YOUNGSTOWN — Visit the Lariccia Cultural Collaboratory on the first floor of Jones Hall, Youngstown State University, between 3 and 5 p.m. on certain Fridays, and there’s a good chance you would find a crowd of international students mixing with other students and locals.

About 150 people attend the coffee hours held approximately twice per month in Jones Hall and occasionally other locations on campus. They are designed to build strong relationships between the international students and the community.

Dr. Nathan Myers, who has served as the associate provost for International Initiatives at YSU for the past seven years, said that when he first arrived, there were 180 international students at YSU. Today, there are 670.

THEIR STORIES

Negin Mirzade Yazdi works as a student aide in the International Programs office at YSU and is from Iran. She is a sophomore studying biology in the pre-med track and has been in Youngstown for a little over one year.

“I was supposed to attend Sacramento State University,” she said. “However, because my family is in California, the U.S. government rejected my visa. They thought I wouldn’t want to leave and return to Iran after my education was complete.

“I needed to get far away from my family, so I came to YSU.”

Negin was the only Iranian student at YSU when she arrived — until her sister joined her. They live together and Negin’s sister also is studying biology.

“I’m glad I came to YSU,” Negin said. “It is a good environment in which to study, there are good resources at a state university.”

Is there anything she misses?

“I miss the food most of all. I try to make my own food, but it’s not like my mom’s.”

Her grandmother is planning a lengthy visit this summer.

Enisa Akter is a freshman from Bangladesh studying business administration who recently began her first semester at YSU.

“I am glad I came here,” she said. “I’ve had a positive experience at YSU.”

When asked if she misses her family, Enisa said, “Not really because everyone here is super friendly and I have made a lot of friends who are both American and international students.”

WHY TRAVEL TO YSU?

YSU attracts international students due to digital marketing efforts, which offer an aggressive website geared to younger students looking to pursue an education abroad, Myers said.

The university also maintains a global network of school counselors who promote the university to students looking for an international experience.

Third, YSU engages in a variety of recruitment events in other countries, which draw interested international students to what YSU has to offer.

The 670 international students at YSU are full time and come from more than 60 countries, with most students coming from India, followed by Nepal, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Myers said, “YSU has one of the lowest tuitions in the country and Youngstown has a low cost of living” with a huge local footprint and proximity to Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Also, Youngstown is a city of mostly middle-class families and living here is a good opportunity for international students to enrich their lives, Myers said.

“We have faculty who really care about the students and you can’t say that about every university. We do everything we can to help our students succeed,” he said.

“The institution we’re representing must be in a compelling situation. YSU is an institution of opportunity. It is an environment of success, and it’s a great value.”

Nicholas DuBos, coordinator of International Student Services, said he works to create opportunities for international students to experience success and satisfaction in their lives here.

He also challenges the students to make an investment in the city and campus by asking them, “How are you going to get involved to make this area better?” He wants to see the international students make an investment in the place in which they live.

RECRUITING OVERSEAS

Myers was recently in Nepal for a series of fairs and high school visits, where he distributed information about YSU.

“As Youngstown grows and works to reach its full potential, it has become a magnet to students from all over the world. Every great university town is diverse.”

He points out that there were 30 international students in the master of computer science program one year ago; currently, there are 170. YSU offers more than 100 bachelor degree programs and 25 master degree programs for international students.

“(The) most important factor in attracting and maintaining international students is establishing a relationship with them; a relationship with recruiters and counselors to make them feel more comfortable with us,” DuBos said. “Maintaining a connection with each other once they’re here is extremely important.”

FEELING AT HOME

One of the challenges international students face is homesickness. When students first arrive, everything is wonderful — new and different. However, Myers said, that wears off in time.

Christmas break and spring break are difficult for some of the students. “The only thing that can get a student through that is having a social network, relationships with whom the student can connect. That connection with others makes all the difference,” Myers said.

In his position, DuBos tries to make Youngstown a “home away from home” for the students as they learn and adjust to living in a new city. The Friday afternoon coffee hours he organizes enable students to create new relationships.

He heads an orientation for new international students at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters that immerses the incoming students in the local culture. Dubos arranges visits to the Butler Institute of American Art, the Youngstown main library, Riverside Gardens and the Canfield Fair. In February, DuBos organized a trip to Boardman for international students who were interested in ice skating.

One big challenge for the international students is transportation, and DuBos teaches them how to use the Youngstown city bus system. Finding housing is not difficult with the transformation of the downtown area; many students find apartments in the privately owned complexes that have been built recently.

A recent Friday afternoon coffee hour was hosted by the Polish Youngstown organization, which showed students how to make pierogies, which were then served to those in attendance. The theme was “Wintertime in Poland” and Aundrea Heschmeyer, director of Polish Youngstown, said, “We wanted to serve pierogies because this is the national food of Poland.”

The recipe was provided to the students.

“The International Programs Office located in Jones Hall coordinates international efforts across the YSU campus, which includes International Admissions and Recruitment, International Student and Scholar Services, Study Abroad and the English Language Institute. There are an additional eight full-time staff who are employed to develop those programs at YSU,” DuBos said.

“When you walk across the YSU campus, you see the diversity that exists here. YSU has an international presence,” he said.