1. Invitation to Join an International Student Mentoring Program
Are you interested in learning about other cultures? Would you like to know a student as a
person rather than a number? Do you want to help newly arrived international students? The
International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) office and UB Counseling Services invite you to
participate as a mentor in their International Student Mentoring Program.
We are recruiting UB staff and domestic students and to participate as mentors for newly arrived
international students during the Fall 2010 semester. You don’t have to know about other
cultures, speak other languages or have traveled overseas. All you need is a sincere desire to
help others and an interest in people from other cultural backgrounds.
Here is an overview of the program:
 Each mentor will be paired with two newly arrived international students.
 The commitment is for one semester.
 Mentors must be available to meet with their mentees for one hour every two weeks.
The activity can be as simple as having lunch together, going for coffee or taking a walk,
or as elaborate as visiting a local tourist attraction, going to a sports event or having a
family dinner in your home.
 There will be separate half-day training sessions for both mentors and mentees.
Mentors will learn about the mentees’ culture(s), receive valuable information about
campus resources available to mentees, and learn tips on how to best interact with
someone from another country.
 Optional monthly “mentor only” meetings will enable mentors to share experiences, get
answers to questions and provide feedback on the program.
 There will be an end-of-semester party to celebrate your mentoring accomplishments.
Last semester we were gratified by the number of professional staff participants and the
enriching experiences they provided to our students and in turn received themselves. We hope
to continue to offer that same experience to all participants this Fall.
It doesn’t take more than one hour to make a difference and learn something new!
If you are interested in joining the International Student Mentoring Program, please fill out the
mentor application found at the following link: http://inted.oie.buffalo.edu/isss/mentor/
If you have any questions about the program, please call 645-2258.
We look forward to hearing from you and working with you!
Sincerely,
Jessica Ereiz, Assistant Director, ISSS; International Student Mentoring Program Coordinator
Dr. Xuhua Qin, Staff Psychologist, Counseling Services; International Student Mentoring
Program Consultant