Welcoming Students from Around the World: International Orientation

College move-in day is a memorable one, filled with activity and change. For many students, it is the first time they are leaving home and joining a new community. For 122 of our students this year, the move to Taylor was an even greater transition, spanning cultures, countries, and even continents.

To welcome our international and missionary kid (MK) students, the Office of Intercultural Programs organizes International Orientation (IO). Each year, the three-day event focuses on "making the transition to Taylor as smooth as possible for international students and easing them into Taylor culture and American culture," said senior Grace Fandrich, who served as Co-Director of IO this year.

As a Japanese Canadian international student herself, Fandrich remembers participating in IO as a freshman. "People who have gone through the same thing guide new students so it’s not so overwhelming. They make a space for them to create connections with people from very different backgrounds."

IO begins three days before the rest of the freshmen arrive on campus. Staff and student volunteers guide new students as they make their way from the airport to Taylor’s campus to their residence halls. To foster connection, the freshmen are split into small groups as they learn about Taylor's resource centers, tour campus, meet Residence Life staff, share meals, worship together, and more.

"Students from around the world establish and develop a sense of belonging before the school year starts. The US, Indiana, Taylor—this culture here is very different. They see that they're not alone, that there are other people that understand," said Nate Chu, Executive Director of Spiritual Life & Intercultural Leadership, who grew up as an MK in Kenya.

Whether it’s through playing soccer together or connecting with a local church over lunch, IO provides a space to build relationships and community.

One Body, Many Parts

Throughout the week, students engaged with a particular theme selected by IO Co-Directors Fandrich and Esther Hyun, who is a Korean international student. They chose to represent their prayer for the year through the body of Christ, based on 1 Corinthians 12:25-27. Welcoming students from a range of backgrounds, places, and cultures, their devotions and activities focused on the strength that diversity brings to the community of believers.

Pre-Art Therapy senior Sophi Rogers, who grew up as an MK in the Dominican Republic, offered her skills to portray this. As the IO Designer, she created a design onto canvas puzzle pieces. As an activity, each freshman painted a piece with their small group. Later, IO leaders assembled the pieces to display a mosaic that depicted a greater image of Christ carrying a cross.

"That was a moment that I really felt everything came together. It was just wonderful to see the body of Christ—everyone coming from different cultures, so many different backgrounds, and creating this beautiful art." Fandrich reflected.

"If we lost one piece, we couldn’t finish the whole art. Everyone is important, and we need each other," Hyun continued.

The same design of Christ and the cross adorned the T-shirts that all freshmen and IO leaders received.

A Taste of Home

The week culminates with the Taste of Home dinner, in which students, faculty, staff, and community volunteers cook dishes from a variety of cultures. Everyone comes together at the Boren Campus Center to celebrate the week, share a meal together, and pray together as the freshmen begin their semester. This year, a few menu items included Malaysian char koay teow, Chinese sauced beef, Caribbean roasted sweet potatoes, Korean kimchi soup, and Japanese hoji tea.

"Seeing people’s smiles and plates full of food is just so lovely to see every time," said Fandrich.

The dinner celebrates the cultures represented at Taylor and brings the Taylor community together. It is a special time for upperclassmen, faculty, staff, and community members to connect with freshmen and their parents and take a small part in their culture as they begin college.

Reflecting on the week, freshman MK from Central Asia Winslow Belohlavek shared, "Sometimes in transition, everything is so new, and so it was really great to know that I have this safety net of people I can fall back on who are going through the same thing. A lot of the people I met in IO are the friends I’ve continued to spend time with."

Leading Through Service

IO cabinet is composed entirely of student leaders who plan, coordinate, and run the three-day event. Throughout college, Fandrich served as a cabinet member for MuKappa (a group for MKs), Asian Students’ Intercultural Association, and IO. Similarly, Hyun led as Asian Students’ Intercultural Association Co-President, Multicultural Student Association cabinet member, and an IO volunteer. As seniors now, their experience prepared them to lead IO well.

"Servantship doesn’t always mean doing everything by yourself," Fandrich explained. "There’s a balance between being a servant of the Lord but also being a leader of a group."

Their cabinet included four students: Leslie Castellanos, Victor Kim, Naomi Mai, and DJ Yost. With a mix of international students, MKs, and domestic students, the cabinet had a range of experiences that prepared them to welcome students of all backgrounds. Coordinating across five time zones, the team organized and planned each detail and logistical need over the summer.

"It was an opportunity that God allowed me to do. God reminded me that it was really about his grace, his provision," Hyun reflected.