Manqi, Anastasia, and Parth come from China, Russia, and India respectively. They are about as culturally different from one another as they are from me, but as international students, their stories have some common threads tying them together.
Though they each have had their different struggles coming to Cal Poly, they were all able to find belonging; this belonging didn’t come from an overall campus climate of inclusivity but rather through individual relationships. Lawson (2018) indicates that in order to feel a sense of belonging, relationships must be “loving and caring” (p. 13). In other words, a functional and beneficial friendship must foster empathy in response to vulnerability.
In gaining that sense of belonging, Manqi, Anastasia, and Parth each spoke to the role storytelling played in their relationships, an act which is by nature quite vulnerable as it publicizes one’s private, internal experiences. Manqi shared about crying with her friends. Anastasia revealed her vulnerability in sharing her struggles with other international students. Parth talked about sharing his experiences from back in India.
In being vulnerable with their stories, each of them were able to attain a sense of belonging because they were met with empathy. Manqi’s friends cried with her, and Anastasia’s revealed some of their own struggles as international students. Parth’s were curious and inquisitive about his stories. But if any of their friends had responded with judgment, none of them would have felt safe enough to continue sharing their stories.
Lawson (2018) writes, “...home is not just a place into which we are born, and home can be created within an open, supportive, protective, and loving community” (p. 421). Cal Poly should feel like a home to all students, but especially to international students who are so far from their families’ homes. In order for the Cal Poly community to feel like home, the vulnerable stories of international students must be met with listening ears and empathetic hearts in real relationships.
Though they each have had their different struggles coming to Cal Poly, they were all able to find belonging; this belonging didn’t come from an overall campus climate of inclusivity but rather through individual relationships. Lawson (2018) indicates that in order to feel a sense of belonging, relationships must be “loving and caring” (p. 13). In other words, a functional and beneficial friendship must foster empathy in response to vulnerability.
In gaining that sense of belonging, Manqi, Anastasia, and Parth each spoke to the role storytelling played in their relationships, an act which is by nature quite vulnerable as it publicizes one’s private, internal experiences. Manqi shared about crying with her friends. Anastasia revealed her vulnerability in sharing her struggles with other international students. Parth talked about sharing his experiences from back in India.
In being vulnerable with their stories, each of them were able to attain a sense of belonging because they were met with empathy. Manqi’s friends cried with her, and Anastasia’s revealed some of their own struggles as international students. Parth’s were curious and inquisitive about his stories. But if any of their friends had responded with judgment, none of them would have felt safe enough to continue sharing their stories.
Lawson (2018) writes, “...home is not just a place into which we are born, and home can be created within an open, supportive, protective, and loving community” (p. 421). Cal Poly should feel like a home to all students, but especially to international students who are so far from their families’ homes. In order for the Cal Poly community to feel like home, the vulnerable stories of international students must be met with listening ears and empathetic hearts in real relationships.