Advertisement

Roo News

The Student News Site of University of Missouri - Kansas City

Roo News

Roo News

Amidst the festive spirit of St. Patricks Day, the iconic symbol of luck, the clover, reminds us of the rich traditions and celebrations honoring Irish heritage.
Exploring St. Patrick's Day Alternatives in Kansas City
Aydan Stigler and Grace Beshore March 14, 2024

  The annual St. Patrick's Day celebration is just around the corner, and with celebration comes large crowds.    The annual city parade...

Visit the City Market to explore local vendors.
Smart Saving Strategies for a Wallet-Friendly Spring Break
Emily Wheeler, Staff Writer • March 14, 2024

  UMKC students are ready for the upcoming week-long spring break, but are their wallets?   From travel adventures to staycations, spring...

Earth Mother by Sheron Smith
Her Art/Their Art Explores the Female Experience in the 21st Century
Elyse Bredfeldt, Staff Writer • March 12, 2024

  Her Art/Their Art is a collection that aims to answer the question: “What does it mean to identify, live, navigate, or be perceived by society...

Nina Simone: Four Women” playbook.
The KC Rep’s “Nina Simone: Four Women” is both timeless and poignant.
Maisy Blanton, Staff Writer • March 5, 2024

  The Kansas City Repertory Theater (KCRep) recently performed “Nina Simone: Four Women.” The show follows musician Nina Simone as she...

Around 1 million people were estimated to be in attendance at the parade.
One Dead, Several Injured During Chiefs Parade
Zach Gunter and Jazlyn Summers February 14, 2024

Update:   As of 2:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, the number of those injured at the Union Station shooting after the Chiefs Super Bowl parade...

Friends of Internationals hosts welcome party to support, connect with international students

Friends+of+Internationals+hosts+welcome+party+to+support%2C+connect+with+international+students
FOI volunteers and UMKC students Ali Stallbaumer (far left) and Phung Ho (far right) take a photo with two new international students. (Anna Ryan)

UMKC’s student organization Friends of Internationals (FOI) hosted their annual welcome party earlier this month with food, activities and opportunities to connect with people of diverse cultures from all over the world. 

FOI is a Christian volunteer group serving international students at UMKC by providing access to services to make their transition to the United States easier. This includes services like airport pickups, cultural exchange events, conversational English practice and other community-building events throughout the year. Setting up bank accounts, providing additional car rides and helping with grocery store trips are also services that FOI provides.   

Some FOI volunteers who live close to UMKC have even offered to house international students, like Breanna and Brent Fitzpatrick. The couple said that they have lost count of the number of international students they have hosted over the years.

“You want to be that transitional place where someone feels safe and doesn’t have to worry about housing, meeting friends and the community of Kansas City,” Breanna said. “They’re people, and people ought to be cared for.”

Bryan Khoo is a UMKC computer science major from Malaysia who took advantage of FOI’s airport pickup services. Khoo said that his experience and the love shown by the FOI volunteers made him more interested in getting involved in the organization.

“I wanted to know where that love came from and share the same love and make sure that people don’t feel the way I felt,” Khoo said.   

The community-building aspect has been an emphasis for the organization and has been a draw for many of the volunteers to the organization as well, including Victoria Khan, a Kansas City local. 

“There’s people that come from all over the world who are actually trying to be friends,” Khan said.

Students at this year’s welcome party enjoyed the home-cooked food, photo booth, badminton and other games. UMKC computer science major and international student Lohith Reddy Kamujula attended the event and said that they would definitely recommend that other international students come to FOI’s events.

“I feel like this is home,” Kamujula said.

Interested students can attend upcoming FOI events include a Corn Maze trip on Saturday, Oct. 9 and a Cultural Exchange event on Saturday, Oct. 16. 

[email protected]

Leave a Comment
Donate to Roo News

Your donation will support the student journalists of University of Missouri - Kansas City. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to Roo News

Comments (0)

All Roo News Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *