This week, visiting international exchange students and UW students returning from international university exchanges met and socialized in the University District. UW hosts over 200 exchange students every year from countries all over the world. Meanwhile, over 170 UW students pursue direct exchanges at universities abroad.
For the international exchange students, who have been in Seattle for just a few days, the event was a chance to meet new friends and get acquainted with the campus and community they will call home for the next few months. Returning students came to connect with friends made at international universities and share their knowledge of UW with new friends.
Over hamburgers, Luca Orlando of Bocconi University in Italy chatted with Ling Liu and Peachayaporn Pongsarojanavit, both from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. All three students are living on campus and excited to learn more about all that UW has to offer.
“The campus is really peaceful and friendly,” said Luca, “in Italy we don’t have anything like [UW], with the buildings all together and parks in between.” All three students came to campus without much knowledge of Seattle or the Puget Sound region, but they are all ready to begin their studies and take advantage of UW’s diverse academic offerings. They plan to pursue courses in finance, biological sciences, and Swedish language.
Not far away, Japanese students Gaku Murakami of Kyoto University and Yusuke Tanaka of Kobe University were ‘friending’ Kellie Nada and Ethan Dill on Facebook. Ethan and Kellie are UW students just returning from an exchange to Waseda University in Japan, and had met Gaku and Yasuke through mutual friends. Because of this connection, Yusuke is living in a group house with Kellie. All four students agree that connecting visiting and returning students is a great way to make friends and extend relationships built abroad.