greater Southern California region beyond San Diego.

During a recent scavenger hunt, Eatmon, the Mundt Scholar,  met her international student from South Korea. She also expects to mentor at least one other student. This is her second semester as an Ambassador. Last spring, she mentored a student from France who was attending college in Canada.

“She was also a Black student, so it was cool for her to be able to experience some of the Black American culture at SDSU and compare that to her culture back in France,” said Eatmon.

Eatmon hopes to make similar connections with the international students she is mentoring this semester.

“I genuinely enjoy meeting new people, and I would love it if I could help international students feel a little bit more at home here or make their experience in the U.S. better.”