by Nakell Baker | International Student and Scholar Office
The International Student and Scholar Office (ISSO) Global Peer Assistants are a group of diverse students who assist new international students with their transition at UNL. Comprised of both international and domestic students, the group helps ease the transition for incoming students to UNL and builds connections drawing on their many different experiences.
“I found that it’s a very rewarding experience,” said Global Peer Assistant Linh Tran. Tran is a junior Advertising and Public Relations major from Vietnam and has loved her role as a Global Peer Mentor, in which she’s served for the past three semesters.
“I love that I am able to share my unique point of view as an international student and a Husker with a diverse group of new international students each semester,” Tran added.
For Tran, the chance to serve as a Global Peer Assistant has transformed her experience at UNL. One of the main responsibilities of the Assistants is to build peer relationships with students and serve as a “first friend” and point of contact when they have questions after arriving on campus. Assistants meet weekly with their assigned new international students and hold other meetings as necessary, as well as inviting them to attend academic and social events together on campus.
In addition to giving her a chance to help new international students, Tran said the position has also expanded her circle of friends. Tran has maintained friendships with students who used to be her mentees, and they continue to meet and joke around when they see each other on campus. The friendships forged through the program have also helped her learn about other cultures similar and different from her own.
“I am Vietnamese, but I have made friends from China, Malaysia, and other Asian countries. Even though we are all from Asian culture, the cultures are very different, and it is fascinating to learn about,” said Tran.
Tran’s time as a Global Peer Assistant has also changed the trajectory of her future career. During her first semester as an Assistant in spring 2019, Tran was a marketing major. In addition to connecting with her mentees, Trans was also tasked with creating the weekly email newsletter distributed to new students with updates about campus and ISSO events. The job prompted a major change for her, and she is thrilled to continue serving on the Communications Committee for the Global Peer Assistant program.
“I was passionate about drawing people in and found I was good at engaging others [through the newsletter],” Tran said. “It was something I wanted to continue to do, so I changed my major to Advertising and Public Relations.”
Another important duty for Global Peer Assistants is to help greet arriving international students in the week before classes, and support or create events that help them acclimatize to UNL and American culture. The team helps advance ISSO’s mission in advancing international students’ academic, social and cultural engagement at UNL. Events organized by the Assistants in the past include a group outing to First Friday artwalks, attending UPC speakers, and hosting internal team building opportunities.
For Tran, the experience has been extremely rewarding and her favorite part of the program is the relationships she’s built with ISSO staff who manage the program and other Global Peer Assistants. She hopes to continue working with the program, and encourages all interested students to apply.
“We have a strong bond and have become family,” said Tran. “If someone is interesting in applying, they should, because being a Global Peer Assistant is bigger than yourself!”
Applications for the Global Peer Assistant program for 2020-21 are now open on Handshake at https://go.unl.edu/gpaapp. The application will close on March 6 at 11:55 PM CST. For more information, visit the ISSO website or contact ISSN Nakell Baker at nbaker6@unl.edu if you have any questions about the position.