Three international students from China, Pakistan and Vietnam shared their experiences with several community members in a panel titled Glimpses of Asia on Wednesday afternoon.   

The event took place in the Rathskeller Loft, located in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union basement. The event lasted for over an hour and was overseen by the Office of International Students and Scholars.   

The panelists told their stories of why they decided to study in America, how they learned English and how they immersed themselves in American culture.   

Anh Bui, a graduate student from Vietnam double majoring in construction management and sustainability, was inspired to come study in America after his sister did a few years earlier.   

Bui first came to America in 2016 and started his education career at Olney Community College before transferring to Eastern. He said that living in a small town with a host family helped him learn English.  

When he is not studying, Bui likes to travel across the country. He has been to over 30 different states and intends to travel to more places.   

Haoran Du, a sophomore majoring in mathematics, is originally from China. He described the differences in the academic systems between the two countries. In China, a student’s ranking among their peers is put on a list and made public to their classmates.   

Muhammad Ibrahim, a graduate student from Pakistan, is majoring in graphic design. During the panel, he discussed how art, particularly graphic design, is not widely celebrated in Pakistan. He aims to teach Pakistani people about graphic design once he graduates.  

As to why the students chose to attend Eastern, Du stressed the safety of the surrounding community. He voiced concerns about crime in other college towns such as Champaign and Chicago. He also worried about potentially being the target of a hate crime due to his Asian descent if he went to college in a larger city.   

Ibrahim chose Eastern due to the fine arts program and its success. Bui chose Eastern due to affordability and the university offering academic programs he was interested in.   

Each of the students shared their success and challenges. One challenge they all faced is meeting new people and immersing themselves in American culture. All of them mentioned how being away from most of their families was a challenge.   

Ibrahim offered advice to any international student who may be struggling.   

“Just don’t worry,” Ibrahim stated. “It takes time to develop and fortunately, you will experience very good people around here that will help you in different areas.” He stressed how the Office of International Students and Scholars is helpful to new international students.   

The audience, mostly comprised of members of the local rotary club, guided the discussion towards how their organization facilitates exchange programs for high school students. They also elaborated on the history of their organization both domestically and internationally.   

The audience members stressed how the organization aims to help those in need and accepts everyone of different backgrounds as members. They also invited the students to attend their monthly meetings.  

Jacob Hamm can be reached at 581-2812 or at jmhamm@eiu.edu.