ONLY IN AMERICA

BY CHRISTI MAYS

International students share what life was like as a new student at UMHB.

In China, it’s pretty much unheard of to go barefoot outside. It’s considered taboo, unsanitary, and even rude. Even indoors, most Chinese people swap their shoes at the entrance to don a pair of slippers.

So when Chinese student XueQi “Vidia” Lu came to UMHB, one hot summer afternoon, she saw some students outside walking around barefoot. She was intrigued.

“It was really funny to me because I had never seen someone walk without shoes in China,” she said.

She wanted to try it! So, she slipped off her shoes and sauntered out onto the blacktop. Even though it was the middle of a hot Texas afternoon and the asphalt was scorching, Vidia says it was worth it. It’s one of many new things she’s experienced the last four years as an international student, graduating this May with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Each year, as many as 100 students from every corner of the world come to UMHB to study. Like Vidia, many of them cherish the memories they make here.

BUILDING BRIDGES

Coming to the US for her college education was never on Vidia’s radar while growing up in China. That changed one day when two US professors visited her high school. She was fascinated to learn that students can change majors after enrolling in college—something that is fairly difficult to do at a Chinese university.

“I wanted to find the best major for me— something that I loved, and that would help me find a job after graduating,” she said.

“I'm a member of the UMHB family, and UMHB is my home! I really want other international students to feel like that.”

— XueQi "Vidia" Lu

Vidia set out to learn more and discovered UMHB’s math program. While checking out Belton online, she also learned that numerous barbecue joints surround the university, and she was sold! “Only in America can you get sauce like this. There is nothing better than the sauce at Miller’s!” she said of the iconic barbecue hangout in downtown Belton.

For most international students, coming to America is an eye-opening experience—getting comfortable with the language, learning the culture, adapting to the heat, and getting out of comfort zones.

“The first semester I was here was not that bad because I was in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), and I hung around other Chinese friends,” she said. “I didn’t really interact with a lot of other people.”

But during her second semester, when she began taking regular college classes, Vidia quickly realized she was in for a challenge.

“It was so difficult because I didn’t practice English a lot my first semester,” she said. “The second semester, I was sitting in the classroom, and I didn’t know how to speak to others. Everybody was talking, and I was just sitting there. I could feel the gap. I was so nervous.”

Vidia also had to learn how to make friends.

“I didn’t know how to make friends because in China we just study, study, study,” she said. “We woke up at 5:30 and studied all day and went to sleep at 11:30. So you don’t have a lot of time to make friends.”

She joined the Baptist Student Ministry and attended its many fellowships and Bible studies, which proved to be the perfect place to practice English. As she became more comfortable, she wanted to make it easier for other international students to interact with American friends, so she started a club called CRU Bridge to help bring international and domestic students together. “It gives students, no matter where they are from, a way to make friends and get out of their comfort zones,” she said.

When Vidia was a sophomore, she decided she wanted to serve as a CRU leader at Welcome Week. She loved teaching the incoming students about all things UMHB, and cherished experiencing the traditional Welcome Week activities right along with her group—especially the Dubbing Ceremony.

“I had tears in my eyes! I was really excited!” Vidia said when she was “dubbed” a “Crusader Forever.” “I’m a member of the UMHB family, and UMHB is my home! I really want other international students to feel like that.”

WHERE'S THE BEEF?

XueQi "Vidia" Lu hangs out at her favorite restaurant, Miller's Smokehouse, where she says there is "no better sauce!"

Shreya Pullamchetty

‘BIGGER IN TEXAS’

As for Shreya Pullamchetty of India, she quickly learned that the saying “everything is bigger in Texas” may be true, especially when it comes to smiles and the Texas sky.

“In India, if you are walking, people don’t greet each other. Everyone is busy, and they have their own lives,” said Shreya, who graduated this May with a master’s degree in information technology. “People greet you here. That was definitely new to me! It was really shocking to me to see this, and so now I smile all the time to greet everyone too.”

The smiles weren’t the only things bigger here. Shreya said she felt as if the “sky was closer” in Texas. She remembers the first time she felt the Texas sun beating down on her with intense heat and humidity. It was suffocating compared to the balmy 82-degree average for July back home in Bangalore.

“I literally felt like the sun was kind of melting my skin,” she said.

After getting her undergraduate degree in India in 2014, before coming to UMHB, she worked a few years as a data analyst where she got experience using English with her US clients.

She felt she didn’t struggle with the language when she came here; however, the food was a different story. When she first arrived, she was disappointed to learn that the Indian food at Texas restaurants was quite different than the food at home: “not a lot of spices and not that fresh.”

But she and her cousin, who is also a student from India, quickly figured out how to get the ingredients they needed to cook Indian food here, as well as Chinese and Italian dishes.

Shreya admits that she has discovered a few American dishes she loves, like chicken wings and barbecue chicken. As for getting involved, Shreya worked a few semesters as a graduate assistant. She has loved every minute of her experience here and would choose to do it all over again if given the opportunity.

“It has been a beautiful experience, and everyone needs to know about UMHB because it would be a great experience for them,” she said. “I received great support from all the professors. I literally look at Dr. (Jim) King like a father-figure because he’s been there throughout my UMHB journey. I would especially like to thank him.”

Dominic Palesch

NEW TRADITIONS

Even though Dominic Palesch of Germany had never stepped foot on campus as a new international student almost six years ago, he felt comfortable the minute he arrived. That’s because he had lived in Houston as an exchange student during

Dhedeepya Panjala

his junior year of high school, so he already knew what to expect as far as culture, food, and weather go. Additionally, he had a friend who went to high school in Houston who was also attending UMHB. He loved being involved on campus and was part of TriBeta, worked backstage for Crusader Knights, and was part of the Campus Activities Board. He became so comfortable with the English language that his German accent is now hard to detect, and he worked as a writing tutor at the Writing Center. There were some traditions and customs he has learned to love since coming here, like Homecoming.

“Everybody here knows what Homecoming is, but we don’t celebrate that in Germany,” he said. “The alumni are still engaged with their schools, but there is less fanfare about it.”

Dominic came here as a biology major for his undergrad and loved UMHB so much that he stayed another year and a half to get a master’s degree in information technology, which worked out nicely for him since he hopes to pursue a doctorate and one day work in something like bioinformatics. Now that he has graduated, he is looking for a PhD program but he definitely plans to stay in the United States after he is done with his schooling.

“There’s nothing stopping me from going back home,” he said. “I just think the US, for the most part, is probably the better fit for me. Being here has helped me find who I really am. I’ve just grown so much here.”

LIVING THE DREAM

It’s the same feeling Dhedeepya Panjala had as she finished up her master’s degree in information technology at UMHB in the fall of 2017.

Originally from India, Dhedeepya now lives in Dallas and is working as a senior business intelligence analyst for Acxiom Corporation.

“On my first visit to UMHB, I was proud, cheerful, and thrilled,” she said. It wasn’t difficult for her to learn and accept the culture, she said because her professors and friends helped her feel so comfortable.

“The first few days at UMHB were a bit challenging to learn and understand American accents, culture, communication with people, and new skills and technologies,” she said. “But the faculty and people working at UMHB created a friendly environment which made me feel secure. They were mindful of international students in the classroom, and incorporated ways to help them adapt to the new educational system which was key to UMHB teaching.”

She says she carries all the learning experiences she adopted at UMHB and has implemented them in her professional jobs since graduating.

“UMHB helped me learn and achieve my dreams,” Dhedeepya said. “Now, I can proudly say that I am working in a company with people I thought I could never be equivalent to. Now, I confidently say I came from a place where I depended on my parents to being independent and looking after myself.”

Even though, at some point in the future, Dhedeepya says she may move back to her hometown and create her own business so she can be closer to family and friends, she will always be a Crusader for Life. "I totally admire the college and will recommend it to many of my juniors and friends. I am proud to be in the UMHB Crusader family!" she said. "It’s a feeling that I will never experience in my life again!”