So far, during the Fall 2024 semester, the Global Mentor Program has hosted various extracurricular activities along with academic workshops to aid in the betterment of our international students both socially and professionally. Alongside these students, we have 35 bright Pamplin student mentors who have helped in the success of these events. Some of those events include an Opening Reception at the Hahn Garden, bowling at the Breakzone in Squires Student Center, field games and a picnic on the Drillfield, and a professional workshop with our very own Pamplin Career Services.

We had a beautiful, exciting start to the semester where we welcomed our new International Students, students from the German Fulbright Summer Institute, and had a night of socializing with our mentors and faculty. Following this, we shared a night of pizza and games at a student-favorite spot – the Breakzone at the Squires Student Center and shortly after enjoyed a day of games including soccer, cornhole, and a picnic at the heart of Virginia Tech’s campus, the Drillfield. Starting off the semester with these events provided a space for our student mentors to meet their assigned mentees and start to form relationships and friendships.

Once we established social connections and skills, we wanted to focus on professional development. The International Programs Office collaborated with Pamplin Career Service to host a professional workshop where they invited a recruiter from Alpha Sights, based out of their New York office, who gave insight into their company and its services while giving advice that would benefit and be applicable to our international students. Additionally, they covered resume/interview tips, “How to Dress” in a professional setting, and then opened it up to an open-ended Q&A session.

The culmination of the events so far this semester has allowed our mentors and mentees to learn about the resources and benefits we have here at Virginia Tech while also forming mutually beneficial relationships between the mentors and mentees. There are many events throughout the rest of the semester that will continue to strengthen that!