Stepping into a new-to-you space for the first time comes with a wide range of emotions, regardless of whether it’s the first day of school, the first time in the board room, or the first time leading a committee or initiative. Adding the challenges of doing that thousands of miles away from home creates the perfect storm for feeling overwhelmed. For the Marshall community, it also presents the perfect opportunity to mobilize the mission statement through the International Ambassador Program.

Launched in 2018, the program aims to help new international students transition into our community and to provide student leaders with the tools to foster an inclusive environment within the Marshall School community.

This school year set a record for the number of different countries represented on campus through the international program, with students hailing from nine countries. To help ease the adjustment, incoming international students are connected with domestic ambassadors before their arrival so the pairs have a foundation to build on during the school year through various activities and events.

Ella Grim ’21 joined the student ambassador program at its inception and has participated wholeheartedly. “My second [international student match] and I have become good friends. We didn’t struggle much with getting to know each other; we’d been emailing before she arrived, and once she was here we built on that by hanging out, touring Duluth, and celebrating her birthday. We have a lot in common personality-wise, so we were able to bond pretty quickly,” she shared. “Our biggest strength in overcoming the barriers of meeting someone new was curiosity. We both wanted to know more about the other’s family, interests, and life experiences, so we had a lot to talk about! We’ve kept building our friendship over the past two years, and she’s one of the people I’m closest with at Marshall.”

Maritsa Harris ’22 has had a similar experience through the program: “Last year I was matched with a student from Japan. We became very close; she played basketball with me and we would study together every once in a while. It was a great moment sharing the section champs title with her. I was so proud of how far each of us came that basketball season. When school had to pivot to distance learning I drove up to Marshall to say goodbye before she left for Japan. Today we still talk and interact on social media. I’m hoping to visit her this summer or next.”

Beyond meeting the need to support new international students, the program also provides a natural space for domestic students to explore their own cultural lenses and gain self-awareness about their worldviews. According to Jessica Martinelli ’22, “Allyship training has allowed me to be more conscious of prejudice and biases as well as how to navigate and deal with them. It has also made me realize that everyone has different life experiences and that we can learn from our different experiences. I feel like in applying allyship training to my life I’ve tried to be more understanding and compassionate to others’ feelings and beliefs.”

From the beginning, it was evident that the program is mutually beneficial for international students and the Marshall community at large. “It’s important to understand that though the program was created for the explicit purpose of supporting our international students, it was imperative that this provides the groundwork to create a more inclusive school community for everyone,” explained Bettina Keppers, Director of Residential Life at Marshall House. “It lays the foundation for true friendship and empathy across differences. The ambassadors have committed to understanding how it’s possible to overcome cross-cultural communication and miscommunication, how to interrupt an inappropriate conversation regardless of the issue being discussed, how to recognize their own bias in a situation to address it more objectively, and how to help a student through culture shock.”

IT LAYS THE FOUNDATION FOR TRUE FRIENDSHIP AND EMPATHY ACROSS DIFFERENCES

This level of commitment for Hilltoppers in the program is evident. “The ambassador program provides an amazing opportunity to build cross-cultural connections and understanding. The fun bonding activities we do give us all the space to share our experiences and push our understanding of other identities,” Ella said. “Really, though, we all learn that our similarities are stronger than any differences. We might worship differently, speak a different set of languages, or celebrate different holidays, but [maybe] we share music tastes or are both the oldest sibling in our family or love cooking across cultures. These commonalities pull us together. We learn to respect and celebrate everyone’s cultural identity while finding and building on the identities we share.”

For Bettina, Marshall’s identity as a school that prioritizes global citizenship is fully realized through the relationships these students form. “To be a truly global community, I believe we must first be able to know ourselves, the impact our words and actions have on others, and be willing to be vulnerable enough to make mistakes. We have so much we can learn from one another if we’re willing to be vulnerable enough to try something new, to work through something awkward, and come out on the other side of the situation stronger and more understanding. Our ability to know ourselves, empathize with others’ experiences, and create new experiences together creates a sense of belonging.”

Bettina continued, “I feel the entire Marshall community benefits from a strong student ambassador program. Our ambassadors are leaders who have chosen empathy and to build relationships with someone new. They’re brave, they’re taking a stand, and they’re bringing our mission statement to life: Global citizenship, respect, compassion, integrity, self-discipline, and intellectual curiosity.”

Jessica agreed wholeheartedly: “It’s important to know that every student who travels abroad to come to Marshall is very brave and makes the Marshall community richer for having them there. Also, that it’s important to be open in all senses of the word regarding belief, curiosity, and intention. As well as remembering that we can learn from each other and how we treat others matters.”