Campus Connection

[caption id="attachment_38184" align="alignright" width="588"] Lisbeth Reynertson, fifth from left, and her family share a past Christmas with students from Vietnam and India as well as their daughter and her family.[/caption] The holidays are a time to enjoy the company of close family and relatives, but for many UW-L international students those loved ones are thousands of miles away. That’s why an organization formed about 25 years ago to connect international students with area families during the holidays and throughout the year. This holiday season, La Crosse Friends of International Students is in need of more people to sign up to extend their friendship to international students. UW-L has international students from 30 countries. The majority stay in the U.S. during winter break. For the holidays, some choose to travel, but others have no plans.

“We desperately need new friendship families,” says Lisbeth Reynertson, founder of the organization and president of the board. “I think it’s wonderful for international students to experience American families, and some of these friendships will last forever.”

Reynertson clarifies that friendship families are not host families as international students do not stay with them. Instead, friendship families offer their time to share various experiences throughout the year with international students. The level of commitment and frequency is up to the friendship family. This holiday season, families may invite students for a holiday meal, take them out for a cup of coffee, or invite them on a trip to Rotary Lights. Experiences that are available in Wisconsin’s cold climate are a great way to share culture, says Miranda Panzer, UW-L international student advisor. Some families take students snowshoeing or snowboarding. “Friendship families get a chance to show an international student what it’s like to be an American in Wisconsin,” says Panzer. Reynertson has invited two international students from Nepal to her home on Christmas Day for the family gathering. During winter break, two international student alumni will also visit. Ha Truong, a UW-L alumna from Vietnam, first started spending time with the Reynertson family as an international student. Now living in Milwaukee, she plans to return to see the Reynertson’s this Christmas. She says Lisbeth has become like a mother to her. She is thankful for the family, which she says is “always there for me.” “They are like family members who care for me and listen to me,” she says. The experience not only benefits students. “My kids grew up with international students from all over the world,” says Reynertson. “I think that was a great enrichment experience for our family. It opened our world.” Friendship families are able to learn about another culture and see their own culture through a different lens, adds Panzer. Moreover, when international students leave Wisconsin, they are left with a lasting impression of its people, says Reynertson. “For world peace it’s important,” says Reynertson. “These students are bright, intelligent people who will go back to their countries and contribute a lot to the world, so it’s important they have this experience.”

How to get involved in La Crosse Friends of International Students

Anyone is welcome to sign up to become a friendship family. Some participants are families and others are singles. Program organizers are most interested in people willing to make a long-term commitment rather than hosting students for a one-time event; however, any level of participation is appreciated. Several events are organized during the year, including an initial gathering every fall where new international students meet their friendship families. International students and friendship families participate in a harvest dinner in November and another event for new, incoming international students in January. People interested in becoming a friendship family should fill out an online application. Questions? Contact Panzer at 608.785.8016 or mpanzer@uwlax.edu.