A student meets Rally Cat while attending a sporting event with their community host.
A student meets Rally Cat while attending a sporting event with their community host.
The Office of International Education (OIE) coordinates multiple programs for international students to build connections with one another and with the broader UVM community. Read below to learn about how you can get involved!
Buddy Program (Connects New International Students & Other Students)
The Buddy Program pairs new international undergraduate and exchange students with continuing students at UVM (both American students and other international students). As you begin your time at UVM, this is a nice way to meet other students and an easy way to get involved. The Office of International Education (OIE) will invite you and your buddy to join events with us, but we also encourage students to get together independently - share a meal, go to the gym, study together, visit an on-campus event, or just hang out! The purpose is to make connections. Introduce your buddy to your friends and hopefully you will meet theirs. New students are emailed with sign-up information in the weeks leading up to their arrival, and most matches are made prior to the start of the semester. If you missed out on signing up early, see below.
Interested Students - New and Continuing: To learn more and to sign up for the Buddy Program, complete this brief survey. You will generally hear from us in about two weeks with more information. Thanks for joining us!
Community Host Program (Connects International Students & UVM Staff/Faculty)
The Community Host Program matches a UVM international student with a UVM staff or faculty member that acts as a community friend and mentor. This program is a great opportunity to build connections and form lasting relationships both at UVM and in the larger Burlington community. Many students remain in contact with their hosts years after they leave UVM!
The OIE does not plan organized events for the Community Host Program; participants get to plan their own activities and decide how often they would like to meet. This could include having dinner with your host on occasion, exploring downtown Burlington, going on a nearby hike, watching a UVM sporting event, learning a new hobby together, or grabbing coffee at Henderson’s. Matches are made on a rolling basis, though most matches are made during the first month of the fall and spring semesters.
Interested Hosts: Complete this brief survey. We will follow up within one week.
Cultural Kitchen
The Cultural Kitchen programming series offers UVM international students the opportunity to share part of their culture by teaching other international students how to cook traditional foods from their home country or region of the world. Student participants learn about the cultural significance of the foods and help to prepare the meal with guidance from the student leader(s) - no prior cooking experience necessary! Once the food is ready, everyone sits to enjoy it as a group. This event runs once per month in September, October, and November during the fall semester, and in February, March, and April during the spring semester. Events are capped at 20 participants each.
Students interested in hosting a Cultural Kitchen event should connect with our office via email or schedule an appointment to learn more.
Students interested in participating in a Cultural Kitchen event should look out for sign-up information linked in our newsletters in the weeks leading up to the event.
Community Service Program
The Community Service Program connects international students to volunteer opportunities in and around Burlington. Connecting to local organizations is a great way to learn more about the community in which you live. Some examples might include volunteering at a local library book sale or volunteering with a local community garden. There will be multiple opportunities offered throughout the year, and you are invited to participate in as many as you would like! Sign-up information for these events will be posted in our weekly newsletter.
Thanksgiving Meal Program (Connects International Students & UVM Faculty/Staff/Community)
Each year, the Office of International Education helps coordinate opportunities for international students to join the homes of UVM faculty, staff, and community members for Thanksgiving dinner. This is a special opportunity for our students to learn more about this important US holiday and for our community members to share their traditions and welcome students for the day. The event is coordinated in the fall semester - we begin taking sign-ups from hosts in early October and from students a bit later in the month. If you know you would like to host and want a reminder email to sign up, email internationalstudents@uvm.edu and we will get you on our list. This program will be advertised to all international students in the fall semester, so no early reminder is necessary.