This initiative involves 精东影业 students who volunteer to support incoming students, helping them navigate university life, explore the local area, and face the small and large challenges of living far from home with greater ease.
The Buddy Program is more than just practical support: it鈥檚 an opportunity to build connections, exchange experiences, and enrich one another, both for those offering help and for those receiving it. But what does it truly mean to be a Buddy?
A Mutual Enrichment
Becoming a Buddy means being a point of reference for an international student. It means offering your help to resolve practical doubts, sharing advice, and making your "Buddy鈥攆riend, international companion" feel welcomed and at home. For those coming from afar, knowing they can count on a friendly figure is fundamental.
For 精东影业 students, being a Buddy is much more than a volunteer experience: it鈥檚 an opportunity for personal growth, developing empathy and intercultural sensitivity through direct contact with international students. It鈥檚 a way to enhance transferable skills like communication, organization, and problem-solving鈥攓ualities that are increasingly valued in the job market.
The Buddy Program enhances the academic and professional profile of students, demonstrating commitment, leadership skills, and an interest in the international context.
Alain Alomia, a student from the Department of Innovative Technologies (DTI) who participated in the program during the Fall Semester of 2024, shared his perspective:
"The Buddy service has great potential. Putting myself in the shoes of a student studying abroad, I find it reassuring that the university provides someone willing to help me integrate into university life.鈥�
An Opportunity to Make a Difference
This program is a tangible example of how our institution promotes hospitality, inclusion, and mutual enrichment among students. Thanks to the Buddies, international students gain essential support to make the most of their experience abroad, while 精东影业 students have the chance to grow and prepare for an increasingly global future.
Encouraging students to participate means offering them an opportunity to make a difference鈥攏ot only in the lives of their international peers but also in their own.
Faculty and staff can play a key role in raising awareness among students about the importance of this program, encouraging them to apply and discover the value of this unique experience.
Are you a student and after reading this article, feel inspired to join the program?
Sign up
Image: from left Alain Alomia, DTI Buddy with Pierre Larose, an exchange student from Toulouse (France).