International Student Association

By: Melina Khan

Of Quinnipiac University’s nearly 2,000 first-year students, less than 2% hail from outside the United States. This disparity is what drives the International Student Association’s mission to foster a community for international students on campus.

“(ISA is) a space where you talk about all these weird things that may not appear weird to the local person, but as an international student, you feel different or you feel like you don’t fit in,” said Hephzibah Rajan, ISA’s president. “And so it’s that kind of community where you can just talk about it and feel like everyone else understands what you’re going through.”

The sense of community within ISA was what drove Rajan, a senior computer science major, to join the club as a first-year.

“It really was home away from home,” Rajan said. “I met a lot of people that I have called friends within this club, and while a good chunk of them have also graduated, they’ve stayed friends. And I think just having that connection was the reason I initially joined.”

Aside from cultivating connections among international students, ISA aims to raise awareness about diverse backgrounds on campus through various events throughout the year. Most recently, ISA hosted an International Film Award night on March 25 at On the Rocks Pub to spotlight films from around the world.

These events spotlight aspects of other cultures students may not be aware of, especially at a predominantly white institution like Quinnipiac. Genesis Iscoa, ISA’s vice president, said education is an important aspect of bridging the divide between international students and students from the US.

“There aren’t spaces to really talk about how differences can put us back,” said Iscoa, a senior political science major said. “To be in a room with other people who face those kinds of same differences, it doesn’t just allow you to empathize with others, but also to seek out creative solutions to those kinds of issues, rather than just be ostracized and feel isolated.”