Tell us about yourselves.
LARISSA: My name is Larissa Rocha, and I’m from São Paulo, Brazil. I’m a second year Ph.D. student studying public policy with a concentration in social justice.
IZEHI: I’m Izehi Oriaghan, and I’m from Lagos, Nigeria. I’m in my third year of my Ph.D. studying public policy with a concentration in policy management.
STEPHANI: My name is Eva Stephani Caroline, I’m in my second year of my Ph.D. in public policy with a concentration in agricultural policy, and I’m from Indonesia.
Why did you choose to study at the University of Arkansas?
LARISSA: I had already finished my master’s of arts in political science here, and I went into my Ph.D. back-to-back with that. I initially chose the U of A because it was so affordable. My mom was paying out of pocket for me to go to school, and then, halfway through my M.A., I received a graduate assistantship. I also just really love it here. I love Fayetteville, and how small it is, but also I love how many things there are to do. If I’m going to be anywhere in Arkansas, it’s going to be in this area.
IZEHI: I was already in the university system. I had attended the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service at Little Rock. After that program, I stayed in Little Rock for a bit, but I knew I wanted to continue graduate school. I was considering schools in other parts of the country, but I had been to Fayetteville in the past and I really liked how different it was from Little Rock. I was accepted here and also granted funding, so I decided to attend.
How has Fayetteville welcomed you into the community?
STEPHANI: In all circumstances! That’s why I chose to study my Ph.D. here after completing my master’s degree. I have a family here, a family of five, so Fayetteville is very fit for us. We are also members of a church, and the people in the church, they have really welcomed and supported us. No matter where you are from, they let us come visit their house to eat food, enjoy their festivities and offer the support we need. That’s something that we really love.
LARISSA: The people have made me feel at home. I love my little community that I have here. But also, the university. It’s so different from the university life of Brazil. I started undergrad there, and actually finished it at Arkansas Tech in Russellville. It was just such a different experience from the outset into just how the professors care about the students, not just in class but outside of the class and their wellbeing. In Brazil, I would just breeze through school without really anybody knowing my name – other than my peers, my classmates – but my professors, it was hard to get a hold of them, no office hours. But here, being able to go to office hours and just cry in a professor or mentor’s office, and have their guidance. In my M.A., I had made good friends but I didn’t really make a connection to the faculty, and then, when it was time to start writing my thesis, I went to a mentor, and he said, “You can’t do it alone. You need people.” He guided me to resources, and I ended up finding my advisor. There are things such as getting out to events that may be school-related and that get you out of your shell.
IZEHI: I realized that a lot of international students get welcomed into the community through church. I found the first place that I stayed here through a church connection. Some of these churches work with the international office at the university to get information out to the students. I was still weighing my options between Little Rock and Fayetteville at the time, but I felt that if this was a community that has this kind of connection to the school, I can trust them. There is also a network of community resources shared in religious groups. Sometimes they invite students for Thanksgiving or Christmas, just so those people who can’t travel home have a place to go for the holidays.
LARISSA: There is also a program called Furniture Friends. As international students, we don’t know how long we’re staying, no idea if I need to buy my own furniture. Furniture Friends gives you free furniture that is donated from different churches. Not only do they give it to you, but they bring it to you and put it inside your house for you. When you’re done using it, you just call them back, and they take it back to give to other students. People donate their old furniture, and it’s incredible. It may not match, but I don’t think twice about it. It helps you build a home away from home.
What aspects of the Fayetteville community do you hope to bring back with you to your home countries?
IZEHI: Learning to deliberately build a community of people, trying to go out and explore what public spaces are out there. I’ve been pulled out of my shell to do that in Fayetteville. Just learning to deliberately invest your time to connect with people in a community. Even when you leave, you might be able to fall back on such connections in the future, for some kind of support. I have learned from people not giving up on me around here and pulling me out of my comfort zone.
LARISSA: I think being open to getting to know people. Like, when I get back home, I already know everyone, and I have my circle formed, but when I got to Fayetteville, it was a new space and I was desperate to get to meet people, and it can be lonely until you find people. I would like to be someone for somebody that just got to Brazil and be the one to show them around.
I love how many things there are to do here. If I’m going to be anywhere in Arkansas, it’s going to be in this area.