Yesterday saw 18 fresh new faces from 8 countries step foot on Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) to start their journey as international students. While the initial admissions process is a challenging one for many, it was just the first page of a new chapter in the lives of these young men and women.

The new international undergraduate students have come from Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Germany and the United States, increasing SUSTech’s international undergraduate cohort to 52. The Global Engagement Office ran a highly professional orientation at the Guest Houses, with the students receiving gift packages and welcomes from university leaders. The new international students were given a guided tour around campus and the surrounding facilities.

The international freshmen were thrilled with the modern facilities embedded in SUSTech’s luscious campus. German student Fabien Anoop Sonpar has always been very interested in science, and aims to study renewable energy in the future. He noted that SUSTech and Shenzhen should be able to help him achieve his dreams. Fabien is keen to improve his Chinese level while at SUSTech, and gave an example of his current proficiency, saying “Waiter, I want rice!”

Malaysian student Rou Yun Teo learned about SUSTech at the Malaysian National Education Exhibition. It was there that she and her family learned that SUSTech is a high-level science and engineering university with a core of research, innovation and entrepreneurship. While several universities around the world had offered a place for Rou Yun, she did not hesitate to choose SUSTech, because of its strong research background. She is looking forward to exploring SUSTech’s research facilities, and is planning to studying materials science and engineering, with the aim to pursue high-level academia.

The Global Engagement Office will work with many departments and residential colleges across campus to run a wide range of orientation activities for the international students, in order to help them adapt and integrate into life at SUSTech.