As an international student from Sydney, Australia, Princeton is a long way from home. Before coming to Princeton, I was nervous about whether or not I would be able to make friends and adjust to the American way of life. However, within my first few days of arriving on campus, my fears disappeared as I participated in an event that all first year international students are invited to: International Orientation (IO).
IO was a three-day event where we were grouped together with student leaders and participated in social events, talks, and dinners. My favorite memories from IO include watching the student leaders perform USA 101 (a skit about adjusting to living to the US), buying cute succulents for my dorm during a trip to Target, and the final closing ceremony where every student stood up and was applauded when their country of origin was named. IO was where I met the people who I’d consider my best friends at Princeton, and where I learned that there was a community on campus for me.
After IO, I participated in other orientation events like Community Action (CA). I was excited about meeting new people during CA, but I was also comforted knowing that there were familiar faces in my CA group or residential college that I got to know from IO. Throughout my first year, I always felt a sense of belonging and community when waving to another international student or catching up with someone that I first met during IO.
At the end of freshman year, I decided to apply to become a Davis International Center leader, and was able to welcome international students from the class of 2027 during this past year’s IO. Being on the reverse side of IO made me appreciate it even more. Being able to make friends with fellow leaders, talk to and welcome new international students (especially those from Australia!), and to plan IO events made me even more appreciative of this group of people. When we host events throughout the semester, such as IO reunion and international karaoke, the amount of people who show up proves to me that the international community is valued and appreciated at Princeton.
As a rising junior, I am still sometimes hit with a sense of longing for home. But, knowing that the friends that I made during IO will be navigating this four-year experience with me, or that I will always be able to reach out to the international community on campus, makes me feel that I’ve found my home away from home.