瓦尔帕莱索大学

Beautiful and fun summer days! Also, I will never forget the first time I saw snow in Valpo, watching the basketball team make it to the NCAA tournament, and getting married while in Valpo. It feels like home to me even though I am in Chicago now. After travelling several places, I haven’t found anywhere nicer than Valpo. I feel grateful that I could experience life there, and hope Valpo can keep its niceness and peacefulness!

Zijie Deng, China - animax.valpo.alumni@gmail.com

I joined the Valpo Men’s Tennis Team in December 2014, and we got the first tennis championship in school history together. What an amazing milestone for the tennis program! I enjoyed the enriching and memorable relationships with every single player, both during training and in the match. My days in this big family only lasted for about 2 years, but limited time cannot limit the sense of belonging to this lovely family. And I am so grateful that I could be part of it. Here, I would like to extend my thanks to all of you for your consistent and strong support, which really means a lot to me. Especially, a thanks to our coaches, not only for giving me this chance, but more importantly, for helping me learn and grow. I felt like it was my second home. To me, the most enjoyable moments were helping the players make tangible progress every day, as well as to see all their hard work being well paid off in the matches. I have to say, they are the best tennis players I have ever met. I hope they can keep up the good work, and excel in more competitions in the days to come.

Junjie Cui, China - cuijunjie@chunqiuhong.com

The best memory in Valpo to me is the diverse cultural campus setting. First, compared to the traditional Chinese cultural background, I experienced the constant interactions with English professors. Second, under the same classroom roof I enjoyed diversity of cultures from different countries, including Arabic, South Korean, American, Canadian and Chinese. The best point learned from the diversities is to have an open sight and mind to see the differences between the foreign cultures and mother-tongue culture. Beyond only knowledge learning, the developing awareness of diverse cultures deepended my experience of studying in Valparaiso University.

Xiaoqing Wang, China - 1295916978@qq.com

Memories from my Valpo days still vividly appear in my mind. When I first arrived in Valpo all by myself, the warm welcome from the international student ambassadors and the events that VISA and the OIP put together for all the fresh international students are truly so valuable to my Valpo experience. This warm welcome helped me to be more involved in the community and become a confident leader. I just finished up an AIESEC volunteer project in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, teaching English to children in kindergarten and elementary school. It’s been a life-changing experience volunteering abroad and learning to live in a different culture and meeting the kindest people. I am fortunate to have met the sweetest students, teachers, and host family in Thailand to make this summer a wonderful memory. In the fall, I am going to start my new journey at ASU for my master degree and I can’t wait to see what the world has in store for me! I’d love to answer any questions you have regarding international student life in Valpo!

Yixian Liu, China - cindyleo2010@gmail.com

It has been almost two years since I left USA and the most unforgettable things remain in my memories of Valpo: laughing with my dear friends who came from different background and nations to Valpo, and learning a lot not only from the classes, but also from nice people I met. I really appreciated that the friendships could be long-lasting. During the year of professional life I had in the US, I worked with excellent people who taught me skills and showed their kindness. I am lucky to have all the memories and hope that these sweet memories take us all further.

Heng Zhu, China - heng.zhu@valpo.edu

Valparaiso University truly is an inclusive community where professors and students are ready to listen to new ideas with open minds. We as Crusaders embrace differences, challenge each other, support each other and grow together. We tackle tough problems and spread the Valpo spirit around the world. When I was studying at Valpo, I also worked as a peer tutor in the Academic Success Center to further develop students’ understanding in math. It was a rewarding experience not only because students did better on exams, but also because I learned efficient ways to work with someone towards common goals. Until now, I carry these lessons through every day of my life.

Hongrui Sun, China - hongrui.sun@valpo.edu

The best memory is having friends in Valpo! Most people in Valpo are so nice and the international students are so close to each other. We spent the American festivals together and had fun together! Knowing friends from different countries made my life so vivid.

Fang Cao, China - caroline.cao39@gmail.com

I have tremendous wonderful memories from my Valpo days. I came to Valparaiso University planning to acquire some knowledge to fulfil my passion for teaching and I left with great university learning and working experience. VU is a place I once studied and lived and now has become part of my best memories. There I was able to grow academically and professionally. I had exciting and valuable experience presenting at the Illinois and International TESOL Conference. I remember my first practicum and how much support and guidance I had from my professors. All my professors are approachable and friendly. I remember all their names, and I believe they would remember mine as they truly care for their students. I also developed lifelong friendship at VU. I have been in touch with these friends almost every day. I had friends visiting me in Vancouver as well as meeting up with some of them when I was traveling. I never felt lonely as I was always being cared for and supported. Lots of exciting events were organized by OIP and various student organizations on campus gave me a diverse and lively university experience. VU is not a research-focused university such as Harvard or MIT, but it is a place where you can extend your knowledge and get invaluable experience and most importantly always feel being supported and remembered.

Xue Rui, China - xue.rui4950@gmail.com