From Shared Interests to Shared Lives: A Story of Connection at International Coffee Hour

International Coffee Hour has not only served the FSU community in providing a welcoming environment for students to make new friends --- but it also was the place where FSU alum Savannah Wendt met her future husband, FSU alum Travis James, in 2012.

Wendt came to FSU in 2012 as a freshman to study International Affairs and Economics and had just started a class in Japanese. She attended International Coffee Hour to make friends and was introduced to James by an international student from China. James had just started a Master’s program in Asian Studies and had already studied abroad in Japan and spoke Japanese. So, the mutual friend thought he might be a good tutor for Wendt.

“With both of our families living five hours away in opposite directions, neither of us knew anyone at FSU when we started,” Wendt recalled. “We were both searching for community and were drawn to The Globe’s Coffee Hour by our shared passion for global learning and meaningful connections.”

Wendt recalled that one of her favorite memories of attending ICH was “being invited into The Globe’s kitchen to join the Colombian Student Association in making arepas. It was part of my Global Pathways Certificate, now known as the Global Citizenship Certificate. The students were so kind, and the arepas were warm and delicious.”

After graduating from FSU, Wendt and James moved to Japan, where they lived and worked for five years. Now married and living in Washington, D.C., Wendt works as an economist for the federal government. James continues to work for a Japanese company, publishing manga and supporting anime conventions across the U.S. “We’ve really settled into life in D.C.,” Wendt said. “We love it here and look forward to the cherry blossoms each spring. They remind us of our time together in Japan.”

If you or someone you know has a story from a CGE event, program or shared global experience that you would like to be considered for a future newsletter or social media spotlight, please send the CGE Communication team an email at cge-publications@fsu.edu.