CONTACT:
- Sheri Byrd, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360/546-9602, byrds@vancouver.wsu.edu
- Ike Ekeya, Student Ambassador, 360/546-9527, ike@vancouver.wsu.edu
Vancouver, Wash. - With students from Japan, Germany, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, Mexico, China, Turkey, Canada, South Korea and Nigeria, the International Students Club at Washington State University Vancouver offers a sense of community to those far from home.
The group meets twice monthly to plan social events, and share stories of student life. They pass on helpful information to each other about topics such as visas, health care and international calling plans.
"The club has helped international students connect with the community," said Ike Ekeya, a senior majoring in biology, with hopes of going on to pharmacy school. "It can be very stressful when you are new here. This club is a place for students to ask their questions of others who have been through it before."
Students in the club have shared an international potluck buffet and movie nights. They also volunteer at a local assisted living home.
"You can really gain understanding of other cultures here," said freshman Denise Eyerly, a graduate of Skyview High School who immigrated to the US from Germany at age 12. "When you really get to know someone from another culture, you learn why they do what they do."
"We learn about our differences, and our similarities," said Ekeya, also a WSU student ambassador, a liaison from the university to prospective students and their families. "We learn quickly that we are all human beings."
91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø currently has 21 total international students, including eight graduate students.
For more information about 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø student ambassadors, see
91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø offers 14 Bachelor's degrees, 9 Master's degrees and 1 Doctorate degree and more than 35 fields of study. The campus is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205. Visit us on the Web at
Photo, courtesy 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø:
Ike Ekeya, a senior from Nigeria majoring in biology at Washington State University Vancouver, relaxes on the terrace of the campus café with fellow student ambassadors Juli Anderson and Kimbree Brown.