International students meet at coffee hour

The International Coffee Hour, an event sponsored by the Office of International Education, brings together VCU students and faculty members from all over the world.

“This gives international students a chance to practice speaking English,” said Pamela Haney, International student services coordinator. “And it’s also an opportunity for them to make friends and establish a support group.”

Although Robert Wood, an international student-services coordinator, started the program more than 12 years ago, Haney said she is just maintaining the process.

“I enjoy having time to interact with students and being able to answer their questions,” she said.

International Coffee Hour occurs every Wednesday from 12:30-2 p.m. It is open to the public, and it allows those who attend to enjoy a variety of food and beverages.

This event consists of many different people speaking a variety of languages from Arabic to Spanish and enjoying each other’s company.

“This is the time when international students can gather and talk to each other,” said Han Nguyen, a first-year pharmacy student from Vietnam.

Kaleb Abebe, also a first-year pharmacy student who applied to VCU after arriving in he U.S. from Ethiopia, agrees.

“I feel like all of this is really nice, because you get to meet foreign people, and they know what you’re going through because they have gone through the process,” he said.