A home away from home: Newly arrived international students welcomed by the International Support Team in the Global Student Center

Eager and newly arrived international students gathered at the Global Student Center on Thursday, August 21, 2025, for the international student orientation, where they were warmly welcomed by the International Student Support (ISS) Team. “Welcoming students is always the best part of our job. Seeing them arrive, settle in, and eagerly starting their college journey is incredibly fulfilling,” says Janna Eveland, Associate Director for International Student Support at USF World. “We have put a lot of effort into enhancing our pre-arrival programming and process over the last six months.”  

"The new international student welcome events are my favorite time of the year,” says Sean Gilmore, Assistant Vice President for Global Academic Partnerships & Enrollment. “As an alum and Tampa native, it's my honor to help welcome them to their new home here at USF and the greater Tampa Bay area and introduce them to their new family." 

Students chatted with their fellow Bulls as they walked through the resource fair, picking up green and gold giveaways. Members from USF World, Global Learning, USF Recreation and Wellness, the Office of International Services, the Counseling Center, Bull2Bull Financial Education Program, as well as banking, insurance and other representatives were present to offer support and answer any questions. “I’m excited to be here,” one student says, holding a USF bag full of informative flyers, a lanyard and a green notebook. “There’s so much to look forward to.”  

The resource fair is designed to give students access to everything they need to succeed—from adventure trips with recreation and wellness to insurance and banking information—and an opportunity to get acquainted with everything USF has to offer. “I was surprised to see Vietnamese on the lanyard,” one student said, holding up their new green and gold USF lanyard that has ‘Bulls’ in numerous different world languages, representing the home countries of USF internationals students. “It’s nice having my language represented.”  

After visiting the booths, students attended the International Student Orientation and the Roadmap for Success presentation, where students learn about the numerous resources and opportunities available to them at USF. “The new and incoming students from around the world had a great time learning about their resources, what they can do while studying at USF, and getting to know their home away from home in our Global Student Center,” says Alex Iler, the Student Programs Coordinator for engagement.  

For the ISS team, the experience is as rewarding as it is important. “Having students and their parents thanking our team for assistance, webinars, consultations, campus tours and much more tells us we are on the right path,” Janna Eveland says. "We look forward to an exciting school year with a lot of fun events such as De-Stress Fest, International Education Month and educational events covering Hurricane Awareness and BPASS (Bicycle, Pedestrian, Auto & scooter safety.”