New perspectives and friendships for life were celebrated yesterday at the International Center's (IZ) summer party. Around 150 students raised their glasses to the Intercultural Mentoring Program- personalized one-to-one mentoring for international students provided by experienced peers - which was honored last year with an award from the Federal Foreign Office for its outstanding support of international students. Former and current mentors and mentees gathered to network while enjoying finger food, refreshing lemonade, and live music.
Genuine support for everyday university life
For Gulam Tajdaar, the mentoring program was exactly what he needed when he started at the University of Stuttgart. "It was great to have a mentor by my side and to make new friends,” he stated, and his mentor, Janina Faiß, agrees: “For me, the mentoring program is above all about meeting new people, building friendships, and exchanging ideas across cultures. It's a great opportunity to learn from each other and to feel comfortable in an international environment."
This is exactly what the Intercultural Mentoring Program is all about: students at the University of Stuttgart accompany and support international students for a semester. The mentoring pairs choose their own topics - arriving at university, learning a new language, making new friends - experiences that can be exciting but also overwhelming. "The mentoring program helped me to make new contacts and deepen existing ones. In the meantime, we’ve not only become a great mentoring pair but also good friends,” says Yagiz Arasan, a mentee from Turkey. “Mentoring has given me a new friendship that I’m confident will last for a long time.” “The events are also fantastic, like this semester’s hut weekend. It gives you the opportunity to enjoy student life with new people in a cool setting," adds his mentor Niket Shah.
The initiative offers a comprehensive program of leisure activities and workshops designed to help participants explore Stuttgart and the surrounding region. Over 3,500 mentors and mentees have taken part in the program, which has been running for 13 years. “The Intercultural Mentoring Program exemplifies our university’s commitment to a welcoming and inclusive culture,” says Professor Alexander Brem, Vice Rector for International Affairs and Transfer. "It connects people from different backgrounds and creates space for an open exchange. I am delighted to witness the meaningful friendships that form here and to see international students being supported and welcomed as equals. Such personal relationships are key to a successful and enriching start to your studies in Stuttgart. My sincere thanks go to the dedicated team at the International Office, whose hard work makes these encounters possible and brings fresh momentum to diverse collaborations.”
