Mercer University’s Office of Global Engagement has started a mentorship program to help international students navigate their journey as college students in the United States.
Thirteen pairs of international undergraduate student mentors and mentees kicked off the program last fall on the Macon campus, and the office has started a similar program with graduate students on the Atlanta campus as well. Mercer hosts 258 international students across its campuses.
“There are a lot of things about the American college experience and about living in the U.S. that are different from living in other countries,” said Caroline Mason, assistant director of global services in Macon. “The mentors have all been in that position, getting into a country where you know no one and are just super overwhelmed. Students know that they can come to me to talk about anything, but I think it’s nice that they have another student who they can go to.”
The mentors in Macon must have been an international student at Mercer for at least a year. They’re responsible for texting their mentees once a week and meeting up once a month. The program kicked off with an ice cream social at Shuster’s Candy & Creamery in downtown Macon, and Mason plans weekly hangouts for all international students, not just those in the mentorship program.
“My mentor was always there whenever I faced some problems,” said Mayesha Binte Sattar, a freshman computer engineering major from Bangladesh. “She gave me some amazing guidance and some amazing tips.”
Binte Sattar said her mentor has helped her prepare for her calculus class, taught her how to fight homesickness, and let her use her fridge to store food over Thanksgiving break.
“Our mentors, who actually had the journey before us, know so many things, like what we actually face,” she said. “Their guidance matters the most.”
Binte Sattar’s mentor is sophomore Kusum Neupane, an electrical engineering major from Nepal. Neupane said she volunteered to be a mentor because she wanted to help someone who was new to the U.S. like her.
“When someone comes to a new country, it’s a lot different from where you are from, so having someone you can just go and talk to or who you can text in the middle of the night or whenever you want to, it’s a good thing to have,” she said.
Mercer Mentors, a similar program for international graduate students launched in Atlanta in February. In this program, international student mentees are paired with American student mentors for mutual accountability, cross-cultural exchange and professional dialogue, said Carey Waldrop, assistant director of global services in Atlanta. So far, seven pairs of students are participating.
“The goal is to help the international and traditional students here be more outwardly focused. In general, students on the Atlanta campus engage more so within their own department,” she said. “I think there’s interest across the board to engage cross-culturally and to learn from and collaborate with other schools.
“I hope participants can benefit from the goals of mutual accountability and professional collaboration. And hopefully in the process, friendship and a greater sense of community will emerge.”
