Andover’s international student coordinator, Susanne Torabi, far left, is shown here at an International Club meeting in mid-November where students shared stories of their Andover experiences. Pictured front row from left are Sarah Jacobson ’10 (England), Sophia Jia ’10 (Beijing), and Marta Misiulaityte ’10 (Lithuania). Back row from left: Torabi, Andrew Cho ’12 (South Korea), Pierre-Julien Blouin ’12 (Canada), Elezhan Zhakiya ’12 (Russia), Felicia Jia ’12 (Beijing), Tahir Kapoor ’12 (U.S.), Natthamon “Pew” Wutilertcharoenwong ’10 (Thailand), David Thwaites ’11 (Jamaica), Fatoumata Diarra ’13 (originally from Guinea, now living in U.S.), Lauren Kim ’13 (U.S.), Adeola “Didi” Oyinlola (originally from Nigeria, now living in U.S.), and Pia Aehnlich ’10 (Germany).
Tradition of welcoming international students enriches community Joseph Hardy Neesima, Andover Class of 1867, wanted an education in America so badly that a ship’s captain smuggled him in a sailing vessel from Japan to China. From there he crossed the vast seas to Andover. The first Japanese to attend Phillips Academy, he went on to found Doshisha University, Japan’s first Christian university. Today there are seven students from Japan who have joined Andover’s international community, all with a similar goal to Neesima’s—an American education at Andover. At the beginning of the school year in September, Andover welcomed 77 new students with international backgrounds from 22 countries. In that tally, the school includes 12 U.S. citizens who live abroad, 9 permanent residents, 31 non-U.S. citizens, and 25 with dual citizenship. The new students joined 116 other international students who returned to Andover from such far-flung countries as Albania, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Portugal, China, and Russia. Overall, international students attending Andover for the school year 2009–2010 represent 34 countries. An all-important component of the Andover experience for some of these students is the school’s host family program. 6
Host families take students on trips or local outings, bring them to their homes for holiday meals and vacation visits, and generally try to make them feel at home. “Being a host family has been a very rewarding experience,” says Jennie Gaiss of North Andover, mother of Ryan ’11. Jennie, husband Michael, and Ryan host two boys, one from Great Britain and one from Jamaica. “Although the boys live in dorms on campus, it has given us the opportunity to provide them with some ‘typical’ American life experiences. Simply sending exam week treats, inviting them to dinner at our home, or accompanying them to a concert or sporting event lets them know they are cared for in a very special way.” Andover’s international student coordinator, Susanne Torabi, is now in her fourth year leading the program. Since first taking over the program, the number of local families opting to be a part of the host family program has almost doubled. The number of international students enrolled in the host family program has increased by 69 percent, and the number of host families has grown by 31 percent—bearing out Torabi’s belief in the importance of the program. And she wears many other hats as
well—those of faculty advisor to the International Club and the Andover Philanthropist Society, academic advisor, coach, counselor, and mentor. She says she finds it “very rewarding seeing students thrive in different areas.” Torabi knows first-hand the challenges and rewards of being new to this country. A resident of the United States since 1991, she came to this country from Germany after completing her education as a teacher and earning a master’s degree there. International students add a rich ingredient to the Andover stew, says Torabi, and many teachers note that their insights into global issues are particularly valued; the diversity and perspective they offer are invaluable learning tools. Torabi and other faculty also want to be sure these students grow to value their own identities and their own cultures. One student, Carolyn Whittingham ’11 of Jamaica, said she at first outfitted herself in Abercrombie & Fitch clothing for fear that if she didn’t, she might be ostracized. “It wasn’t until I arrived that I realized how pointless it was. Why was I trying to become an American? I am a representative of Jamaica,” she says proudly. —Paula Trespas