This summer I had one of the most amazing opportunities of my undergraduate career as an ambassador for the SUSI (Study of the United States Institute) program. Through the SUSI program, volunteer ambassadors are paired one-on-one with international undergraduate students from Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka. During their month-long stay in the United States, the SUSI participants study communication and journalism and attend classroom lectures, conduct site visits around Seattle, and complete a final project involving extensive research and the publishing of an article through The Seattle Globalist. The showcase took place just last week; the caliber of the research questions the SUSI participants asked, the professionalism of the interviews they conducted, and the quality of the articles they published blew me away. Somehow in the midst of all of their classes, assignments, and trips, they all managed to produce amazing work. The topics varied from addressing micro-aggressions to researching immigration/immigrants’ rights to questioning what it means to identify as a Muslim vs “Muslim-American” to finding love in Seattle, but each article, without a doubt, impressed me; every one of the SUSI participants impressed me.
(Me and Umesh, my SUSI participant/buddy at the Seattle Center)
Although finding interested participants for this program is fairly easy (who would say no to an all-expenses paid trip to one of the coolest cities in the world, a $500 education grant, and an opportunity to make new life-long friends from different countries?), traditionally, finding volunteer ambassadors can be difficult. Because of the Seattle SUSI office’s proximity to campus, however, the program has the unique presence of abundant willing and eager student volunteers.
(Me and a few of the other ambassadors - Swetha, Yifan, and Orn-wipa)
The majority of my fellow ambassadors heard of the SUSI program through FIUTS, which is an organization on campus that “connects students to local and global communities through programs that build international awareness, cross-cultural communication, and informed leadership” (http://www.fiuts.org/about). Although I had heard of FIUTS in passing before, I did not realize the extent to which they truly follow-through on their mission to create opportunities for cross-cultural interaction, communication, and understanding.
(Orn-wipa, Yifan, Jessica, Naduni, Sunny, me, and Eman at the showcase/potluck)
The program schedule included a weekend of camping, a hike at Mt. Rainier, visiting the (top of the) Space Needle, an Argosy (narrated) cruise, a Seattle Mariners game followed by fireworks, a weekend homestay, a cultural presentation showcase and potluck, and a visit to the Bite of Seattle. In addition to showing the SUSI participants important sites in Seattle, the goal was to have guides for each of the students so that they could develop a better understanding of the United States and what daily life was like.
(Katie, me, and Chandana at Mr. Rainier)
As many of my friends know, I am an ardent advocate for studying abroad and highly value social justice and international engagement; this program truly allowed me to see how effective short programs (the SUSI participants were here in Seattle for four weeks, and will also travel in Chicago and D.C. for an additional week) could be. I can truly say I learned more than I thought imaginable in such a short time span. Because of this program, I had the chance to learn about different cultural norms, tried new foods, and talked about politics, fashion, travel, and dating with some of the kindest and smartest people I have ever met.
(Farina, me, and Naduni sayinggoodbye at the closing ceremony - you would never be able to tell that we were crying moments before)
I became friends with 39 (20 SUSI participants, 19 ambassadors) amazing people this summer, many of whom call countries halfway around the world their home. Showing them around Seattle never felt like work – it was always fun and exciting to spend time with them. Together, the SUSI participants made the first half of my summer unforgettable. If you are interested in opportunities like this to promote cultural consciousness, engage in discussion with other globally-minded individuals, and develop leadership skills, I would highly recommend joining this organization – becoming a part of the FIUTS community will be one of the best decisions you ever make!
