From becoming a President’s Award for Global Learning finalist to performing songs in front of her classmates, junior international student Clarissa Abrego is on a determined path to become a master of all trades and jack of none. From Monterrey, Mexico, Abrego is the second of four UT recipients of… read more
7,671 Miles Away from Home: My Learnings
Looking back to when I was a 17-year-old girl in Karachi, Pakistan waiting to hear back from universities I applied to, I never thought I would end up where I did. The University of Texas at Austin was the very first university I heard back from, and I knew in… read more
International Orientation Volunteers Offer Advice to Incoming Students
To welcome incoming international students this spring, International Orientation Volunteers (IOVs) conducted “Mentor Meetings,” a series of informative presentations covering various cultural, social and academic topics introducing new students to the Longhorn way of life. These sessions took place over Zoom from Jan. 6-14. There was a total of… read more
How to Combat Homesickness and Smoothly Transition to a New Culture
This post was contributed by Le Dang Khoa (Kevin) Pham, a Civil Engineering freshman from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Before coming to the United States, I had been going to “international schools” in Vietnam. Essentially, they are private schools that combine two educational systems: one of the systems is… read more
International Students Share Personal Anecdotes Onstage at a Night of Global Voices
Texas Global and University Housing and Dining celebrated the university’s international community during A Night of Global Voices on Nov. 16. The event featured stories and poems presented by UT students about their personal lives, global journeys and cultural experiences. A Night of Global Voices kicked off International Education Week… read more
“So, where did you Study Abroad?”: A question that finally has an answer
Awright, my name is Colin and I’m from a small town in Central Scotland called Whitburn, which is around 30 miles from Edinburgh. I’m currently in year two of my M.Ed. in Urban Teaching at UT, and I am undertaking my student teaching semester virtually from home in Oregon. My… read more
What is Thanksgiving? History, Traditions and Things to do on This U.S. Holiday
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Friends and families across the U.S. gather to feast and celebrate all the things they are grateful for. This year, things may look a bit different. Friends and families may elect to not gather around the table in… read more
A Tale Between Two Cities
This post was contributed by international student Diana Arriaga, a Plan II and International Relations and Global Studies freshman at UT. On the morning of what would become my last day of high school in Brownsville, Texas, sheer terror bled through me when my anatomy teacher told us Border Patrol would be… read more
Join the ISSS Virtual Community, stay connected with your peers
The ISSS team is excited to present the ISSS Virtual Community, a series of virtual events designed to engage international students and build community based on a variety of interests. These events will be posted in the UT International Students Facebook Group, a forum for global Longhorns to connect with… read more
