International club rebrands to Elmhurst International Student Association

Elmhurst International Student Association (EISA), is helping international students gain familiarity with college life in the United States and providing a support group as they learn to adjust to life in a different country. 

Formerly known as the International Club, current President Karam Hasan and VP Marvin Tchangwa realized the club needed to be restructured after noticing that the previous club was more focused on events and provided less services for international students to utilize.

EISA faculty advisor, Foad Saghir, came to Elmhurst University as an international student from the UK and was involved with what was formerly the International Club while he was a student.

Once he became the advisor, he wanted to continue to help international students as they learn to adapt to a new culture.  

“I now continue to promote and support all international students through EISA to the best of my ability, and it is fulfilling to witness the growth of their self-confidence, their leadership skills, and their genuine eagerness to engage with people of all walks of life,” said Saghir.

After speaking with Saghir, Hasan and Tchangwa ran for their respective executive board positions and saw it as an opportunity to provide services for international students, such as applying for internships, scholarships, as well as on and off campus housing. 

With over 260 international students, the largest amount of students EU has ever had, Hasan wanted to create an atmosphere where students felt welcomed and had a place where they belonged, as many international students experienced culture shock.

“We want to build this cohesive international community here at Elmhurst and build this organization where international students can easily find help,” said Hasan. “We want to form a home away from home.” 

In order to help students become more familiar with the resources EU has to offer, EISA is developing a website for club members to use so everything is all in one place for them to access whenever they like. 

“Currently we are working on a website so international students can go there and can find all of the resources or the links that would help them,” said Hasan. “We can save a lot of time and club meetings, because it’s tricky with 260 club members. Whenever they need help they can just go to the website.” 

EISA is proud to provide a place where international students can feel included and help them be a part of the campus community.