The International Enrollment and Services office at East Tennessee State University works to assist international students in their success in education, community and long-term goals while at ETSU. Seeking to give students from abroad a platform to share their stories from different walks of life, the office strives to amplify their potential in the classroom and create a safe space for experience, growth and family.

Rachel Helms has been a graduate assistant in the International Enrollment and Services office for a year. She works to recruit international students interested in ETSU and helps create a bond between recruits and domestic students, community-building being a prioritized objective.

“While recruitment is a big part of it [the program], it is also ensuring that our international students who are here get the resources available to them,” Helms said.

Photo of Rachel Helms. (Contributed/ETSU)

The program makes appearances at school-wide events often to create a large outreach and assist students with tours, information and enrollment. Orientation is the busiest time of the semester for the office, Helms mentioned, with airport pick-ups, training and introductions to campus, but the turnout makes it all worth it.

“They get here when they’re freshmen and by the time they’re seniors, it is really cool to see how far they’ve come,” Helms said.

With approximately 400 students in the program and 10 people working in the office, the international office is smaller than other colleges which benefits the program by having a tighter community, Helms mentioned.

Nyasha Warambwa is a junior student from Zimbabwe and a member of the International Ambassador program at ETSU. Having experience from abroad, he mentions that the office is one of the most important aspects of ETSU for both domestic and international students due to the representation it allows and the overall evolvement of ETSU.

“For students that are citizens, the program gives them an insight on how other cultures function and how to be as welcoming as possible,” Warambwa wrote in an email.

The International Enrollment and Services office continues to create endless opportunities for students while keeping the exciting buccaneer pride by hosting thrilling events such as their coffee house events and water balloon fights. For more information on the International Ambassador program as well as the International Enrollment and Services office, visit https://www.etsu.edu/international/.

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