Aloha! Host families welcome UH Hilo’s international students into Hilo community
Through this semester’s meet and greet, home-cooked meals, sightseeing trips, shopping and other activities on Hawaiʻi Island, international students feel welcomed by local host families.
Each semester, international students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo are matched with families in the local community who help the newcomers adjust to and thrive in Hawaiʻi. Host families meet with the students throughout the year for home-cooked meals, sightseeing trips, shopping and other activities on Hawaiʻi Island that help the students learn about the place and local culture, and give them a sense of having ʻohana (family) in Hilo.
“It’s a way for new students not only to become part of the local community beyond the campus, but also for families to learn more about other cultures and countries,” says Jim Mellon, director of International Student Services and organizer of the host program. “The program builds bridges between the campus and the community, and between cultures and nations. Students benefit from the program, as well as host families who feel that their students have enriched their own lives.”
Nearly 100 new international students from 19 countries have enrolled at UH Hilo this year. Enriching the remarkable ethnic and geographic diversity at the university, students have come from all over the globe, including Canada, Ecuador, Federated States of Micronesia, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Marshall Islands, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Peru, the Philippines, Samoa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Meet and Greet Reception
Earlier this semester, international students were welcomed by this year’s host families at a meet and greet reception on campus.
Host Sylvi Cook says it’s been a joy for her to see things through the eyes of someone who has never experienced or seen things so familiar to her. “Every little thing is a source of amazement, and sometimes amusement, to our international students,” she says.
Other host families in the past have created such strong and lasting relationships with their students that they have traveled to the students’ home nations after the programs have ended.
Barbara and Larry Heintz spent time with former International Student Association president Mirei Sugita in Japan after she graduated, for example, and Barb and Kim Magnuson traveled to South Korea to attend the wedding of the first student they ever hosted.
“The host family program demonstrates the welcoming and aloha spirit of the people in Hilo, who come together to create stronger, more prosperous communities,” says Mellon.
Myriad ways to welcome
In addition to the Host Family Program, UH Hilo is part of the Welcoming America program in which hundreds of communities nationwide welcome and recognize international students and scholars, immigrants, and refugees through activities such as the host family program.
Other welcoming events on campus have included a special orientation session highlighted by a chant from Director of Native Hawaiian Engagement Pelehonuamea Harman and a welcome party for new and returning international students at the Student Life Center on campus.
-Media release
