International Focus 09

I S S U E

5  Y E A R

’ 0 8 - ‘ 0 9

International
Focus
 A
PUBLICATION
BY
INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS
AT
CYPRESS
COLLEGE,

 FOCUSING
ON
THEIR
ACADEMIC
ACHIEVEMENTS,
YEAR‐LONG
ACTIVITIES
AND
OTHER
HIGHLIGHTS.


What’s
in
this
issue?
 





ISP
Staff
Answers
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 2
 ISP
Info
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐


3


ISP
Population
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 4
 Statistics
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐


5


Overcoming
Hardships
‐‐‐‐‐


6


Mentees
Speak
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐


7


Calendar
of
Activities
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 8
 International
Club
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐


9‐11


Transfer
Statistics
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐


12


Student
Spotlights
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 13
 Life
After
Cypress
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 14
 Newsletter
Staff
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 15
 Photo
Credits
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐


16








A
Warm
Welcome
to
the
End
of
the
Year
 Dear
International
Students:

 We
 would
 like
 to
 introduce
 International
 Focus—a
 hot‐off‐the‐ press
newsletter
by
International
Students
of
2008‐2009.


 This
has
been
a
very
successful
year
for
the
students
and
for
the
 International
 Students
 Program
 itself.
 
 This
 issue
 will
 focus
 on
 year‐long
 academic
 achievements
 by
 the
 students,
 the
 inauguration
 of
 International
 Club,
 the
 continuing
 success
 of
 Mentor/Mentee
 Program,
 and
 those
 students
 who
 organized
 other
activities.
 Welcome
 to
 the
 second
 edition
 of
 the
 Cypress
 College
 International
Focus!


INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

ISP
Staff
Answers:
 How
Did
You
Find
Yourself
Working
Here?
 Yongmi
Han
 Before
coming
to
Cypress
College
to
oversee
its
International
Students
Program
in
2005,
I
was
working
at
ELS
Language
 Centers
at
Chapman
University
in
Orange.

While
working
there
as
the
center
director,
I
got
to
know
Joyce
Ricci,
who
was
 the
manager
of
the
college’s
ISP.
 Joyce
and
I
had
worked
closely
together
since
many
of
my
students
from
ELS
transferred
to
 Cypress
College,
and
I
highly
recommended
the
college’s
small
International
Students
Program,
 more
so
than
some
other
big
schools
and
their
international
student
programs.
 In
the
summer
2005
Joyce
emailed
me
about
her
promotion
to
be
the
interim
dean
of
Counseling
 and
Students
Development
at
Cypress
and
told
me
that
her
old
position,
the
ISP
Manager
 position,
was
vacant.

I
applied
for
the
position
and
was
hired
to
be
its
interim
manager
for
one
year,
and
then
as
its
 permanent
manager
the
following
year.


Gina
Marrocco
 I
was
a
student
at
Cypress
College
and
I
was
a
student
worker
in
the
Business
Building
Computer
Lab.

My
word
processing
 teacher
was
responsible
for
the
lab.
I
kept
in
contact
with
my
word
processing
teacher
and
my
 academic
counselor
after
graduating.
 I
missed
my
son
during
the
day
and
I
felt
I
was
missing
out
on
a
lot
of
milestones.

I
wanted
to
find
 a
good
part‐time
job.

I
contacted
my
teacher
and
counselor
regarding
jobs
at
Cypress
College.

 They
referred
me
to
the
Cypress
College
website
and
there
was
a
part‐time
job
listed!

I
applied
for
 the
job
immediately.

I
was
hired
for
the
Administrative
Assistant
position
in
the
Center
for
 Intercultural
Understanding.

I
was
responsible
for
the
center,
study
abroad
and
the
international
student
orientation.

This
 position
evolved
into
my
current
position
as
Administrative
Assistant
II
for
the
International
Students
Program.


Renay
Laguana‐Ferinac
 I
grew
up
in
Cypress
and
I
attended
Cypress
College
myself.

I
was
going
back
to
graduate
school
for
career
 counseling
and
I
needed
to
decide
a
fieldwork
placement.

So
when
I
needed
to
think
about
where
I
 wanted
to
work,
I
thought
about
Cypress
College
because
I
had
such
a
positive
experience
as
a
 student.

As
a
result
of
my
fieldwork
(1998),
I
was
offered
to
work
as
a
part‐time
counselor
position
 for
one
year.

Then
a
full‐time
position
became
available
and
the
rest
is
history.

I
enjoy
my
job
 tremendously.

I
love
working
with
the
students
especially
international
students.

I’ve
been
working
 for
10
years
at
Cypress
College
and
I
still
enjoy
my
work
as
much
as
I
did
from
day
one.




2

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

International
Students
Program
 Cypress
 College
 welcomes
 students
 for
 its
 International
 Students
 Program
 (ISP).
 
 
 Our
 college
 is
 authorized
 by
 the
 United
 States
 Department
 of
 Homeland
 Security
 as
 an
 institution
 of
 higher
 learning
for
non‐immigrant
F‐1
visa
students.

One
of
the
goals
of
our
 program
 is
 to
 provide
 positive
 educational
 opportunities
 for
 international
 students
 from
 around
 the
 world
 in
 an
 effort
 to
 promote
 and
 improve
 the
 global
 understanding
 and
 international
 community.
 
 As
 of
 spring
 2009,
 Cypress
 College
 has
 more
 than
 180
 international
 students
 from
 30
 different
 countries
 including
 Australia,
 Brazil,
 Canada,
 Chile,
 China,
 Germany,
 Japan,
 Korea,
 Nigeria,
 Philippines,
 Vietnam,
Thailand,
Taiwan,
Tanzania,
and
many
more
countries.
 
 The
 Office
 of
 International
 Students
 Program
 assists
 international
 students
 with
 application
 and
 admission
 processes,
 assessment
 testing,
orientation,
academic
counseling,
and
course
registration.

It
 also
 provides
 support
 services
 to
 promote
 university
 transfers
 and
 student
success.
 


International
Students
Office
 Office
Hours
 Monday
–
Friday,
8:00
am
–
5:00pm
 Location
 Student
Activities
Center
 (714)
484
–
7049
 [email protected]



ISP
Student
Workers
Fall
’08
–
Spring
‘09
 Chi
Vo
(Vietnam),
and
Daphne
Gopo
(Philippines)


3

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

Cypress
College
 International
Student
Population
 
 Australia

2

Brazil

7

Cambodia

2

Canada

2

Chile

1

China

2

Colombia

1

England

1

Germany

2

Hong Kong

1

Indonesia

1

Jamaica

1

Japan

19

Korea

66

Malaysia

1

Nepal

1

Netherlands

2

Nigeria

2

Mexico

1

Peru

2

Philippines

11

Singapore

1

Sri Lanka

2

Taiwan

9

Tanzania

2

Thailand

5

Vietnam

38

4

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

Statistics
and
Enrollment
Status
 
 Enrollment
Status
 Academic
Year


Fall
Semester


Spring
Semester


2005‐06


107
(new
students:
20)


120
(new
students:
27)


Unduplicated
Total
 

for
Year
 107
+
27
=
134


2006‐07


124
(new
students:
36)


138
(new
students:
37)


124
+
37
=
161


2007‐08


155
(new
students:
53)


160
(new
students:
30)


155
+
30
=
185


2008‐09


179
(new
students:
65)


184
(new
students:
35)


179
+
35
=
214



 
 
 Where
international
students
come
from
 


FA
05


SP
06


FA
06


SP
07


FA
07


SP
08


FA
08
 SP
09


Far
East


72


75


72


84


90


79


90


94


Southeast
Asia


17


21


30


28


41


55


64


68


Europe


7


9


8


7


5


5


4


4


Latin
America
 Mexico
&
Canada
 Africa


2
 2
 3


4
 4
 4


5
 3
 4


7
 2
 5


9
 1
 8


11
 1
 7


11
 2
 4


11
 3
 4


Middle
East


3


2


1


1


0


0


1


0


Australia
&
New
 Zealand
 Total


1


1


1


1


1


2


2


2


107


120


124


138


155


160


179


186


5

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

Overcoming
Hardships
 By
Yosathorn
Pamon‐montri
 Moving
to
a
new
place
is
always
stressful
for
anyone.


Most
students,
however,
elect
to
take
up
to
16
or
more
units,


The
hassle
of
moving
your
personal
assets,
settling
into
a
new


despite
the
fact
that
they
pay
ten
times
the
amount
per
unit
as


place,
 and
 getting
 to
 know
 new
 people
 are
 just
 some
 of
 the


local
students
do.

In
addition
to
their
tuition,
they
also
have
to


initial
 challenges.
 Now
 imagine
 leaving
 everything
 you
 know


buy
textbooks
and
have
living
expenses.
Most
try
to
get
their


behind
 and
 moving
 to
 an
 entirely
 new
 country.
 You
 have
 to


courses
 done
 as
 quickly
 as
 possible
 to
 avoid
 long‐term
 costly


move
to
a
completely
foreign
country
with
different
customs


living
expenses.
“I’m
trying
to
get
everything
done
as
soon
as


and
 cultures
 full
 of
 challenges.
 This
 is
 what
 almost
 all


possible
 to
 be
 less
 of
 a
 burden
 on
 my
 parents,”
 one


international
 students
 face
 when
 they
 arrive
 in
 their
 new


international
 student
 explains.
 She
 is
 currently
 enrolled
 in
 19


home
 for
 the
 next
 few
 years
 of
 their
 lives.
 If
 they
 are
 lucky,


units
 and
 is
 expected
 to
 transfer
 from
 Cypress
 College
 to
 a


they
have
family
they
can
stay
with,
but
some
have
to
reside


university
 within
 the
 two‐year
 deadline
 her
 parents
 asked
 of


at
 home
 stays,
 share
 rooms
 with
 total
 strangers,
 or
 even
 at


her.


times,
 live
 alone.
 Sometimes
 family
 travels
 with
 the
 student


Other
challenges
include
getting
to
know
people
and


to
 make
 sure
 they
 get
 settled
 in
 properly
 here
 in
 the
 United


making
 friends.
 Usually
 local
 students
 already
 have
 their
 own


States,
but
as
one
student
experienced,
he
came
to
America


circle
 of
 friends,
 from
 the
 same
 high
 school
 they
 went
 to
 or


on
his
own,
into
an
empty
apartment.
“The
first
night
I
slept


some
 previous
 classes
 they
 took
 together.
 
 Many
 local


alone
on
the
floor
with
a
makeshift
blanket,”
he
recounts.



students
 also
 seem
 to
 be
 too
 preoccupied
 with
 their
 own
 affairs
to
make
an
effort
to
really
try
to
get
to
know
us
better.


Settling
into
a
new
home
is
only
the
beginning
of
the
 various
obstacles
they
encounter.
Language
is
often
a
barrier


Overcoming
these
challenges
is
often
made
possible,


to
 many.
 Although
 they
 have
 to
 pass
 an
 English
 proficiency


however,
by
the
networks
of
other
international
students
and


test,
it
is
still
hard
for
some
to
hold
day‐to‐day
conversations


local
 volunteers
 who
 help
 with
 the
 settling
 process.
 The


with
local
students.
“I
feel
like
sometimes
they
get
put
off
by


International
 Student
 Club
 organizes
 events
 that
 help
 them


my
ability
to
speak
to
them,”
another
student
explains.
Even


socialize
 and
 get
 to
 know
 the
 local
 culture.
 The
 Student


though
 she
 speaks
 two
 other
 languages
 (Tagalog
 and


Mentoring
 Program
 also
 helps
 new
 students
 acquire
 useful


Mandarin),
 she
 says
 that
 local
 students
 sometimes
 take
 for


knowledge
 from
 other
 international
 students
 who
 have
 been


granted
the
English
language
and
how
hard
it
is
for
others
to


in
 the
 country
 much
 longer.
 Hopefully,
 as
 the
 number
 of


converse
 at
 the
 same
 pace.
 Local
 students
 often
 forget
 that


international
students
attending
Cypress
College
grows,
more


most
 international
 students
 speak
 at
 least
 one
 other


and
more
local
students
at
Cypress
College
will
recognize
and


language
fluently
and
are
learning
English
as
a
second
or
third


become
aware
of
these
hardships
experienced
by
international


language.


students
 when
 they
 first
 arrive
 in
 the
 United
 States
 and
 help
 them
assimilate
into
the
new
lifestyle.

In
doing
so,
they
might


International
students
are
also
required
to
enroll
in
a


also
learn
something
new
about
themselves.


minimum
of
12
units
per
semester
for
their
visa
requirements.




6

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

And
the
mentees
speak
.
.
.
 Samir
Haikl

 When
 I
 first
 came
 to
 Cypress
 College
 I
 did
 not
 know
 which
 classes
 to
 take
 or
 where
 anything
 was.
 The
 Mentor/Mentee
 program
 helped
 me
 to
 feel
 comfortable
 about
 being
 at
 Cypress
 College.
 If
 I
 had
 any
 questions,
my
mentor,
Ben
Thompson‐star
was
more
than
happy
to
help
me.
I
am
 now
very
good
friends
with
my
mentor
and
I
am
very
grateful
to
Ben
for
the
time
 he
 has
 taken
 to
 help
 me,
 as
 I
 am
 sure
 others
 helped
 him.
 I
 would
 recommend
 that
 all
 incoming
 international
 students
 become
 a
 part
 of
 this
 program
 as
 it
 helps
you
in
the
difficult
process
of
becoming
accustomed
to
life
in
the
United
 States…
 


Ashley
and
Bamboo
Thai
 When
we
first
came
here
to
Cypress,
we
were
pretty
new
to
America.

The
first
person
we
had
a
friendly
 conversation
with
was
our
mentor,
Daphne.
She
invited
us
to
a
water
park.
Having
a
mentor
not
only
helped
 us
get
used
to
the
new
school,
but
also
helped
us
become
more
active
in
 the
 school.
 If
 we
 needed
 something,
 Daphne
 was
 also
 happy
 to
 help.
 Until
now,
she
is
our
very
close
friend.
We
became
very
involved
in
the
 school
and
clubs.
Having
a
mentor
and
close
friend
made
it
so
easy
to
 become
 part
 of
 the
 school
 as
 international
 students.
 We
 highly
 recommend
getting
a
mentor
and
to
use
their
friendship
as
well.
That


is


why
 we
 want
 to
 be
 mentors,
 so
 we
 can
 help
 other
 international
 students
 the
 way
 our
 mentor
 and
 friend
 helped
us.


Anh
Le
 I
am
currently
a
freshman
at
Cypress
College.

Recalling
the
first
time
I
came
to
Cypress,
it
was
also
my
first
 time
in
US
and
everything
was
so
new
with
me.

New
language,
people,
the
culture,
 and
the
life
on
and
off
campus
really
made
me
frustrated.

However,
I
went
through
 those
difficulties
and
had
good
grades
during
my
firs
semester
thanks
to
the
mentor‐ mentee
 program.
 
 My
 mentor,
 Joshua
 Obidah,
 was
 really
 informative
 and
 friendly.

 His
quick
and
useful
responses
to
my
questions
helped
me
survive
the
first
days
at
 Cypress
and
become
more
confident
to
continue
my
studying
in
United
States
more.


7

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

Fall
2009
&
Spring
2010
Calendar
of
Activities
 Fall
2009
 

 August




 
 




 
 
 September




 





 
 
 
October





 





 
 
 
November




 





 
 
 
December




 





 
 
 
 
Spring
2010
 

 January




 
 





 
 
 
February




 





 
 
 March




 
 





 
 
 April





 
 





 
 
 May
 
 
 





 
 
 
 
 


ISP
New
Student
Orientation

 International
Club
(IC)
Officers
Election
 ISP
Kick‐off
Lunch

 IC
Welcome
Meeting

 IC
Getty
Villa
Visit
 
 ISP
Fall
Potluck

 
 IC
Culture
Bash
in
celebration
of
Intl
Education
Week
 Holiday
Lunch
with
Conversation
Hour

 IC
Ice
Skating
Adventure




ISP
New
Student
Orientation




 
 IC
Welcome
Meeting
 ISP
Kick‐off
Lunch

 ISP
Spring
Potluck


 
 Spring
Break
Getaway

 IC
World
Fest
&
Diversity
Fair
 Annual
Sports
Day

 Recognition
of
Graduates
&
Mentors

 Graduation



Schedule
of
ISP
Activities
and
International
Club
Events
are
subject
to
change.

Please
contact
the
office
for
updated
dates.


8

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

International
Club
 Discover
new
cultures..
Expand
your
vision..
 
 Benefits
of
joining
the
club
 This
club
provides
opportunities
to
meet
other
Cypress
College
students
who
are
interested
in
 interacting
with
students
of
different
cultures
 •

We
hold
regular
club
meetings
and
social
events
each
semester


•

We
are
dedicated
to
getting
our
members
to
experience
the
diverse
cultures
of
the
world


•

We
create
an
atmosphere
that
helps
foster
friendships
to
make
college
life
a
lot
more
fun


•

We
provide
an
opportunity
for
the
development
of
leadership
skills


•

We
 create
 an
 environment
 that
 encourages
 the
 improvement
 of
 the
 student’s
 English
 language
 proficiency


Fall
‘08
Officers
 President Vice 
 – President Secretary Treasurer Activities Coordinator Publicity Coordinator ICC Representatives Webmaster

Spring
’09
Officers
 President Vice 
 – President Secretary Treasurer Activities Coordinator Publicity Coordinator ICC Representatives

Daphne Gopo Ruth Obidah Ashley Thai Michael Lee Neesha Lee Nhi “Bamboo” Thai Josh Obidah Ruben Dedman Bret Lee

Webmaster

9

Daphne Gopo Ruth Obidah Ashley Thai Selena Medina Sean Oh Nhi “Bamboo” Thai Jon Tibbetts Aaron Sonn Anh Le

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

Culture
Bash
in
a
Nutshell
 By
Ruth
Obidah
 On
November
19,
2008
International
Club
launched
its
first
annual
Culture
 Bash
in
celebration
of
the
International
Education
Week
2008.
There
were
30
 students
in
attendance
with
many
talents
displayed.

Given
that
this
was
our
first
big
 event,
everyone
was
pretty
nervous
about
the
outcome.

The
club
advisor,
Janet
Fujimoto,
 gave
the
opening
speech
and
Daphne
Gopo,
the
Club
president,
took
the
audience
around
the
world
in
five
minutes
 with
a
Powerpoint
presentation
of
costumes
from
various
cultures.
Afterwards,
the
talent
 show
began
and
just
as
our
skepticism
began
to
rise,
Yichen
Lee
charmed
everyone
with
her
 magnificent
voice,
as
she
performed
a
Taiwanese
love
song.
Yichen
was
followed
by
Kite
 Tran
and
Aaron
Sonn
who
delivered
an
excellent
Vietnamese
musical.
Furthermore,
the
 audience
enjoyed
a
flute
performance
by
Yoomin
Kang.
Yichen,
in
conjunction
with
Ashley
 Kim,


amazed
the
audience
once
more
in
a
duet
performed
in
two
languages,
Korean
and
 Taiwanese.
After
Yichen
and
Ashley’s
performance,
the
audience
got
crushed
the
comedy
 skit
“Get
Crushed
or
Get
Even”.
The
cast
included:
Ben
Thompson‐Star
as
the
egotistical
 reporter,
Jerry
Sprinkler,
Yichen
Lee
as
the
insecure
co‐host,
Dana,
Jon
Tibbetts
as
the
 legendary
American
Spy‐adventurer,
James
“the
Indiana”
Bond,
Anh
Le
as
the
Kung‐fu
 obsessed
Jet
Chan,
Ruben
Dedman
as
a
French
spy
and
Nhi
Thai
as
the
dangerously


attractive
Cynthia
Liu.
At
this
point,
just
as
everyone
thought
the
event
could
not
get
more
exciting,
Sean
Oh
stunned
 the
audience
with
his
brilliant
beat
box
performance.
At
the
top
of
the
excitement,
 John
Sombrio
capped
the
talent
show
with
a
heartfelt
ukulele
piece.
 The
Talent
Show
was
followed
by
an
origami
workshop
and
everyone
seemed
 excited
to
learn
it.
When
everyone
was
done
bending
and
twisting
papers,
Daphne
 showed
the
audience
the
splendid
world
of
tinikling.
During
the
tinikling,
members
of
 the
audience
also
participated
and
the
event
came
to
a
close.
Everyone
left
with
more
excitement
than
they
did
at
the
 beginning
as
the
club
members
celebrated
the
success
of
the
First
Annual
Culture
Bash
Event.





 


10

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

International
Club
 One
of
the
Club

 Poem
by
Jon
Tibbetts
 From
different
places,
 Of
a
world
called
home.
 We're
all
the
same,
 No
matter
where
we're
from.
 
 Born
in
separate
countries,
 We
come
together
as
one.


IC
Spring
Break
Getaway


Most
sure
of
our
beliefs,


By
Daphne
Gopo


We
hang
out
with
everyone.
 



A
handful
of
the
members
of
the
International


With
different
cultures,


Club
gathered
early
on
the
morning
of
April
7,
2009.

But


And
different
tastes,


they
were
not
gathered
for
a
club
meeting;
instead
they


We
represent
another
place,


were
gathered
for
a
short
spring
break
getaway
to


With
no
time
to
waste.


California’s
famous
wildlife
park.

With
a
convoy
of
three






vehicles,
they
then
headed
to
San
Diego’s
Wild
Animal


We
enjoy
candy,
food,


Park.




Movies
and
games.
 It's
just
a
few
reasons,
 Along
with
the
fine
weather,
the
club
members


Of
why
we're
the
same.


thoroughly
enjoyed
their
tour
around
the
massive
park,






which
featured
a
wide
array
of
animals.

It
was
indeed
a


Most
people
will
ask,
 "Why
do
they
do
the
things
they
do?"


fun
day
to
relax
and
enjoy
each
other’s
company.



But
me,
I
don't
care.


Members
did
not
head
back
home
until
late
afternoon.




I
don't
need
a
clue.


Their
getaway
did
not
end
then
and
there.

After
the






long
trip
back
to
Cypress,
they
went
to
a
local
Korean


We
share
our
experiences,


BBQ
and
shared
a
meal
together.


With
one
another,
each
other,
 We
are
comfortable
with
this,
 Like
a
long
lost
sister,
or
brother.
 

 We
still
like
the
same
stuff,
 It's
the
stuff
that
makes
us
friends.
 And
because
we
respect
each
other,
 International
friendship
will
never
end.
 11

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

Transfer
Statistics

 Transfers
to
4‐year
Universities:


 End
of
2005‐2006
 School
 CSUF
 CSULA
 CSULB
 CSU
Northridge
 UCI
 UCLA
 UC
San
Diego
 Chapman
University
 USC


#
of
Students
 3
 1
 1
 1
 2
 1
 1
 2
 1



 End
of
2006‐2007
 School
 CSULB
 CSUF
 UCI
 Univ.
of
Texas
Austin


#
of
Students
 3
 2
 2
 1



 End
of
2007‐2008
 School


#
of
Students


CSUF
 CSULB
 CSULA


6
 2
 1


CSU
Northridge


1


CSU
San
Marcos
 Chapman
University


1
 1


Cal
Poly
Pomona
 UCLA
 Indiana
University
 University
of
Hawai’i
 McNeese
State
University,
LA


3
 1
 1
 1
 1


12

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

Student
Spotlight

 Four
of
our
students
–
Samir
Haikal
(Brazil),
Toby
Landucci
(UK),
Ben
Thompson‐Star
(Australia)
and
Sam
 Tozer
(Australia)
–
are
on
our
Men’s
Tennis
Team,
and
they
have
had
a
great
year.

They
won
a
number
of
 matches
and
advanced
to
the
regionals.

Go
Chagrers!
 
 Lisa
Kusanagi
(Japan)
was
part
of
the
cast
of
Little
Shop
of
Horrors,
which
had
six
performances
during
the
 month
of
March.


 Another
student,
Marianela
Rojas
(Colombia)
also
contributed
her
talent
to
the
Theater
Department’s
 2008‐09
productions
with
her
stage
make‐up
skills.
 
 Boonchon
Vijarnsorn
(Thailand)
was
one
of
the
two
students
whose
works
were
featured
in
a
recent
 Photography
show.

The
show
displayed
a
number
of
photos
by
Gina
Genis
in
the
main
viewing
gallery
as
 well
as
six
(6)
works
by
Boonchob
in
the
floating
gallery.
The
show
was
on
display
from
March
9
through
 April
18,
2009.


Congratulations
to
those
students
who
won
the
Associated
Students
Scholarships:
 


Service‐above‐self
awarded
to:
 Daphne
Anne
Gopo
‐
$300








Seung
Jin
Lee
‐
$300








Phuong
Nguyen
‐
$300





Outstanding‐student‐leader
awarded
to:
 Yeo
Lin
Lee
‐
$400


Congratulations
to
Ashley
Thai
for
winning
the
ESL
Scholarship
for
$350.
 Congratulation
to
the
two
students
who
won
the
$250
ISP
University
Transfer
Scholarships
(winners
to
be
 determined).


13

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009 Life
after
Cypress
 By
Joshua
Obidah


Ultimately,
the
success
of
a
college
program


you
all.
It’s
been
about
a
year
since
I
transferred
to
CSUF


depends
on
the
outcome
of
its
students,
not
only
in
the


and
I
still
don’t
know
who
my
International
Student


short
term,
but
in
the
long
run.
Over
the
years,
the


Advisor
is.
I’ve
never
met
him/her
one‐on‐one.
Yongmi,


International
Student
Program
at
Cypress
College
has


Gina,
and
Renay
are
three
wonderful
ladies
that
will
guide


been
the
key
that
unlocked
the
path
to
success
for
many


you
to
your
path
and
make
your
journey
really
smooth.
If


international
students.
The
program
not
only
cares
for


it
wasn’t
for
them‐
I’d
still
be
struggling
in
the
United


students
transitional
needs
but
also
prepares
them
for
an


States.”
Finally,
Yoichi
and
Sagar’s
testimonies
are
similar


illustrious
(promising)
future.
This
is
the
experience
of


to
the
many
other
students
who
have
benefited
from
this


many
international
students
including
Yoichi
Hamashita,
a


program.
Even
though
many
of
them
soar
in
their


2007
marketing
graduate
from
Cypress
College,
who


fabulous
carrier
paths,
the
best
advice
they
could
share


presently
is
the
marketing
manager
for
a
Japanese


with
students
is
to
enjoy
their
college
life
participating


company
in
Irvine.
He
confirms
that
the
ISP
gave
him
the


and
mingling
with
the
ISP.
This
is
the
best
way
to
enhance


experience
he
needed
to
tackle
the
daily
hustle
in
his


your
future
which
cannot
be
learned
in
class.



field,
especially
dealing
with
clients
of
different





nationalities
and
cultures.
He
commented,
“One
of
the
 challenges
I
had
at
that
time
(before
coming
to
the
US)
 was
how
to
interact
with
people
from
different
countries.
 At
Cypress
College
(ISP),
I
learned
how
to
relate
with
 people
by
meeting
and
hanging
out
with
a
lot
of
people
 on
and
off
campus,
and
now
I
am
totally
comfortable
 when
meeting
people
on
business
for
the
first
time.”
 Another
ex‐Cypress
College
2008
graduate,
who
is
 currently
majoring
in
Finance
at
CSUF,
Sagar
Sangani,
 gratefully
commended
the
ISP
as
a
program
“that
has


Former
International
Students
from
Cypress
College,


helped
a
lot
of
international
…over
the
years.”
He
added


Sagar
Sangani
(left)
and
Yoichi
Hamashita
(right)


that,
“The
one‐on‐one
meetings,
conversation
hours,
 quick
e‐mail
responses
and
friendly
counseling
have
 helped
me
gain
a
lot
of
knowledge
as
an
international
 student.
Transferring
to
a
new
school
is
not
an
easy
 process
and
the
ISP
made
sure
everything
went
really
 smooth
for
me.”
In
addition
the
ISP
is
composed
of
well‐ experienced
staff
whose
commitment
and
advice
help
 them
succeed
after
Cypress.
In
fact
on
a
recent
interview,
 Sagar
passionately
admitted,
“I
will
be
very
honest
with


14

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 – 2009

Last
words
from
the
newsletter
staff
.
.
.
 DAPHNE ANNE GOPO As we reach the end of the semester, I look back and I know one thing for sure. I will never forget the experiences, and of course, the friends I have made at Cypress College. I do hope that for the students who will be continuing on, that you will enjoy the time you spend here as much as I did. I give a special thanks to the ISP staff, Yongmi, Gina, and Renay. Words cannot express how much I appreciate everything you have done for me and for the program. It’s been a fun ride and I am now prepared for another chapter of my life. God bless you all!

JOSHUA OBIDAH Personally, I feel privileged to have worked with this year’s newsletter team of two outstandingly hard working ladies and two intelligent gentlemen. I learned from this experience how to coordinate with my fellow students in getting the job done. I so much appreciate how dedicated each member was in fulfilling their task no matter how great or small it was. In addition, I will like to congratulate the three graduating, Daphne, Yoso, and Ben. I must confess it was awesome working with you guys. I learned a lot from you both. Also thank you so much Yongmi for giving me the opportunity to work with these awesome students. Finally, I would like to encourage more international students to share in this tremendous experience, especially for the next year’s newsletter.

RUTH OBIDAH It’s so funny how the year went by. I am still in disbelief that I would no longer be called a freshman. Although this year has been a very eventful one, thanks to the International Students Program and the International club, I urge every reader to join me and look forward to a more eventful and fun year ahead. However, first things first; I’d like to thank all the staff members, yes, Daphne, Ben, Josh and Yoso for their effort in putting together this newsletter. I’d like to take the opportunity to especially thank Yongmi and Daphne for giving the rest of us the push we needed to complete this newsletter. See you all next semester.

YOSATHORN PAMON-MONTRI My two years at Cypress College have been great in settling me into a new life in America. The experiences, the people I’ve met and the support from the International Students Program here has developed a firm foundation for when I do transfer to upper division. My advice to new international students is to make good use of the student mentoring program, join the international club and finally make sure you try to get brownie points with Gina, Renay, and Yongmi! Take care and good luck.

BENJAMIN THOMPSON-STAR It has been a pleasure to have the opportunity to work on the Newsletter for the 2008-2009 academic year. We had a great group of dedicated people led by none other than Daphne, which made this an easy and fulfilling project. I will be transferring after this semester and I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the international student community here at Cypress College. Although I have not really found a sense of community among the Cypress College student body I have definitely found one among the international students and I think that is thanks to a great group of students and a fantastic staff. 15

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

YEAR 2008 - 2009 Try
and
test
your
knowledge!


Giving
credit
where
credit’s
due..

 Photos
used
in
the
newsletter
by:
 Daphne
Gopo
 Selena
Medina
 Ruth
Obidah
 Sean
Oh


Kenny
Rivera
 Ha
Tram
 Boonchob
Vijarnsorn

North
Orange
County
Community
College
District
 Board
of
Trustees:
 Manny
Ontiveros
 Leonard
Lahtinen
 Michael
B.
Matsuda
 Jeffrey
P.
Brown
 Barbara
Dunsheath
 Molly
McClanahan
 Donna
Miller
 Ethan
Morse,
Student
Trustee,
Fullerton
College
 Carissa
Clark,
Student
Trustee,
Cypress
College
 
 Ned
Doffoney,
Ed.D.,
Chancellor


9200
Valley
View
St.
 Cypress,
CA
90630
 (714)
484 7000
 http://www.cypresscollege.edu