Previous to the transition into FCS, the international students must be processed by Registrar Kerri Roberts. The foreign students have to apply and provide information like every other regular applicant and go through the interview process.

“My job is to process the student after they have been submitted their information,” Roberts said. “They have to supply us with recommendations, birth certificate, their transcripts and anything else we require.”

Roberts then has to review all the information and set up a phone interview with Principal Todd Bennett.

“After I have looked over all the paperwork, I then make sure they are stable in their english speaking and set up the interview,” Roberts said. “After the interview Mr. Bennett then makes the final decision.”

When the students are accepted, the welcoming begins. It is of upmost importance to welcome the students in with open arms.

“After the student is finally accepted, it is our main priority to accept the students and embrace them as they come into our school,” Roberts said. “It is so important to make them comfortable and feel at home, we want them to have the best experience we can provide.”

Currently there are 15 international students studying on campus, including Pan and Chang.

I think American humor has a lot difference with Chinese humor, so sometimes I have a hard time understanding my friends’ jokes.–Toby Pan, ’15

Chang, from Seoul, South Korea, desires to be a sports agent after she finishes college in the U.S. She lives with her mother’s friend, Kelly Park, in Fresno with freshman Eun-sol Kwon.

“I came to United States because I do not want to be concerned so much with the strict academics of Korea,” Chang said. “I want to do more. I want to play sports and have more family time with my guardians.”

Along with attending school, Chang also enjoys taking part in Taekwondo and plays on the volleyball team. She hopes to stay in the U.S. long term despite the distance from her family.

“I miss my parents and we often talk on the phone and email nearly every day,” Tracy said. “I miss my friends and family the most. I am glad Kelly Park makes Korean food so that helps protect me from homesickness.”

Park knew Chang’s mother before she was born, so coming to FC was a good option, especially since both are Christians. Advance Placement (AP) calculus and Physical Education classes are Chang’s favorite.

Chang is adapting to Fresno’s culture, as she likes to attend movies and shopp at River Park, shopping for clothes and IT devices, especially at the Apple Store. She attends Fresno Korean Fellowship United Methodist Church with Park.

“I like going to Fresno Christian because it is cheaper than other private schools,” Chang said. “Teachers pray before class here, school have many chapels, but the most reason why is that students are more friendly than other schools.”

Pan hails from Beijing, China, growing up in a small apartment with his parents, before coming to Fresno. At first he found it difficult to adapt to American ways, but has begun to appreciate the differences.

“Actually, in the first few days of school, my peers and teachers’ kindness and taking care of us international students made me slightly embarrassed,” Toby said. “But now I am accustomed to it and enjoy it.”

Pan said it was a difficult decision for him to leave his country and was opposed to it at first, but his dad convinced him to go.

“Later I found out that I can get education with higher quality in America,” Pan said. “So I hope I can give my family a higher life quality in the future.”

Currently Pan is living with his father, Wayne Pan, and fellow international student, senior Weitao (Tom) Jin in north Fresno. Pan’s father is on a short-term work visa.

Like Chang, Pan struggles with the English language mostly in formal and written assignments, but even conversations can cause difficulty.

“I think American humor has a lot difference with Chinese humor, so sometimes I have a hard time understanding my friends’ jokes,” Toby said. “Usually I would get bewildered when people are talking about something that has conventional stories behind it. And those “conventional stories” need me to take a long while to learn. We can’t just cram it.”

When Pan is not studying school subjects, he enjoys playing basketball with Jin and the FC basketball varsity team. Pan currently plays classical guitar but wants to pick up the electric guitar and join the band next semester. He thinks the school environment provides an excellent atmosphere to improve his basketball and guitar skills.

While biology is Pan’s strongest class other than P.E., he enjoys English teacher Greg Stobbe’s class the best.

“Regardless of my mediocre grade in English,” Toby said, “I can learn a lot from him, not only about the language itself, but also about culture and tradition. In China, students focus too much on technical skills. I like his focus on the question, ‘how, then, shall I live?’ Although technology serves people to live a better life, the actual point is living life with a meaningful purpose.”

The first step a potential international student must do after the school accepts them is to go to the Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) website and process an I-20 document for the student. Then she needs to take the document to her embassy to obtain a F-1 Visa (student visa). At that point the student can enter the country. The SEVIS document enables the student to study in the USA for the duration of their educational experience.

International students talk about life in America from The Feather Online on Vimeo.

Kerri Roberts can be reached by email or through the school’s main phone number: 559.299.1695. This writer can be reached via Twitter: @eShakeshaft_7. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more features, read the Nov. 1 article, Mock Trial delivers glimpse into future career choice.