Life as the ISA!

Many of you have asked how my job is going and what it is I do, so today's update is about my job.

First of all, "ISA" stands for International Student Advisor which is long to say (and type), so I'm referred to as the ISA. The term "Advisor" is used in several different ways when referring to what I do. First, I provide academic advising to all of the undergraduate students who have not yet declared their major. This means that I help them to understand the graduation requirements and steer them in the right direction toward their anticipated major. It's also my responsibility to monitor their academic progress. If any students fall below a 2.0 GPA, I'm notified and have to work with the student to help get their grades up.

Second, I am the immigration advisor as it pertains to the F-1 student visa. I have to make sure they enroll in full time units, don't work off campus without permission and are prepared if they leave the U.S. and need to come back. I also help process their paperwork for work permits, reinstatements (if they break the law) and other government forms.

Third, I'm the Advisor for two student clubs, the Japanese Student Association and the International Student Association (also called the ISA). This advisorship includes signing budget requests, monitoring the student leaders and making sure that the club activities are legit. So the constant use of "Advisor" may seem redundant, but it sums up my tasks into one easy term.

As of last week, I advise 165 undergraduate and graduate students at three different campuses (the Ellensburg main campus and two others which are satellite campuses in the Seattle area). I also monitor about 30 students who are participating in post-graduation internships throughout the U.S. It may sound like a lot, but it's actually a pretty decent load.

Most of my students are Asian (Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam) with a few Euros and two or three Africans. So despite the fact that I'm advising almost three times the number of students than at FPU, there are actually less countries represented, which is a little disappointing. It's also difficult to keep track of them. Most of their names give no indication of whether they're male or female, and then to make it more confusing, they use their "American" name, so I still have no idea who they are! With the holidays soon upon us, I've been able to meet more of them coming in for travel endorsements, but I think it's going to take me a while to meet them all.

The office structure is on a much grander scale than at FPU. Our office of 40 employees consists of four different departments. One is the ESL school (they have about 90+ students), another is Study Abroad (U.S. students studying abroad and 14 students from abroad studying at CWU), and the third is "AUAP" which is an exchange program with a specific university in Japan who requires their students to study in Washington for six months. ESL and AUAP have their own classes and teachers, so they get to know their students really well. Our department is the head of all the other departments, but because my position doesn't really fit anywhere else, I report directly to the head of the department as do the directors of the other departments.

As for the office environment, it's also VERY different than FPU. As I mentioned in a previous entry, I hardly see my boss, even though he's right across the hall. Lately I've seen him quite a bit, so that's good. I work primarily with Nicole, our SEVIS Technician whose office is connected to mine (you'll see her in the video below). Other than her, I almost have to seek out my other co-workers. It's kind of strange to have to make an effort to talk to people, but when I do, everyone responds positively. It's not like they're rude or anything, they just sort of keep to themselves (I miss Dave Sadler). Selmah (in Study Abroad, pictured above) is my closest office friend. She and I get along really well and have lunch together almost every day.

I LOVE my student workers, Deema and Sarah. Both of them are American, but Deema is originally from Lebanon and Sarah is an Asian studies major. They technically work for everyone in the department, but I tend to seek their help more than anyone else does. They're no Oxana, Annie or Lidija, but I've taken them under my wing in hopes of hopefully establishing a close relationship.

Besides missing student relationships, my biggest struggle has been working in a non-Christian environment. I'm having conversations I've never had before, and getting frustrated by some of the activities that occur on campus. There's this big "campaign," if you will, to emphasize openness to all people, when in reality, they're not at all open to conservative Christians. Everyone in my office definitely knows I'm a Christian, but even those who I know are Christians too aren't very open about it. It's just going to take me a while to get used to.

Okay, this is getting long, so I'll stop here. The video below is a tour of my office.