International Support Secretariat promotes actions that encourage a support network for those arriving in Santa Maria Published in//, h Updated//, h Every semester, UFSM welcomes foreign students who arrive at the University through different agreements signed by the Institution. This year, academics from countries will find in Santa Maria the opportunity to expand knowledge and cultural exchanges. These students' first contact is with the International Support Secretariat (SAI), which has a welcoming team and integration activities for exchange students, both with the University and the community. Executive secretary Angélica Iensen , responsible for the Reception Center, says that the actions have been expanded to meet the demands of exchange students arriving at the Institution. “SAI works to provide support from the moment students arrive, and we care about their adaptation and better stay here”, she highlights. Angélica points out that SAI's first demand from exchange students is accommodation. Students arriving through the Association of Universities of the Montevideo Group (AUGM) stay at Interhouse, accommodation on the Headquarters Campus, but which has a limited number of places. “That’s why community commitment is also very important”, emphasizes Angélica.
“Often these foreign students Greece Phone Number look for a place in the city and end up having more difficulty finding it, due to the language, the contracts of real estate agencies that request a guarantor, for example”, adds the secretary. It was motivated by the initial need to find accommodation for academics that SAI launched the “Host a Foreigner” campaign , in which interested people can register to provide accommodation, with the costs covered by the international student. In the registration form, the interested person can list some criteria, such as nationality, gender and course and, based on this, they will be contacted by SAI when there is a student who meets the requirements. The campaign covers the community in general and anyone interested in hosting an exchange student does not need to have a connection with UFSM. “Being an international friend was a wonderful experience” “Foreign students already encounter communication obstacles at the University, mainly due to the language. Now imagine in the rest of the city, to buy something, take a bus”, says Angélica. Observing these needs of academics, another initiative from the Secretariat arises, “ Amigo Internacional ” , in which UFSM academics and other interested people can apply to monitor and support the adaptation of a foreign student arriving in Santa Maria.
Registration to become an international friend is done via form and is open all year round. For those arriving in a new country, adaptation is made easier when they have support. This was the case of Paula Medina, who came from Colombia. “My international friend was very helpful and made everything easier. We met at University, she taught me how to access the UK and was always available during the semester”, she says. Paula's relationship with her international friend, Thaiani Cardoso, went beyond the walls of the University when she was invited to spend the Christmas holiday at the student's parents' house. “I was able to meet her family, they welcomed me and I felt part of them, this enhanced my experience at UFSM, without a doubt”, says the Colombian. For Thaiani, a Public Relations academic at UFSM and international friend of Paula, the experience was also rewarding. “Being an international friend was a wonderful experience. We had a lot of cultural exchanges, I was able to learn a lot about the Spanish language, its culture, and I managed to extend this experience to my family too,” she says. The student found out about the program through SAI's social networks and today promotes the benefits of being part of it. “I gained a friend. Paula marked my undergraduate experience and allowed me a cultural exchange that I had never imagined”, she adds.