Students from over 38 countries attend Gettysburg College to make it a rich academic, co-curricular, and social atmosphere. And more students continue to choose Gettysburg to call home— the number of international students who attend the College increased from 41 in 2007 to 138 students in 2015.
There are several reasons why international students choose to come to Gettysburg, among them the support that’s made available through the Office of Multicultural Engagement, which continues to provide mentoring and assistance post-graduation. Brad Lancaster, the director of international student services, said he continues to advise alumni who decide to remain in the United States to work after graduation, helping them navigate the logistics of things like taxes and work visas.
What also sets Gettysburg’s program apart from others is internship opportunities and career support.
“Our international students have many more opportunities to complete internships while they are in college compared to international students studying at other institutions,” said Lancaster. “And that’s because we have made it a point to ensure internship credits can count towards graduation, which positively impacts our international students’ ability to meet the requirements for work authorization off campus. And in many instances, students have gotten hired by the company that they interned for between their junior and senior year—so I see that as a major advantage.”
Below, several alumni share more about their experience at Gettysburg as international students and update us on where they are today.
Wei Xiong ’15
- Solution Developer at Deloitte Consulting LLP
- Xiong was also the winner of the Center for Career Development’s Entrepreneurial Fellowship where he built and designed Scholar Oasis—a student-to-student textbook sale website connecting more than 600 people on 10 different college campuses.
- From China
“The solid Computer Science curriculum prepared me, technically, for a career in the tech industry. More importantly, I honed my critical thinking and communication skills during my time at Gettysburg. I think they will play far bigger roles in the long run. Last but not least, our College's emphasis on leadership, initiative-taking, and difference-making truly emboldens and empowers me and many others that I know to become confident leaders in our workplace and communities.”
Sneha Shrestha ’10
- Founder & Director of the Nepal Children’s Art Museum
- From Nepal
Shrestha leads the many programs within the art museum that provides a creative space for children and youth of Nepal. They teach children literacy through art as well as empower youth in Kathmandu, Nepal.
“Coming from the other side of the planet, I was afraid because I looked and talked different than my friends and the thousand something students on campus. But soon enough I realized what’s more important is what I do and how I can contribute to the community around me and meaningfully express myself through art.
“Gettysburg introduced me to what being a global citizen is—from learning theories to looking up to my professors who have lived all over the world and encouraged my steps in exploring and understanding my own views of the world and myself.”
Enzo Pinga ’11
- Co-founder and COO of EarthBeat Farms
- From The Philippines
Pinga oversees the production, operations, head of sales and marketing at EarthBeat Farms. In 2012, he also cofounded Bahay Kubo Organics, a non-profit urban farming and sustainability company that strives to grow fresh food for people in need.
“I feared that I would find it difficult to settle in moving to a different country. From the beginning, those fears were alleviated by the general atmosphere of the College thanks to the students and staff. The holistic approach to education definitely helped me find the path after graduating. It was an approach that worked well for me given my interest in so many fields and topics.”
Justina Poskeviciute ’11
- Hostelhops, Account Manager
- From Lithuania
Poskeviciute currently trains hostels to use a booking platform called Hostelhops. She resides in Sao Paulo and works in several areas throughout South and North East Brazil.
“Gettysburg College has taught me that the word 'experience' goes way beyond academics, that knowledge in itself means little if it cannot open your mind, and that the best way to enrich your life is by being open to it.”
Lionel Hong ’12
- Centrifuge Productions, Co-Founder
- From China
“I went to a small boarding school up in New England. When I was looking at colleges, I knew I wanted a community-focused environment. The campus felt rich and cultured. It was the vibe that drew me.
“I loved the relationships I had with my professors as well as the students and alumni. I built very strong relationships with my professors, whether it was for academic questions I had on assignments, or big questions about life. They have always been there, in many ways, like a family. Being away from home—and knowing that you have good and trustworthy people on campus whose office you can walk into at any moment during the week—was reassuring when making that initial decision of leaving my home country in the first place.”
