International Student Association (ISA) officers Mitheera (Mith) V, president; Bhoomika Muruvekere Lakshmisha, vice president; Haoyi Yu, secretary; Shraddha Subramanian, treasurer; and Guillaume Trusz, ambassador are looking forward to implementing initiatives that address the unique needs of international students and maintaining a strong social media presence during the 2024-2025 academic year. Watch our video.

Lakshmisha, who is from India, was inspired to take on the VP role in ISA after overcoming struggles she experienced when she started graduate school. “Having personally felt the challenges of adapting to a new environment, I was motivated to help other international students overcome similar difficulties,” she says. The role of ISA vice president gave her the opportunity to “create a supportive community and ease the transition for newcomers.” She hopes to use her platform to make international students’ time at the Graduate School less isolating by implementing initiatives that specifically target their needs.

Being a student officer is a calling for Trusz, who is French. “I did not apply to be an ambassador but was nominated anonymously,” he says. He is grateful to whoever nominated him, as it is an honor for him to serve ISA. One of his favorite parts of the position is meeting people from different backgrounds and helping them discover everything that Houston has to offer.

For Subramanian, also from India, ISA is a way to promote cultural awareness and share different traditions with all members of the Graduate School community. V echoes this sentiment, stating that some of her favorite ISA traditions are cultural festivals such as Diwali and Chinese New Year celebrations. “As a Singaporean, I grew up celebrating during Diwali and Chinese New Year,” she says. “Hosting these celebrations is nostalgic for me, in the best way possible.” She enjoys sharing her own cultural traditions with the Graduate School community.

Social media and increasing awareness of everything ISA has in the works is important to Wu, who is Chinese. “I want to ensure that we maintain a strong social media presence by posting regularly on Instagram about fun international foods and event promotions,” she says. She would also like to increase visibility by sending out email reminders to members about upcoming events. Overall, the most important thing is maintaining “clear and open communication” with members, she says.

All of the ISA officers are excited about their roles, and they are looking forward to a year of fun events such as the Diwali celebration on Nov. 8, expanding their social media presence, and helping international students feel at home at the Graduate School. Find out more about ISA on their webpage and on Instagram.