Central Washington University is home to students from around the country, but it also has the pleasure of receiving many international students. CWU international students come from all across the globe to join the other students here in the small town of Ellensburg. So, how do these students enjoy it here on campus?
Sorim Woo and Emi Muraki are two international students here at CWU, Woo being here from South Korea and Muraki being here from Japan. Fall 2024 was their first quarter here in Ellensburg.
Muraki reflected on her experience in her classes. “I’m having a lot of fun!” Muraki said. “I… [made] many new friends and they are so nice… This quarter I took 4 classes, two [of which] have assignments and I think this was a good choice.”
Woo spoke on the events CWU had to offer this quarter. “It was [a] really good [quarter],” Woo said. “There were a lot of events at CWU, including international week … Everyone is nice to me and the campus is really beautiful.”
Woo describes one of her favorite memories from Fall quarter was: “[carving] pumpkins for Halloween with my friends. In Korea, it is not usual [to do] some special activity on Halloween so I could feel the American vibe… Also during international week, we made our country’s food and shared [with] each other. I was really happy to have my country’s food and share my food [and] culture to [with] others.”
Muraki remembered her favorite moment being, “I had a choir concert this quarter and my friends came to see me,” Muraki said. “They also brought me some gifts and I was very happy!”CWU’s international students bring a different perspective to the small campus here in Ellensburg. The American students who may have never had the opportunity to go anywhere outside the country get to learn about all these different cultures from around the world and experience different parts of these cultures through the events involving the international students on campus.
Other international students who may also not have been able to experience many cultures outside of their own get the chance to learn from each other as well. Woo found this to be the case when she came to CWU. “I experienced [a] bigger world,” Woo said. “There are various cultures at CWU, [and] I can widen my sights from this quarter here.” Now that the end of the Fall 2024 quarter is upon us, Muraki shares one final opinion about life on campus: “I [just] want Panda Express to be open on weekends too.”
