I S S U E 5  Y E A R ’ 0 8 - ‘ 0 9

International
Focus

A
PUBLICATION
BY
INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS
AT
CYPRESS
COLLEGE,


FOCUSING
ON
THEIR
ACADEMIC
ACHIEVEMENTS,
YEAR‐LONG
ACTIVITIES
AND
OTHER
HIGHLIGHTS.


What’s
in
this
issue?
 




ISP
Staff
Answers
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 2

ISP
Info
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 3

ISP
Population
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 4

Statistics
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 5

Overcoming
Hardships
‐‐‐‐‐
 6

Mentees
Speak
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 7

Calendar
of
Activities
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 8
 A
Warm
Welcome
to
the
End
of
the
Year

International
Club
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 9‐11

Transfer
Statistics
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 12

Dear
International
Students:


Student
Spotlights
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 13

Life
After
Cypress
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 14

Newsletter
Staff
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 15
 We
 would
 like
 to
 introduce
 International
 Focus—a
 hot‐off‐the‐
Photo
Credits
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
 16
 press
newsletter
by
International
Students
of
2008‐2009.




 

This
has
been
a
very
successful
year
for
the
students
and
for
the


International
 Students
 Program
 itself.
 
 This
 issue
 will
 focus
 on


year‐long
 academic
 achievements
 by
 the
 students,
 the


inauguration
 of
 International
 Club,
 the
 continuing
 success
 of


Mentor/Mentee
 Program,
 and
 those
 students
 who
 organized


other
activities.


Welcome
 to
 the
 second
 edition
 of
 the
 Cypress
 College


International
Focus!

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

ISP
Staff
Answers:

How
Did
You
Find
Yourself
Working
Here?


Yongmi
Han


Before
coming
to
Cypress
College
to
oversee
its
International
Students
Program
in
2005,
I
was
working
at
ELS
Language

Centers
at
Chapman
University
in
Orange.

While
working
there
as
the
center
director,
I
got
to
know
Joyce
Ricci,
who
was

the
manager
of
the
college’s
ISP.

Joyce
and
I
had
worked
closely
together
since
many
of
my
students
from
ELS
transferred
to

Cypress
College,
and
I
highly
recommended
the
college’s
small
International
Students
Program,

more
so
than
some
other
big
schools
and
their
international
student
programs.

In
the
summer
2005
Joyce
emailed
me
about
her
promotion
to
be
the
interim
dean
of
Counseling

and
Students
Development
at
Cypress
and
told
me
that
her
old
position,
the
ISP
Manager

position,
was
vacant.

I
applied
for
the
position
and
was
hired
to
be
its
interim
manager
for
one
year,
and
then
as
its

permanent
manager
the
following
year.


Gina
Marrocco

I
was
a
student
at
Cypress
College
and
I
was
a
student
worker
in
the
Business
Building
Computer
Lab.

My
word
processing

teacher
was
responsible
for
the
lab.
I
kept
in
contact
with
my
word
processing
teacher
and
my

academic
counselor
after
graduating.

I
missed
my
son
during
the
day
and
I
felt
I
was
missing
out
on
a
lot
of
milestones.

I
wanted
to
find

a
good
part‐time
job.

I
contacted
my
teacher
and
counselor
regarding
jobs
at
Cypress
College.


They
referred
me
to
the
Cypress
College
website
and
there
was
a
part‐time
job
listed!

I
applied
for

the
job
immediately.

I
was
hired
for
the
Administrative
Assistant
position
in
the
Center
for

Intercultural
Understanding.

I
was
responsible
for
the
center,
study
abroad
and
the
international
student
orientation.

This

position
evolved
into
my
current
position
as
Administrative
Assistant
II
for
the
International
Students
Program.


Renay
Laguana‐Ferinac

I
grew
up
in
Cypress
and
I
attended
Cypress
College
myself.

I
was
going
back
to
graduate
school
for
career

counseling
and
I
needed
to
decide
a
fieldwork
placement.

So
when
I
needed
to
think
about
where
I

wanted
to
work,
I
thought
about
Cypress
College
because
I
had
such
a
positive
experience
as
a

student.

As
a
result
of
my
fieldwork
(1998),
I
was
offered
to
work
as
a
part‐time
counselor
position

for
one
year.

Then
a
full‐time
position
became
available
and
the
rest
is
history.

I
enjoy
my
job

tremendously.

I
love
working
with
the
students
especially
international
students.

I’ve
been
working

for
10
years
at
Cypress
College
and
I
still
enjoy
my
work
as
much
as
I
did
from
day
one.




2
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

International
Students
Program


Cypress
 College
 welcomes
 students
 for
 its
 International
 Students


Program
 (ISP).
 
 
 Our
 college
 is
 authorized
 by
 the
 United
 States

Department
 of
 Homeland
 Security
 as
 an
 institution
 of
 higher

learning
for
non‐immigrant
F‐1
visa
students.

One
of
the
goals
of
our

program
 is
 to
 provide
 positive
 educational
 opportunities
 for

international
 students
 from
 around
 the
 world
 in
 an
 effort
 to

promote
 and
 improve
 the
 global
 understanding
 and
 international

community.



As
 of
 spring
 2009,
 Cypress
 College
 has
 more
 than
 180
 international

students
 from
 30
 different
 countries
 including
 Australia,
 Brazil,

Canada,
 Chile,
 China,
 Germany,
 Japan,
 Korea,
 Nigeria,
 Philippines,

Vietnam,
Thailand,
Taiwan,
Tanzania,
and
many
more
countries.



The
 Office
 of
 International
 Students
 Program
 assists
 international

students
 with
 application
 and
 admission
 processes,
 assessment

testing,
orientation,
academic
counseling,
and
course
registration.

It

also
 provides
 support
 services
 to
 promote
 university
 transfers
 and

student
success.




International
Students
Office

Office
Hours

Monday
–
Friday,
8:00
am
–
5:00pm

Location

Student
Activities
Center

(714)
484
–
7049

international@cypresscollege.edu

 ISP
Student
Workers
Fall
’08
–
Spring
‘09


Chi
Vo
(Vietnam),
and
Daphne
Gopo
(Philippines)


3
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

Cypress
College

International
Student
Population



Australia 2

Brazil 7

Cambodia 2

Canada 2

Chile 1

China 2

Colombia 1

England 1

Germany 2

Hong Kong 1

Indonesia 1

Jamaica 1

Japan 19

Korea 66

Malaysia 1

Nepal 1

Netherlands 2

Nigeria 2

Mexico 1

Peru 2

Philippines 11

Singapore 1

Sri Lanka 2

Taiwan 9

Tanzania 2

Thailand 5

Vietnam 38

4
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

Statistics
and
Enrollment
Status




Enrollment
Status

Academic
Year
 Fall
Semester
 Spring
Semester
 Unduplicated
Total



for
Year

2005‐06
 107
(new
students:
20)
 120
(new
students:
27)
 107
+
27
=
134

2006‐07
 124
(new
students:
36)
 138
(new
students:
37)
 124
+
37
=
161

2007‐08
 155
(new
students:
53)
 160
(new
students:
30)
 155
+
30
=
185

2008‐09
 179
(new
students:
65)
 184
(new
students:
35)
 179
+
35
=
214








Where
international
students
come
from


 FA
05
 SP
06
 FA
06
 SP
07
 FA
07
 SP
08
 FA
08
 SP
09


Far
East
 72
 75
 72
 84
 90
 79
 90
 94


Southeast
Asia
 17
 21
 30
 28
 41
 55
 64
 68

Europe
 7
 9
 8
 7
 5
 5
 4
 4

Latin
America
 2
 4
 5
 7
 9
 11
 11
 11

Mexico
&
Canada
 2
 4
 3
 2
 1
 1
 2
 3

Africa
 3
 4
 4
 5
 8
 7
 4
 4


Middle
East
 3
 2
 1
 1
 0
 0
 1
 0

Australia
&
New
 1
 1
 1
 1
 1
 2
 2
 2

Zealand

Total
 107
 120
 124
 138
 155
 160
 179
 186


5
 INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

Overcoming
Hardships

By
Yosathorn
Pamon‐montri


Moving
to
a
new
place
is
always
stressful
for
anyone.
 Most
students,
however,
elect
to
take
up
to
16
or
more
units,


The
hassle
of
moving
your
personal
assets,
settling
into
a
new
 despite
the
fact
that
they
pay
ten
times
the
amount
per
unit
as


place,
 and
 getting
 to
 know
 new
 people
 are
 just
 some
 of
 the
 local
students
do.

In
addition
to
their
tuition,
they
also
have
to


initial
 challenges.
 Now
 imagine
 leaving
 everything
 you
 know
 buy
textbooks
and
have
living
expenses.
Most
try
to
get
their


behind
 and
 moving
 to
 an
 entirely
 new
 country.
 You
 have
 to
 courses
 done
 as
 quickly
 as
 possible
 to
 avoid
 long‐term
 costly


move
to
a
completely
foreign
country
with
different
customs
 living
expenses.
“I’m
trying
to
get
everything
done
as
soon
as


and
 cultures
 full
 of
 challenges.
 This
 is
 what
 almost
 all
 possible
 to
 be
 less
 of
 a
 burden
 on
 my
 parents,”
 one


international
 students
 face
 when
 they
 arrive
 in
 their
 new
 international
 student
 explains.
 She
 is
 currently
 enrolled
 in
 19


home
 for
 the
 next
 few
 years
 of
 their
 lives.
 If
 they
 are
 lucky,
 units
 and
 is
 expected
 to
 transfer
 from
 Cypress
 College
 to
 a


they
have
family
they
can
stay
with,
but
some
have
to
reside
 university
 within
 the
 two‐year
 deadline
 her
 parents
 asked
 of


at
 home
 stays,
 share
 rooms
 with
 total
 strangers,
 or
 even
 at
 her.


times,
 live
 alone.
 Sometimes
 family
 travels
 with
 the
 student
 Other
challenges
include
getting
to
know
people
and


to
 make
 sure
 they
 get
 settled
 in
 properly
 here
 in
 the
 United
 making
 friends.
 Usually
 local
 students
 already
 have
 their
 own


States,
but
as
one
student
experienced,
he
came
to
America
 circle
 of
 friends,
 from
 the
 same
 high
 school
 they
 went
 to
 or


on
his
own,
into
an
empty
apartment.
“The
first
night
I
slept
 some
 previous
 classes
 they
 took
 together.
 
 Many
 local


alone
on
the
floor
with
a
makeshift
blanket,”
he
recounts.

 students
 also
 seem
 to
 be
 too
 preoccupied
 with
 their
 own


Settling
into
a
new
home
is
only
the
beginning
of
the
 affairs
to
make
an
effort
to
really
try
to
get
to
know
us
better.


various
obstacles
they
encounter.
Language
is
often
a
barrier
 Overcoming
these
challenges
is
often
made
possible,


to
 many.
 Although
 they
 have
 to
 pass
 an
 English
 proficiency
 however,
by
the
networks
of
other
international
students
and


test,
it
is
still
hard
for
some
to
hold
day‐to‐day
conversations
 local
 volunteers
 who
 help
 with
 the
 settling
 process.
 The


with
local
students.
“I
feel
like
sometimes
they
get
put
off
by
 International
 Student
 Club
 organizes
 events
 that
 help
 them


my
ability
to
speak
to
them,”
another
student
explains.
Even
 socialize
 and
 get
 to
 know
 the
 local
 culture.
 The
 Student


though
 she
 speaks
 two
 other
 languages
 (Tagalog
 and
 Mentoring
 Program
 also
 helps
 new
 students
 acquire
 useful


Mandarin),
 she
 says
 that
 local
 students
 sometimes
 take
 for
 knowledge
 from
 other
 international
 students
 who
 have
 been


granted
the
English
language
and
how
hard
it
is
for
others
to
 in
 the
 country
 much
 longer.
 Hopefully,
 as
 the
 number
 of


converse
 at
 the
 same
 pace.
 Local
 students
 often
 forget
 that
 international
students
attending
Cypress
College
grows,
more


most
 international
 students
 speak
 at
 least
 one
 other
 and
more
local
students
at
Cypress
College
will
recognize
and


language
fluently
and
are
learning
English
as
a
second
or
third
 become
aware
of
these
hardships
experienced
by
international


language.
 students
 when
 they
 first
 arrive
 in
 the
 United
 States
 and
 help


International
students
are
also
required
to
enroll
in
a
 them
assimilate
into
the
new
lifestyle.

In
doing
so,
they
might


minimum
of
12
units
per
semester
for
their
visa
requirements.


 also
learn
something
new
about
themselves.


6
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

And
the
mentees
speak
.
.
.

Samir
Haikl


When
 I
 first
 came
 to
 Cypress
 College
 I
 did
 not
 know
 which
 classes
 to
 take
 or
 where
 anything
 was.
 The

Mentor/Mentee
 program
 helped
 me
 to
 feel
 comfortable
 about
 being
 at
 Cypress
 College.
 If
 I
 had
 any

questions,
my
mentor,
Ben
Thompson‐star
was
more
than
happy
to
help
me.
I
am

now
very
good
friends
with
my
mentor
and
I
am
very
grateful
to
Ben
for
the
time

he
 has
 taken
 to
 help
 me,
 as
 I
 am
 sure
 others
 helped
 him.
 I
 would
 recommend

that
 all
 incoming
 international
 students
 become
 a
 part
 of
 this
 program
 as
 it

helps
you
in
the
difficult
process
of
becoming
accustomed
to
life
in
the
United

States…




Ashley
and
Bamboo
Thai

When
we
first
came
here
to
Cypress,
we
were
pretty
new
to
America.

The
first
person
we
had
a
friendly

conversation
with
was
our
mentor,
Daphne.
She
invited
us
to
a
water
park.
Having
a
mentor
not
only
helped

us
get
used
to
the
new
school,
but
also
helped
us
become
more
active
in

the
 school.
 If
 we
 needed
 something,
 Daphne
 was
 also
 happy
 to
 help.

Until
now,
she
is
our
very
close
friend.
We
became
very
involved
in
the

school
and
clubs.
Having
a
mentor
and
close
friend
made
it
so
easy
to

become
 part
 of
 the
 school
 as
 international
 students.
 We
 highly

recommend
getting
a
mentor
and
to
use
their
friendship
as
well.
That
 is

why
 we
 want
 to
 be
 mentors,
 so
 we
 can
 help
 other
 international
 students
 the
 way
 our
 mentor
 and
 friend

helped
us.


Anh
Le

I
am
currently
a
freshman
at
Cypress
College.

Recalling
the
first
time
I
came
to
Cypress,
it
was
also
my
first


time
in
US
and
everything
was
so
new
with
me.

New
language,
people,
the
culture,


and
the
life
on
and
off
campus
really
made
me
frustrated.

However,
I
went
through


those
difficulties
and
had
good
grades
during
my
firs
semester
thanks
to
the
mentor‐

mentee
 program.
 
 My
 mentor,
 Joshua
 Obidah,
 was
 really
 informative
 and
 friendly.



His
quick
and
useful
responses
to
my
questions
helped
me
survive
the
first
days
at


Cypress
and
become
more
confident
to
continue
my
studying
in
United
States
more.


7
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

Fall
2009
&
Spring
2010
Calendar
of
Activities


Fall
2009




August




 
 ISP
New
Student
Orientation







 
 
 International
Club
(IC)
Officers
Election

September




 ISP
Kick‐off
Lunch








 
 
 IC
Welcome
Meeting



October





 IC
Getty
Villa
Visit







 
 
 


November




 ISP
Fall
Potluck

 







 
 
 IC
Culture
Bash
in
celebration
of
Intl
Education
Week


December




 Holiday
Lunch
with
Conversation
Hour








 
 
 IC
Ice
Skating
Adventure






Spring
2010




January




 
 ISP
New
Student
Orientation











 
 
 


February




 IC
Welcome
Meeting







 
 
 ISP
Kick‐off
Lunch


March




 
 ISP
Spring
Potluck









 
 
 

April





 
 Spring
Break
Getaway








 
 
 IC
World
Fest
&
Diversity
Fair

May
 
 
 Annual
Sports
Day








 
 
 Recognition
of
Graduates
&
Mentors



 
 
 Graduation



Schedule
of
ISP
Activities
and
International
Club
Events
are
subject
to
change.

Please
contact
the
office
for
updated
dates.


8
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

International
Club

Discover
new
cultures..
Expand
your
vision..



Benefits
of
joining
the
club


This
club
provides
opportunities
to
meet
other
Cypress
College
students
who
are
interested
in


interacting
with
students
of
different
cultures


• We
hold
regular
club
meetings
and
social
events
each
semester


• We
are
dedicated
to
getting
our
members
to
experience
the
diverse
cultures
of
the
world


• We
create
an
atmosphere
that
helps
foster
friendships
to
make
college
life
a
lot
more
fun


• We
provide
an
opportunity
for
the
development
of
leadership
skills


• We
 create
 an
 environment
 that
 encourages
 the
 improvement
 of
 the
 student’s
 English
 language


proficiency


Fall
‘08
Officers
 Spring
’09
Officers

President Daphne Gopo President Daphne Gopo

 – President
Vice Ruth Obidah 
 – President
Vice Ruth Obidah
Secretary Ashley Thai Secretary Ashley Thai
Treasurer Michael Lee Treasurer Selena Medina
Activities Coordinator Neesha Lee Activities Coordinator Sean Oh
Publicity Coordinator Nhi “Bamboo” Thai Publicity Coordinator Nhi “Bamboo” Thai
ICC Representatives Josh Obidah ICC Representatives Jon Tibbetts
Ruben Dedman Aaron Sonn
Webmaster Bret Lee Webmaster Anh Le

9
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

Culture
Bash
in
a
Nutshell

By
Ruth
Obidah


On
November
19,
2008
International
Club
launched
its
first
annual
Culture

Bash
in
celebration
of
the
International
Education
Week
2008.
There
were
30

students
in
attendance
with
many
talents
displayed.

Given
that
this
was
our
first
big

event,
everyone
was
pretty
nervous
about
the
outcome.

The
club
advisor,
Janet
Fujimoto,

gave
the
opening
speech
and
Daphne
Gopo,
the
Club
president,
took
the
audience
around
the
world
in
five
minutes

with
a
Powerpoint
presentation
of
costumes
from
various
cultures.
Afterwards,
the
talent

show
began
and
just
as
our
skepticism
began
to
rise,
Yichen
Lee
charmed
everyone
with
her

magnificent
voice,
as
she
performed
a
Taiwanese
love
song.
Yichen
was
followed
by
Kite

Tran
and
Aaron
Sonn
who
delivered
an
excellent
Vietnamese
musical.
Furthermore,
the

audience
enjoyed
a
flute
performance
by
Yoomin
Kang.
Yichen,
in
conjunction
with
Ashley


Kim,
 amazed
the
audience
once
more
in
a
duet
performed
in
two
languages,
Korean
and

Taiwanese.
After
Yichen
and
Ashley’s
performance,
the
audience
got
crushed
the
comedy

skit
“Get
Crushed
or
Get
Even”.
The
cast
included:
Ben
Thompson‐Star
as
the
egotistical

reporter,
Jerry
Sprinkler,
Yichen
Lee
as
the
insecure
co‐host,
Dana,
Jon
Tibbetts
as
the

legendary
American
Spy‐adventurer,
James
“the
Indiana”
Bond,
Anh
Le
as
the
Kung‐fu

obsessed
Jet
Chan,
Ruben
Dedman
as
a
French
spy
and
Nhi
Thai
as
the
dangerously

attractive
Cynthia
Liu.
At
this
point,
just
as
everyone
thought
the
event
could
not
get
more
exciting,
Sean
Oh
stunned

the
audience
with
his
brilliant
beat
box
performance.
At
the
top
of
the
excitement,

John
Sombrio
capped
the
talent
show
with
a
heartfelt
ukulele
piece.

The
Talent
Show
was
followed
by
an
origami
workshop
and
everyone
seemed

excited
to
learn
it.
When
everyone
was
done
bending
and
twisting
papers,
Daphne

showed
the
audience
the
splendid
world
of
tinikling.
During
the
tinikling,
members
of

the
audience
also
participated
and
the
event
came
to
a
close.
Everyone
left
with
more
excitement
than
they
did
at
the

beginning
as
the
club
members
celebrated
the
success
of
the
First
Annual
Culture
Bash
Event.









10
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

International
Club

One
of
the
Club


Poem
by
Jon
Tibbetts


From
different
places,

Of
a
world
called
home.

We're
all
the
same,

No
matter
where
we're
from.



Born
in
separate
countries,

We
come
together
as
one.

IC
Spring
Break
Getaway
 Most
sure
of
our
beliefs,

By
Daphne
Gopo
 We
hang
out
with
everyone.


A
handful
of
the
members
of
the
International
 


With
different
cultures,

Club
gathered
early
on
the
morning
of
April
7,
2009.

But

And
different
tastes,

they
were
not
gathered
for
a
club
meeting;
instead
they

We
represent
another
place,

were
gathered
for
a
short
spring
break
getaway
to

With
no
time
to
waste.

California’s
famous
wildlife
park.

With
a
convoy
of
three
 


vehicles,
they
then
headed
to
San
Diego’s
Wild
Animal
 We
enjoy
candy,
food,


Park.


 Movies
and
games.

It's
just
a
few
reasons,

Along
with
the
fine
weather,
the
club
members
 Of
why
we're
the
same.

thoroughly
enjoyed
their
tour
around
the
massive
park,
 



which
featured
a
wide
array
of
animals.

It
was
indeed
a
 Most
people
will
ask,

"Why
do
they
do
the
things
they
do?"

fun
day
to
relax
and
enjoy
each
other’s
company.


But
me,
I
don't
care.

Members
did
not
head
back
home
until
late
afternoon.



I
don't
need
a
clue.

Their
getaway
did
not
end
then
and
there.

After
the
 


long
trip
back
to
Cypress,
they
went
to
a
local
Korean
 We
share
our
experiences,


BBQ
and
shared
a
meal
together.
 With
one
another,
each
other,

We
are
comfortable
with
this,

Like
a
long
lost
sister,
or
brother.




We
still
like
the
same
stuff,

It's
the
stuff
that
makes
us
friends.

And
because
we
respect
each
other,

International
friendship
will
never
end.


11
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

Transfer
Statistics


Transfers
to
4‐year
Universities:



End
of
2005‐2006

School
 #
of
Students

CSUF
 3

CSULA
 1

CSULB
 1

CSU
Northridge
 1

UCI
 2

UCLA
 1

UC
San
Diego
 1

Chapman
University
 2

USC
 1



End
of
2006‐2007

School
 #
of
Students

CSULB
 3

CSUF
 2

UCI
 2

Univ.
of
Texas
Austin
 1



End
of
2007‐2008

School
 #
of
Students

CSUF
 6

CSULB
 2

CSULA
 1

CSU
Northridge
 1

CSU
San
Marcos
 1

Chapman
University
 1

Cal
Poly
Pomona
 3

UCLA
 1

Indiana
University
 1

University
of
Hawai’i
 1

McNeese
State
University,
LA
 1


12
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

Student
Spotlight


Four
of
our
students
–
Samir
Haikal
(Brazil),
Toby
Landucci
(UK),
Ben
Thompson‐Star
(Australia)
and
Sam

Tozer
(Australia)
–
are
on
our
Men’s
Tennis
Team,
and
they
have
had
a
great
year.

They
won
a
number
of

matches
and
advanced
to
the
regionals.

Go
Chagrers!



Lisa
Kusanagi
(Japan)
was
part
of
the
cast
of
Little
Shop
of
Horrors,
which
had
six
performances
during
the

month
of
March.



Another
student,
Marianela
Rojas
(Colombia)
also
contributed
her
talent
to
the
Theater
Department’s

2008‐09
productions
with
her
stage
make‐up
skills.



Boonchon
Vijarnsorn
(Thailand)
was
one
of
the
two
students
whose
works
were
featured
in
a
recent

Photography
show.

The
show
displayed
a
number
of
photos
by
Gina
Genis
in
the
main
viewing
gallery
as

well
as
six
(6)
works
by
Boonchob
in
the
floating
gallery.
The
show
was
on
display
from
March
9
through

April
18,
2009.


Congratulations
to
those
students
who
won
the
Associated
Students
Scholarships:



 Service‐above‐self
awarded
to:


Daphne
Anne
Gopo
‐
$300



 
 Seung
Jin
Lee
‐
$300



 
 Phuong
Nguyen
‐
$300



 Outstanding‐student‐leader
awarded
to:


Yeo
Lin
Lee
‐
$400


Congratulations
to
Ashley
Thai
for
winning
the
ESL
Scholarship
for
$350.


Congratulation
to
the
two
students
who
won
the
$250
ISP
University
Transfer
Scholarships
(winners
to
be

determined).


13
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

Life
after
Cypress

By
Joshua
Obidah


Ultimately,
the
success
of
a
college
program
 you
all.
It’s
been
about
a
year
since
I
transferred
to
CSUF

depends
on
the
outcome
of
its
students,
not
only
in
the
 and
I
still
don’t
know
who
my
International
Student

short
term,
but
in
the
long
run.
Over
the
years,
the
 Advisor
is.
I’ve
never
met
him/her
one‐on‐one.
Yongmi,

International
Student
Program
at
Cypress
College
has
 Gina,
and
Renay
are
three
wonderful
ladies
that
will
guide

been
the
key
that
unlocked
the
path
to
success
for
many
 you
to
your
path
and
make
your
journey
really
smooth.
If

international
students.
The
program
not
only
cares
for
 it
wasn’t
for
them‐
I’d
still
be
struggling
in
the
United

students
transitional
needs
but
also
prepares
them
for
an
 States.”
Finally,
Yoichi
and
Sagar’s
testimonies
are
similar

illustrious
(promising)
future.
This
is
the
experience
of
 to
the
many
other
students
who
have
benefited
from
this

many
international
students
including
Yoichi
Hamashita,
a
 program.
Even
though
many
of
them
soar
in
their

2007
marketing
graduate
from
Cypress
College,
who
 fabulous
carrier
paths,
the
best
advice
they
could
share

presently
is
the
marketing
manager
for
a
Japanese
 with
students
is
to
enjoy
their
college
life
participating

company
in
Irvine.
He
confirms
that
the
ISP
gave
him
the
 and
mingling
with
the
ISP.
This
is
the
best
way
to
enhance

experience
he
needed
to
tackle
the
daily
hustle
in
his
 your
future
which
cannot
be
learned
in
class.


field,
especially
dealing
with
clients
of
different
 

nationalities
and
cultures.
He
commented,
“One
of
the

challenges
I
had
at
that
time
(before
coming
to
the
US)

was
how
to
interact
with
people
from
different
countries.

At
Cypress
College
(ISP),
I
learned
how
to
relate
with

people
by
meeting
and
hanging
out
with
a
lot
of
people

on
and
off
campus,
and
now
I
am
totally
comfortable

when
meeting
people
on
business
for
the
first
time.”

Another
ex‐Cypress
College
2008
graduate,
who
is

currently
majoring
in
Finance
at
CSUF,
Sagar
Sangani,

gratefully
commended
the
ISP
as
a
program
“that
has

Former
International
Students
from
Cypress
College,

helped
a
lot
of
international
…over
the
years.”
He
added

Sagar
Sangani
(left)
and
Yoichi
Hamashita
(right)

that,
“The
one‐on‐one
meetings,
conversation
hours,

quick
e‐mail
responses
and
friendly
counseling
have

helped
me
gain
a
lot
of
knowledge
as
an
international

student.
Transferring
to
a
new
school
is
not
an
easy

process
and
the
ISP
made
sure
everything
went
really

smooth
for
me.”
In
addition
the
ISP
is
composed
of
well‐
experienced
staff
whose
commitment
and
advice
help

them
succeed
after
Cypress.
In
fact
on
a
recent
interview,

Sagar
passionately
admitted,
“I
will
be
very
honest
with


14
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 – 2009

Last
words
from
the
newsletter
staff
.
.
.

DAPHNE ANNE GOPO
As we reach the end of the semester, I look back and I know one thing for sure. I will never forget the experiences,
and of course, the friends I have made at Cypress College. I do hope that for the students who will be continuing
on, that you will enjoy the time you spend here as much as I did. I give a special thanks to the ISP staff, Yongmi,
Gina, and Renay. Words cannot express how much I appreciate everything you have done for me and for the
program. It’s been a fun ride and I am now prepared for another chapter of my life. God bless you all!

JOSHUA OBIDAH
Personally, I feel privileged to have worked with this year’s newsletter team of two outstandingly hard working

ladies and two intelligent gentlemen. I learned from this experience how to coordinate with my fellow students in

getting the job done. I so much appreciate how dedicated each member was in fulfilling their task no matter how

great or small it was. In addition, I will like to congratulate the three graduating, Daphne, Yoso, and Ben. I must

confess it was awesome working with you guys. I learned a lot from you both. Also thank you so much Yongmi for

giving me the opportunity to work with these awesome students. Finally, I would like to encourage more

international students to share in this tremendous experience, especially for the next year’s newsletter.

RUTH OBIDAH
It’s so funny how the year went by. I am still in disbelief that I would no longer be called a freshman. Although this
year has been a very eventful one, thanks to the International Students Program and the International club, I urge
every reader to join me and look forward to a more eventful and fun year ahead. However, first things first; I’d like
to thank all the staff members, yes, Daphne, Ben, Josh and Yoso for their effort in putting together this newsletter.
I’d like to take the opportunity to especially thank Yongmi and Daphne for giving the rest of us the push we
needed to complete this newsletter. See you all next semester.

YOSATHORN PAMON-MONTRI
My two years at Cypress College have been great in settling me into a new life in America. The experiences, the

people I’ve met and the support from the International Students Program here has developed a firm foundation

for when I do transfer to upper division. My advice to new international students is to make good use of the

student mentoring program, join the international club and finally make sure you try to get brownie points with

Gina, Renay, and Yongmi! Take care and good luck.

BENJAMIN THOMPSON-STAR
It has been a pleasure to have the opportunity to work on the Newsletter for the 2008-2009 academic year. We had a
great group of dedicated people led by none other than Daphne, which made this an easy and fulfilling project. I will be
transferring after this semester and I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the international student community here
at Cypress College. Although I have not really found a sense of community among the Cypress College student body I
have definitely found one among the international students and I think that is thanks to a great group of students and
a fantastic staff.

15
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS YEAR 2008 - 2009
Try
and
test
your
knowledge!

Giving
credit
where
credit’s
due..


Photos
used
in
the
newsletter
by:


Daphne
Gopo
 Kenny
Rivera

Selena
Medina
 Ha
Tram

Ruth
Obidah
 Boonchob
Vijarnsorn
Sean
Oh


North
Orange
County
Community
College
District

Board
of
Trustees:

Manny
Ontiveros

Leonard
Lahtinen

Michael
B.
Matsuda

Jeffrey
P.
Brown


Barbara
Dunsheath

Molly
McClanahan

Donna
Miller

Ethan
Morse,
Student
Trustee,
Fullerton
College

Carissa
Clark,
Student
Trustee,
Cypress
College



Ned
Doffoney,
Ed.D.,
Chancellor


9200
Valley
View
St.

Cypress,
CA
90630

(714)
484 7000

http://www.cypresscollege.edu