In their shoes
International students recognized for sharing unique perspectives on life at UD
12:20 p.m., Dec. 11, 2015--“I’m enjoying Delaware. I feel like a true Blue Hen,” said Kervin Zamora, a master’s degree student in public administration from Honduras who was selected as the first-prize winner in this year’s International Student Essay Contest.
More than 3,900 international graduate and undergraduate students call the University of Delaware home. Like many other students, they face the challenges of a transition to a university environment, but also must acculturate to life in the United States and navigate a brand new set of cultural norms.
Global Stories
Fulbright awards
Peace Corps plans
With this, each student builds their own unique, inspiring and sometimes humorous journey.
The Office for International Students and Scholars in collaboration with the Division of Student Life annually sponsors the essay contest, which is aimed at giving all international students an opportunity to share these experiences with the larger University community.
This year, three winners were chosen from more than 90 entries.
Zamora, who took home first prize for his essay titled “From the Dirt Roads of Honduras to the Red Brick Walls of UD,” wrote of learning about American culture by trial and error and integrating this with his Latino heritage.
“If I was to become a guest in this country, I wanted to know their rules and norms. But, I loved my culture. I love being Latino and every single thing that word means,” he noted, continuing, “I have become an Americanized-Latino … I got the best of both worlds.”
Ashish Chouhan, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering from India and the second-prize winner, spoke not only of teaching fellow students about his own culture, but also of learning about the world through UD’s diverse international community.
“Before I came here I had friends only in India,” said Chouhan, “When I came here, it was the whole entire world that was in front of me. I became friends with so many people from China, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the U.S. and Australia, from all parts of the globe. “ He has recently begun learning Turkish thanks to fellow international students.
Hanna Olsson, who began her undergraduate career in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management this semester, told a story that all world travelers can relate to. Upon arriving at Philadelphia International Airport from her home country of Sweden, she realized that her bags had been lost in transit.
What seemed like an unfortunate beginning to Olsson’s four-year journey became a way to quickly adapt and make new friends. “Losing my suitcases made me see the U.S. and its mindset for what it really was; not judgmental but instead open-minded, not narcissistic but instead widely generous, and definitely not conceited but instead extremely supportive.”
The annual OISS International Student Essay Contest reception, an anchor event of UD’s Global Month, was held on Friday, Nov. 20. The reception recognized the new winners and honored all those who took the time to submit an essay.
To read the full essays of this year’s International Student Essay Contest winners or to learn more about the contest, visit the OISS website.
About the Office for International Students and Scholars
OISS is the designated office at the University of Delaware that provides immigration advising and support services to more than 4,000 international students, scholars, and family members from over 95 different countries.
Throughout the year, the office also offers a series of workshops, sessions and programming events for the international community at UD.
For more information, visit the OISS website, which provides comprehensive information and resources on how to navigate issues that are common to international students and scholars in the United States.
OISS is located at the Wright House at 44 Kent Way and can be reached by email at oiss@udel.edu or by phone at 302-831-2115.
Article by Nikki Laws
Videos by Nikki Laws and Kristina Magana