This semester, 41 pairs of graduate students spanning about 40 majors and 12 colleges participated in FSU’s Cultural Partner Program.

The program connects international and domestic graduate students for a semester-long intercultural interaction that provides them with the opportunity to develop cross-cultural competencies and knowledge of other cultures.

“This was my first time meeting an American friend in the United States,” said Jing Zeng, Ph.D. student studying statistics from China. “I wanted to join to learn more about American culture and also to practice and improve my English, which will help me in my role as a T.A.”

Zeng’s partner, Mel Dammel, is a Ph.D. student studying sport management at FSU. “I wanted to be a good cultural ambassador and learn about another culture,” said Dammel. “I found it interesting to learn about our differences.”

Each academic year, around 300 new international, graduate-level students enroll at FSU. For the past three years, the Cultural Partner program has paired interested first-year international graduate students with domestic students during the fall semesters and requires the pairs to interact with each other 4-6 times per semester.

For more information about this program, visit the Cultural Partner Program page.

Photo from left: Mel Dammel and Jing Zeng, Fall 2017 Cultural Partner Program Students