2017 International Student Essay Contest 1st Place Winner: Josue Daniel Nataren Moran

A Seed Trying to Change the World Think about a seed for a second. Can you picture it? No? Let me help you then. Think about an acorn for instance. Acorns are smaller than a table tennis ball, and they have very hard outer coverings that protect small seeds inside. Acorns might be small, but …

March Student of the Month: Hoa Nguyen

Student of the Month: Hoa Nguyen Hometown: Hanoi, Vietnam Major: Mechanical Engineering Hoa Nguyen’s story in East Lansing did not begin with IAOP on MSU’s campus as it does for most international students.  Instead, Hoa enrolled at East Lansing High School in 2011 when his mom was accepted into a doctoral program at Michigan State.  …

November Student of the Month: Mariana Desiree Reale Batista

Student of the Month: Mariana Desiree Reale Batista Hometown: Salvador, Brazil Major: Materials Science and Engineering Materials Science and Engineering Ph.D. candidate, Mariana Batista, came to Michigan State in 2014 from Salvador, Brazil after working as an engineer for the Ford Motor Company. Following her interests in the automotive industry, Mariana has taken full advantage …

October Student of the Month: Hafsa Abass

Student of the Month: Hafsa Abass Hometown: Nairobi, Kenya Major: Accounting “Stay open-minded and try everything,” says Hafsa Abass, a MasterCard Foundation Scholar and student philanthropist at MSU who promotes education for young girls in Kenya and advocates for greater international cultural understanding. "Just because things are different, doesn’t make them worse." Hafsa’s journey to …

MSU International Students Served Local Community at MSU Global Day of Service

MSU Global Day of Service with OISS Domestic and international students from eight countries at MSU rose early on Saturday, April 16, grabbed a lunch and jumped on a bus to head to Sunny Crest Youth Ranch to volunteer for the day! This event was in collaboration with thousands of other MSU students volunteering in …

MSU graduate Kwasi Adu-Berchie reflects on the keys to his academic success

Kwasi Adu-Berchie is no ordinary MSU graduate. Coming to study at Michigan State in 2011 from the cultural capitol of Ghana, adjusting to U.S. culture could have been difficult, not to mention the hard classes he was taking at MSU. Not only did Adu-Berchie thrive as a chemical engineering student, achieving almost a 4.0 cumulative …

Coaching soccer is more than just volunteering to MSU students

When looking for volunteer experience, Helal Alrashedi and Saeed Almarri landed something closer to home than they had originally anticipated. Both have spent time these past few months coaching youth soccer teams and said their love for soccer in their home country carried over into mentoring young kids. Almarri said he was introduced to this …

A Farewell to OISS 2015 Graduates

The OISS Internship and Student Employment Program is not like any other student employment program. As Sahar, our H1b intern said, “I’ve never met a greater group of people that I love and adore so much. It breaks my heart to have to leave them.” Coming from Afghanistan, Sahar moved to USA at the age of seven. …

Student Expresses Herself Through Dance and Language

  Audrey Beaumarchais is not your average college student. As a senior at Michigan State University, she is double majoring in International Relations (James Madison College) and Chinese with a minor in STEPPS (science technology environment and public policy). In addition to Audrey's busy academic schedule, she has a passion for dance. Her unique interests have sparked great experiences …

Wendy’s Student Success Story

As an international student, being faced with the task of employment can often be challenging. Many students would describe a successful college career by including at least one internship experience. While this can be true, it is not always the case for everyone as it depends on different factors. I came to MSU as a …