Le Moyne is a unique college, not only in its values and teaching, but also in its community. Not many people know that Le Moyne has many students from around the world in its student body. Below are just a few of the international students here at Le Moyne.

AUSTRALIA: Tiffany Dun, 2019, Management and Leadership in Business

How did you hear about Le Moyne and why did you choose to come?
I’ve always wanted to come to the States for college and I got recruited for the Le Moyne tennis team! 

What do you like most about Le Moyne?
I love the small campus and class sizes because it’s so easy to get to know all the people here, and it’s like living in a little community.

What would you say was the biggest adjustment when you first came to the U.S.?
Everyone talks funny here, and we have different words for some things in Australia. So it’s been weird listening to everyone’s American accents and having to explain myself sometimes when people don’t realize what a “jumper” or a “mozzie” is. 

What do you miss about home?
I miss my older brother and little sister the most because I used to tell them everything and now it’s hard to find a time to talk because of the time difference. 

Is there something you wish you could have brought from home here?
My queen size bed would be nice. 

Do you go home often?
No, because flights are too long and expensive to go back to Australia for the shorter holidays, so I’m going to Canada with another girl from the tennis team over Thanksgiving and Christmas. I might head back to Australia over the summer. 

Are you planning on staying in the U.S. after graduation or going back home?
Not too sure yet! We’ll see how it goes. 

Main differences between your culture and the culture in the U.S.?
The word choices and slang are very different! And the serving sizes here are also a lot bigger. Like one slice of pizza should not be bigger than your head!

How has your experience been so far? 
So far, I’ve loved it! I’ve travelled around quite a bit for tennis and it’s been nice to see a bit of the country. I love being able to study and play tennis at the same time and have made some really amazing friends on my team! 

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ENGLAND: Jack Ball, 2017, Business Analytics 

 

How did you hear about Le Moyne and why did you choose to come?
I heard about Le Moyne when I attended the Bryant and Stratton downtown campus for my freshman and sophomore years. I played soccer there and wanted to step up in athletics and also academics. Le Moyne was a great fit.

 

What do you like most about Le Moyne?
Le Moyne has been a really easy transition. My teammates are excellent and made me feel really welcomed. My favourite part about Le Moyne is the pride that everybody takes in being associated with the college, you feel like a part of something bigger. 

 

What would you say was the biggest adjustment when you first came to the U.S.?
The biggest adjustment was the way of life. I don’t think many realize just how different America is to England. Almost nothing is the same; luckily we speak the same language. I’m still figuring out how to correctly cross the road. 

 

What do you miss about home?
Family is probably the only thing I miss from time to time. Apart from that, I love being in America and experiencing new things. Home will always be there. 

 

Is there something you wish you could have brought from home here?
I don’t think I would bring anything from home to the states, except some traditional dishes. Like a Sunday roast and a full English breakfast. 

 

Do you go home often?
I’ll be heading home this Christmas, it will be a year since I was last home. This summer I stayed in Long Island, which was an incredible experience. 

 

Are you planning on staying in the U.S. after graduation or going back home?
I haven’t decided whether I will stay in the States after graduating college. I suppose if some opportunities came up I would definitely consider it. 

 

Main differences between your culture and the culture in the U.S.?
I cannot think of many cultural differences. We have a large Indian influence in comparison to America’s Hispanic influences. Although we speak the same language we have a lot of different words and phrases. We don’t tip everyone for everything. 

 

How has your experience been so far?
My Le Moyne experience has been by far the best part of my American adventure. I feel very lucky and privileged to be a part of the college and thankful to be able to represent them playing soccer. 

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GREECE: Panagiotis Zaraidonis, 2017, Economics

 

How did you hear about Le Moyne and why did you choose to come?

I was offered a full scholarship to play basketball here, but before that I had never heard of Le Moyne. Also, the economics program is really good, as well. Those two are the factors that got me here in the first place.

 

What do you like most about Le Moyne?

I like the fact that it is a small school, so people get to know each other better and that creates a nice, friendly environment. Also, it is really helpful to students like me from another country, because we get closer to people and we don’t feel so alone.

 

What would you say was the biggest adjustment when you first came to the U.S.?

I think getting used to the cold weather over here was the biggest adjustment I had to make.

 

What do you miss about home?

The warm weather, the beaches, my friends, and my family are the things that I miss the most.

 

Is there something you wish you could have brought from home here?

My best friend, we have been together since first grade and since then we have been doing pretty much everything together. So not having him around is really annoying.

 

Do you go home often?

I only go home over the summer and I stay there the whole time. Every other time we get a break from school, I either stay on campus or go to a teammate’s house.

 

Are you planning on staying in the U.S. after graduation or going back home?

My plan is to go back to Europe to play basketball after I’m done with my undergrad program. After that I might come back to the States, go to grad school, and stay here after that.

 

Main differences between your culture and the culture in the U.S.?

The way people have fun. For example, in Greece people don’t drink so much to have fun. The food is different. Families are closer to each other in Greece than they are here. The main religion is different: Greek Orthodox. And of course speaking another language is the biggest difference [Greek-English].

        

How has your experience been so far?

I do like the school and the people here, so I would say my experience has been good so far. However, I will never be completely satisfied being here, just because of the cold and long winters.

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BAHAMAS: Candice Strachan, 2016, Psychology

 

How did you hear about Le Moyne and why did you choose to come?
I heard about Le Moyne from a list of scholarship opportunities and I chose this school because of its Jesuit tradition and high academic standards.

What do you like most about Le Moyne?
“Dolphy Day” is the most exciting event that I anxiously await for all year.

What would you say was the biggest adjustment when you first came to the U.S.?
When I first came to the U.S., I was only 16-years-old. I had no family in the entire U.S. I was seen as a “baby” in the eyes of many. I had to wise up, become independent, set childish things aside, and become an adult.   

What do you miss about home?
I miss the warm climate and crystal, clear waters.

Is there something you wish you could have brought from home here?

My native foods: cracked conch, conch fritters, crab and rice…just to name a few. Also, I would love to bring the Junkanoo cultural festivals.

Do you go home often?
Yes, during the Christmas holidays and the summer. If not, I normally go to New York City on shorter breaks to visit friends.

Are you planning on staying in the U.S. after graduation or going back home?
I plan to stay in the U.S. to complete my educational goals.

Main differences between your culture and the culture in the U.S.?
Junkanoo, the Bahamian music festival, provides lively music and dance that can’t be found in the U.S. My culture has a strong religious heritage and the Bahamas has more churches per capita than the U.S.

 

How has your experience been so far?
My experience has been good so far. Long lasting friendships have been made that I will cherish forever. I’ve had opportunities that helped me develop my leadership skills and pushed me into the path of my future career. Last but not least, the caring faculty of Le Moyne helped me along this journey and made this college feel like my second home.