Different countries, backgrounds, languages and cultures all under one umbrella have brought the International Student Club family together.
Considered a family, not a club, the members went from just talking about the International Student Club last quarter to their idea becoming a reality this quarter.
With more than 60 members, the club is expanding every day, and its goal is to help spread diversity on and around the campus as well as in the Dayton community.
“It is all about making connections, said Vice President of the Club Luis Miranda, who is from Peru. “I would talk to more international students, then when I met Fady, he said ‘I have friends that are from your country,’ and I was excited to meet them.”
It was there that the students were able to bond with other students who speak the same languages, while respecting different cultures and receiving an outlet for speaking with other international students.
The club is open for all American students who are interested in learning about different countries, backgrounds, languages and cultures.
Economics major Carole Ahossin is from Cote d’Ivoire. She said that she has several friends who don’t know how to interact with American students. She finds that the cultures are different, and many American students don’t know how to approach others who are different from them.
“We can learn from them [American students] as they can learn from us,” Ahossin said. “I have been here for three years; I know some things about the American culture. Most of my friends are international students, and they don’t know how to approach American students.”
Fady Albanna, the club president, who is from Iraq, said that when he first started at Sinclair he was lonely.
“I was lonely because I didn’t know how to interact with the American culture. It is still hard for me to interact with American students because I don’t know about their culture. Some of them are not willing to meet me or talk with me because of my background, heritage and culture,” Albanna said. “So when I meet an international student, I feel more comfortable to talk with them and we have common things. Sometimes I don’t have common things to talk about with American students.”
This is a problem that the club hopes to extinguish when they meet every Thursday at 4 p.m. at Starbucks, discussing ways to expand their club membership, sharing their experiences in America and forming a bond.
Like a family.
“When you find someone that shares the same stories that you do, it creates special bonds,” Miranda said. “There is something magical about it.”
The club wants to be a family that always keeps in contact, shares struggles and problems and support one another.
“Friends and family is very important to us,” Ahossin said. “People don’t take the time to know each other because they tend to focus more on work. Work tends to be more important than people, for us it is just different especially when you come from a different culture and you don’t really know a lot of people.”
If a member needs a textbook, the club never hesitates to lend it to another member.
Sharon Zamora, a member of the club who is from Peru, said that the biggest benefit of the club is when they exchange books just to help each other.
“We pass our books around because some of the international students can’t afford to buy books,” Albanna said.
Getting past cultural barriers, Ahossin said she has one African-American friend, who she went to give a kiss on the cheek, just as a friendly gesture to say hi. The kiss on the cheek made the friend uncomfortable.
“Since she knows that I am from a different culture, she has learned to adapt, but a lot of people are not willing to do that. From this club, I want people to learn different cultures from around the world,” Ahossin said. “I would love for people to stop their misinterpretations.”
Different faces and different stories have brought the club together, but their differences come together with the same goal in mind – understanding cultural diversity.
“Nobody wants to be lonely and many immigrants they feel lonely,” Miranda said. “I want people around the campus to know who we are, to know about the group and know that there are many international students on the campus.”
Albanna is working on forming a partnership with Welcome Dayton, which is an organization that welcomes immigration. Through the club, he wants to improve student education and one hopes that the club will be able to provide funds for students who don’t have financial support.
But as of right now the main goal is keeping the conversation about diversity alive.
“We want them [American students] to be able to understand different cultures, how to handle international students and how to respect different cultures, not only about the culture, but also about the language,” he said.
Albanna was given the opportunity to discuss ‘the family’ during an English as a Second Language class, which is how he has been trying to recruit more international students to the club. But he also wants to recruit more American students to add balance to the club.
“That is how we have such a connection,” said member Deborah Zamora, who is from Peru. “We all think alike. We all have different stories, but in the end we all have the same goals.”
For more information, contact Albanna at fady.albanna@sinclair.edu or Miranda at luis.miranda@sinclair.edu.
International Student Club unites through their cultural and language differences
