Transcript of Podcast #1: Interview with Aimee Jiang
In Attendance: Aimee Jiang (she/her), Melisa Perut (she/they)
Melisa: Hi everyone! Welcome! Today we are with Aimee, the International Student Officer. Right? That’s who you are. Aimee and I’m Melisa your host for the podcast. I’m coming to you live from the pink roof. Hi Aimee, it’s so great to have you today. How have you been doing? It’s been a busy week
Aimee: It’s been a very busy week, but doing well.
Melisa: Great, so as we jump into our podcast, so the podcasts are here for international students, so they can get to learn about GIC. They get to learn about the programs, and it’ll make it easier for them to transition into their lives here at UCI. These are available to all of the students, international students more particularly. That’s who we’re gearing the podcast to be, for this our first episode. So we’re very excited about it. Our hope is that we can grow as a community. We can learn from each other. We can share our experiences and use podcasts as we’re washing our dishes or doing our laundry to learn more about life here at UCI, as we make our transition. We’re glad to have Aimee here with us, and I would like to begin with our first question for Aimee which is can you tell us a little about yourself and your role at GIC.
Aimee: Yeah so I am originally from Washington State, which many people get confused with the capital. So it’s not where all the presidential stuff is. It is in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Very mountainous, and also ocean beach. So I really love being down here because I still get some of that kind of beach atmosphere and the mountains aren’t too far away. But I love being in California, I love Orange County, and so I’m excited to welcome you all to this area. My role as the International Student Support Officer for Graduate Division is to not focus on any part of immigration, but to really focus on the holistic support of a student while they’re here. So that can be from difficulty transitioning, there’s a lot of feelings that come along with that. Some is, you know, excited, but also there’s a lot of worries, so I’m here to support students through that. And then I’m here throughout their journey to support them along the way because many times those feelings come and go, you know, sometimes big things happen in our lives, and we want to be home for them and so I’m here for students through that, through getting to talk about careers as you get towards the end of your time here, which is what we’re all here for, is to graduate at some point right? We all want to finish our program. I’m here for that journey as well. But part of my role is to coordinate the Graduate Interconnect Program. So training mentors and walking them through the program for them to support our incoming students. I have a master’s in college counseling and student development and I know what it’s like to be a grad student. I know how hard financially it was for me to be a grad student but also just feeling separated from my friends, who maybe weren’t in grad school. So I know some of those feelings and emotions that come along with it. So I always love supporting my students through these experiences.
Melisa: That’s really cool. Most of you will see that not a lot of your previous institutions might have had somebody like Aimee, so it might not be familiar to have somebody in this role, which was the case for many of the graduate students here. But you’ll see that Aimee is a great resource that you can reach out to. She will try support you in the best way possible, or if she doesn’t have the resources, she will direct you to the correct resources as well. So she is a part of GIC so can you tell us a little about GIC and the role of GIC for international students?
Aimee: Yeah so I definitely encourage people to take part in GIC. It’s a once in your time here experience to be a mentee within the program. So this program is created to help you from the moment you say yes to the end of your first quarter. So we want to walk you through all of those feelings during the summer to have someone to talk to all the way to I’ve arrive on campus and you feel maybe a little lost or like it’s just kind of an overwhelming experience, even if you’ve already been in the U.S.before. To be in a new maybe town, to maybe be your first time at campus, and how do you navigate your way around? So, knowing you have someone here that has guided you, who is here for you, who’s maybe only an email way. “I’m really lost, and I don’t know where to find this kind of grocery. Can you help me?” You have someone there with you if you participate in the program. And then for your first quarter. First quarter is always kind of the most difficult in your transition, especially getting used to the quarter system. So maybe new holidays that pop up in our year for students that maybe haven’t been in the U.S. before and so, having someone again, just is there for you to walk with you and to make this experience easier for you is really what this program is designed for.
Melisa: And GIC also has mentors. Can you tell us a little bit about the role of mentors as a part of GIC? And what you just mentioned.
Aimee: Yeah, so signing up for GIC means that you get partnered with someone who’s a current graduate student here. A lot of our mentors are international students, but some of our domestic students participate as just wanting to encourage their peers who are international and learn more about maybe, where you’re from. Maybe it’s a new country that they don’t know much about, and so we do have some domestic peers as well. But everyone is a current student, so they all know what it’s like whether you are starting from coming from L.A. or you’re coming from the other side of the world. Everyone has a transitional process when they start grad school, and so they all know what that’s like, and they’re here to support you.
Melisa: That’s really cool, and it’s not just for like when we say graduate students, it’s not just Ph.D. students, but also masters students right?
Aimee: Any student that is not within law or the School of Medicine or within the business School masters programs are eligible to participate in GIC, those other programs have their own version of a nurturing program like this, and some of them start in different time periods. So that’s why they don’t participate.
Melisa:: And you know we would like to have them. Of course it’s not we that we don’t. But there are some technical issues.
Aimee: Some technical issues, it’s funny when you’re talking to some of the business students that start in the spring. Then you’re like. How about housing? And they’re like I figured that out long time ago. So you know, just logistically doesn’t make sense for them to participate. But we do encourage them to check out some of our events in the Fall Quarter, and participate in International Education Week, which you’ll hear more about, so we do hope to get that community still looped into what we do.
Melisa: That’s that’s great. And you also mentioned housing. So I wanted to ask you what kind of concerns do international students come to you. And what are the common questions that you respond to?
Aimee: Yeah, I think, before students get here the most common questions are housing, food. Where do I find food? What’s good food? A lot of fears about what American food is. I think we have. We have a lot of kind of images of what our food is throughout the world. That but Irvine and Orange County in general, I think, has a little more of a healthy mentality around food. So there’s a little more diversity, a little more fresh veggies, and fruits that you can find pretty easily here. So yeah. Housing, food transportation. L. A. Is known for not having great transportation, and so public transportation can look a little different in Orange County. But what does that look like? Do I need to drive? Do I need a car? Finances? And then I would say, to like health insurance, health insurance in the U.S. can be very different from students that are maybe from a place that has more of a universal health care plan. So how do I use it? What vaccines do I need before I get there? Do I need them before? Or is there like a grace period? And there definitely is a grace period. So those kinds of things, I think, are generally the biggest kind of logistical thing students ask before they get here. But then, once students are here, it’s a lot more of how do I build friends and community? How do I get over the fact that I’m really missing home? How do I balance being still connected to the people back home and building community here. Life goes on back home without me. So it feels weird when I go back home like those kind of more kind of emotional parts of a graduate school journey.
Melisa: Wow! So you’re doing a lot. But that’s great that we have a resource that is able to respond to our questions, and a wide range of questions as well. So just as you know, a word of encouragement to incoming international students. There are resources for you, and there will be people that will try to help you and get the answers that we need for your questions. So you can feel a little bit more comfortable coming in, and we’re excited too, of course. Have you all? And then I want to ask Aimee what advice do you have for incoming international students as they start thinking about their transition as they start packing their bags and getting ready and saying goodbye to some of their friends and getting ready to make this big move to UCI.
Aimee: Yeah, I think one of the things is to ask questions. I have a lot of students that I talk to that are afraid to ask questions, or they don’t feel like anyone else is asking the same question. But a lot of those questions are built off of those emotions you feel coming here, and that’s a very common thing. You know. We’re all excited to try something new right to go on a big new adventure in grad school, especially grad school in Irvine is a big new adventure for a lot of people. So ask the questions that you need to make that the most comfortable journey for you. But you’re still going to be nervous like, you know. If you’re flying here, you might have flight, anxiety like me, but you also might be nervous about just what do I do when I land? What is that gonna be like? So ask your mentor what that experience was like for them, or recommendations that they would have, so that you feel you have a little bit of a safety net in how to get to campus. What is that gonna look like? What do I need to do in my first week? So attend panels, ask questions but understand, too. I think the biggest thing is just knowing you’re not alone and feeling those things. So you’re not the only one that’s nervous or scared or like, am I making the right decision? We all ask those questions on big adventures like this. It’s okay to ask those questions but don’t let it stop you if you’re also really excited and wanting to pursue something at this level.
Melisa: That’s that’s great to hear, and also cultural barriers can also be a thing where you don’t want to overburden the person by asking those questions and what you have to say to those people that feel like they shouldn’t be asking too many questions Aimee.
Aimee: Very common. It’s my job. It’s literally my job to answer your questions, and I love my job. So ask your questions. I think it’s really important to know that that is available for you. Our professors, a lot of our staff members we answer the same questions all day long, and if I answered your question and it wasn’t really the question you asked, maybe ask it again, or say, hey, that didn’t really answer what I’m looking for maybe let me clarify, because sometimes I think we’re asking a question. I know the technicals of answering it but what you’re asking is something different. So try to re-ask questions. If you’re not getting the answer, don’t go. Okay? Well, that didn’t answer it, but too bad. I’m not gonna try again keep trying, because sometimes they’re just yeah different ways of asking something that might actually get you the right answer
Melisa: Yeah and there are so many things that you can learn from just one simple question, because Aimee has a lot of information and ideas, and you will get a lot. So don’t be afraid to ask. That will be my advice to everybody that’s coming in. So we kind of talked about GIC and life at UCI as incoming international students and it seems a little bit daunting. So now I want to move into what’s fun and what to do when you come to UCI, and what should international students expect as they make their transition. And I want to, you know, direct that question to you, Aimee, by asking, what do you like to do? Living in Southern California living in Irvine. What do you do? And what should international students be on the look at for?
Aimee: Yeah, if you like to go outside, this is a great place for hiking, running, biking, taking long walks. I love doing all those things. I usually will get a nice cup of tea and go on a walk. Go on a hike, especially this season, right now. Take your allergy meds, and then go on a hike because it’s blooming all of the beautiful flowers everywhere, but it’s stunning to be able to see those flowers. I love getting outside. So kayaking, just going down to the water, too. There’s something really calming for water to me. And so I love just going and sitting at the beach and listening to the waves. We have really beautiful beaches down here. I just recommend that you try and find a way to get there without parking, because parking can be kind of a nightmare and expensive. So yeah, I think I like to go outside a lot if you like to shop there’s really good shopping centers here. I have a lot of really good food. I really love eating around here, and I have dietary restrictions. So eating there’s a lot of like vegan food, a lot of vegetarian food, and that makes it easy for me to eat around here.
Melisa: Well, that’s so exciting, you know, and everybody just be on the lookout because we’re going to have more episodes, talking about different places to eat, and what kind of documentation you might need for certain things like what kind of passes you might need, for parking somewhere, National Parks or State Parks. So we’ll talk all about those as well in upcoming episodes. But we want to thank you all for joining us. Thank you, Aimee, for joining us today and joining the first episode of our podcast. We apologize If we made any mistakes on the way. Hopefully, everything worked out, and you’re able to listen. So we’re excited, and always feel free to reach out to Aimee. If you have any questions, if you have any questions regarding the podcast feel free to reach out to me as well. You’ll have all of the information, but we want to thank you all, and have a great rest of your day and enjoy, Take care.