For the second year in a row, the Biological Sciences School Student Affairs Office hosted a Thanksgiving luncheon for our international students. More than 60 international students attended the luncheon, where traditional American Thanksgiving fare was served. Attendees learned about the significance of the holiday and wore turkey hats as a part of the festivities.

“We want to make sure our international students feel a part of the Bio Sci family because they are far away from their families,” says Sherry Ong, Student Affairs counselor for international students. “We also want to share our American Thanksgiving traditions and foods with the international students before the holiday break.”

The International Student Thanksgiving Luncheon is made possible in part by a generous donation from Lester Ng, class of 1993. If you are interested in supporting Biological Sciences School student programs, please contact Andrew DiNuzzo.

The International Student Program in the Biological Sciences School offers an orientation program for students coming from outside the United States, a full-time international student advisor, and student peer advisors. Under the guidance of Sherry Ong, students from abroad are assisted from the moment that they are admitted. Students are helped through challenges ranging from the process of getting foreign schools to comply with UC Irvine’s final transcript policies to getting around campus. And though Sherry is officially an academic advisor, offering suggestions on building class schedules and helping shape research programs, she often finds herself talking students through moments that those raised in the United States would take for granted such as how to navigate American currency or find the closest Post Office.

If you’d like to learn more about you can support undergraduate and graduate students at the Biological Sciences School, please contact Andrew DiNuzzo at 949.824.2734 or adinuzzo@uci.edu.