Student Testimonials & Experiences
NCWU’s International support community has been a vital part of our International Student Program and our students and staff greatly appreciate everyone involved in helping our students adapt and get involved in American culture. Our Global Outreach (GO Group) helps in many ways throughout the year with getting our international students plugged in to church activities, businesses, families, schools, and organizations.
Enroll in NC Wesleyan today and discover the difference!
International Student Experiences
What our International Community have to say!
Our involvement with international students has meant so much to us. We have learned a little about their cultures, shown them a little of American home life and built an emotional bond that will be with us for the rest of our lives.
Every interaction with someone from another culture is a small step along the path to world peace. There’s nothing more rewarding for both international students and American families!
We invite students not only into our home, but into our daily lives. We treat these students as if they were our own son or daughter by including them in various activities such as:
- Enjoying a Meal Together (Home Visits & Restaurants)
- Birthday & Holiday Celebrations
- Church Services & Activities
- Going to Concerts (Rocky Mount & Raleigh)
- Airport Pick-ups
- Outdoor Projects & Picnics
Linda and John Shepherd
The International Student Services supported me by providing me and other students with a family environment. Once I arrived at Wesleyan I was given a sense of belonging and for that I will always be grateful. I was given the opportunity to work with the ISS for almost 4 years and I learned a lot. Our goal was always to make students have a true home away from home. Once I experienced the feeling of belonging I wanted to make new students go through the same experience as well as making it even better.
Being able to work and give insight from the student perspective I believe helped a lot making new students be even happier to join Wesleyan; as well as being part of a big family of international students where no matter where you are from, everyone will care and help each other.
Gabriel Guzman ’21, Hult International Business School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
The support of the International student services has been invaluable not only before the arrival at the university but also afterwards and at any moment while on campus. All the work in defining and setting timelines, deadlines, paperwork, exams, key contacts and above all the contention to our kids so they can adapt quickly to a new life. The attention has been superb and has made a difference in the life of our kids. While on campus all the work being done to make sure they pass a smooth transition from overseas to the university has been enormous and with all the dedication and passion to serve. The management of transcripts, school timetable, forms to enter the country have been impeccable and leave us with enormous peace of mind.
Eduardo Simoniello and NCWU Student Juan Simoniello ’24
We are Todd and Noel Long and we joined the Go Group in 2015. We live 25 minutes from the campus of NC Wesleyan. We have had a lot of fun experiences with 60+ students from over 15 countries that we have had visit our house during this time. It has been amazing to mutually share each other’s home country information and culture. Noel and I have been blessed as much or more than the students from these visits.
God has been instrumental in our involvement along with other volunteers from 6 churches in the Rocky Mount area. Put most simply, we hope to organically make the world a better place to live for all people by intentionally and actionably demonstrating the Love of Jesus Christ.
We try to treat international students with Christian hospitality as if it were our own son or daughter in a foreign nation. We include them in our daily lives. We have done this through many things like:
- Home visits for Noel’s wonderful home cooked meals, movies, games, boating
- Overnight stays at our home and sometimes for extended periods like staying over all of Christmas break
- Holidays spent together like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Memorial and Labor day
- Cabin rentals at state parks, The Raleigh Greek Festival, Weekend beach and mountain trips, and trips to visit our extended family, freshmen airport pickups
- Church services and activities, Life group meetings and on campus outreach
- Being there for down times like hospital visits, mourning over lost relatives, car wrecks
Our own lives have been enriched from these relationships and we have a larger family as a result. Probably our greatest reward and compliment is when a student tells other students that we are their American family! God is good.
I Peter 4:8-10. “ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms”.
Todd & Noel Long – Global Outreach (GO Group) Community Volunteers
