HPU welcomes a record number of international students to campus
Left to right: Javier Patón, Toon Louagie, Florian Wiesner, and Michael Hawes. Photo by: Ariana Baio
By Ariana Baio// Staff Writer
High Point University’s international student program hit an all-time high this semester. Over 70 new students from 25 different countries enrolled at HPU this year, bringing the overall total to roughly 250 students from 68 countries across the globe.
“Just three short years ago we had fewer than 20 international students,” Dr. Marjorie Church, director of international student services, said. “This increase in cultural diversity has many benefits for all of the students at HPU. Although increasing numbers of our students will study abroad during their time here, many will not – and the encounters that they have here at HPU with fellow students from all around the world provide invaluable intercultural experience.”
Florian Wiesner from Wārburg, Germany; Javier Patón from Madrid, Spain; Toon Louagie from Bruges, Belgium; and Michael Hawes from Virginia Water, England spoke about their experiences and transition from Europe to America.
Before they arrived on campus, each exchange student received a Panther Pal, an upperclassman to guide them around campus and help them adjust to the school. The Panther Pal program helps international students feel more comfortable transitioning into the American college experience.
“It’s the first person you meet before coming here and they answer all your questions,” Patón said. Similar to the peer mentor program for freshmen, the Panther Pals meet with the new students every day until classes start so that they feel more comfortable with the campus.
It can be difficult going from one culture and language to a completely different one, but all four students agreed that so far it’s been easier than expected. “Everybody is friendly,” Louagie said. “They are willing to help with anything we need.”
Even still, the students’ day-to-day lifestyles have changed at least somewhat. “The culture is different,” Hawes said. “Everybody here drives to go everywhere but in England everybody walks or bikes.”
However, all four agreed that the food was the biggest difference between American culture and their own. “There are so many options and bigger portions,” Hawes said.
The HPU lifestyle may be different from that in Europe, but the experience the four students are receiving was enough for them to decide this was the school for them.
Hawes noted that he believes most exchange students come to HPU because “the campus is pretty cool, the facilities are really nice, the weather is really nice here as well.”
This experience also provides these students with opportunities for future jobs.
“Not a lot of people in Germany are doing it and companies are looking for people who do this,” Wiesner said. “You get to learn English pretty well being here.”
The international student program gives students from other countries the chance to experience another culture, but it also makes for a richer experience for everyone else on campus.
“In a society that is quickly becoming more and more globally oriented, I think it’s not only a benefit but a necessity for today’s college students to learn as much as they can about other countries and the people who live there,” Church said.
Students can also get involved with the International Club to further experience different cultures right here on campus. Students of all cultural backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to join.
“Now that international students have a larger presence on campus, I hope that more people will take advantage of the opportunity to learn about other cultures, practice speaking global languages and form lifelong friendships that will go a long way towards making the world a more peaceful place,” Church said.