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Avneet Kaur ‘28 had never been to the United States before enrolling at Lehigh University. When the 20-year-old international student arrived from her hometown of Punjab in India, she initially felt out of place due to her unfamiliarity with American culture and customs.

That’s why she enrolled in the Global Lehigh Family Friendship Program (FFP), which seeks to create lasting connections by pairing new international students with caring Lehigh University faculty and staff.

Kaur was paired with Karen Sicinski, Nursing Director at Lehigh’s Health & Wellness Center, who participated as a host for a third time with the program. Kaur said the experience helped her feel a strong sense of belonging and cultural integration, making her feel right at home at Lehigh.

“Even though the program has officially ended, Karen and I still stay in touch,” Kaur said. “It’s like having a family away from my home in India. It’s so nice.”

About two dozen international students from 13 different countries participated in this past year’s program, which was organized by the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS). Seventeen of those students were visiting the United States for the first time, and 13 had never left their home countries before this academic year.

Abraham Yarba, ‘28, an international student from Accra, Ghana who is studying electrical engineering at Lehigh, was also paired with Sicinski through FFP. Like Kaur, he had no prior experience in the United States, and initially found the transition challenging due to the academic workload and cultural differences.

“Besides introducing you to the culture, the program introduced this kind of hospitality and made you feel like you were part of a safe space,” Yarba said. “It was a really great opportunity to get away from academics for a while and explore life in the U.S. and make friends.”

Participating international students are paired with program hosts, which include Lehigh faculty and staff members from various campus offices. They are encouraged to develop meaningful relationships, engage in cultural exchange activities, and support one another throughout the academic year.

The program provides students the chance to immerse themselves in U.S. culture and the Lehigh Valley by joining a welcoming local family, and provides the program hosts the opportunity to expand global perspectives while forming deep bonds with Lehigh’s new international students, according to Linnan Tartaglia, International Student Advisor.

Sicinski, who will be retiring from Lehigh on June 30, said she was drawn to participate in the program because it aligns with her nursing instinct to care for and support students. She hosted Kaur and Yarba for local events, meals at area restaurants, and visits to places like the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks and the Christkindlmarkt holiday market.

Both Kaur and Yarba said they particularly enjoyed tasting Thai food for the first time at La Kang Thai Noodles Bar in Hellertown. They also both enjoyed spending Thanksgiving with Sicinski and her family, since neither had ever celebrated the holiday before.

“It’s not something we have in Ghana, so it was a first experience for me,” Yarba said. “She had family come from outside the area and we all had a great time, eating and playing games and just talking. It was a very memorable experience for me.”

Sixteen graduate students and six first-year undergraduate students are participating in the program this year, coming from such countries as Bangladesh, Burundi, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Nepal, Russia, Rwanda, Taiwan, Turkey, and Zimbabwe.

Cheryl Matherly, Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs at Lehigh, said the program emphasizes the importance of fostering community and connections for international students. FFP seeks to provide them with a comprehensive university experience, including cultural immersion.

“Many years ago, I heard an international student say that during their entire time at Lehigh, they had never been inside an American home. To me, that felt wrong,” Matherly said. “To miss out on that really felt like a part of the cultural experience was missing, and this program is a great opportunity to fill that gap.”

Yarba said he would recommend the program to other international students seeking cultural integration, social support, and practical assistance in a new place.

Kaur added: “It was great meeting Abraham and other international students through the program as well, because it made me realize I wasn’t the only one having those early struggles adapting to a new environment. It made me realize we’re all trying, and we’re all in it together.”