Each international faculty member has an experience that is uniquely their own. Yet, many have stories that share commonalities such as culture shock, difficulty obtaining residency and other various hurdles that they had to leap over in order to obtain their current positions.

Making the transition from being an international student to an employee was the basis of a recent seminar in the ongoing "International Experience" series organized by Postdoctoral Association Chair Stefanie Baier.

Baier earned her PhD in educational psychology from Wayne State in 2014. Originally from Austria, she wrote her doctoral thesis on the experience of international students. When she discovered that her thesis had garnered over 10,000 downloads, she was inspired to create the series.

"As a former international student myself, I realized that there is no space for people to talk about their challenges and struggles, their successes and their highlights," said Baier.

Research Associate Chitra Thakur, one of the featured speakers at the seminar, says that in order for her to obtain the position she currently has in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, she had to be "more than a good scientist, but also a good communicator." She says in her experience, "people are warm and kind if you really approach them."

Originally from India, Thakur received her PhD in oncology and cancer biology from Julius Maximilians University in Germany in 2012. She says getting out of her comfort zone has been a large factor in her success, both in her personal life as well as her career.

"Without being judgmental, I approached people, made friends," said Thakur. "I was the first one to break the ice and started a conversation and then I realized that people actually do care and love to have friendly relations if you reach out to them."

Thakur says she now has friends from a variety of cultural backgrounds because she took this step. She also elaborated on the importance of communication in the science field.

"Being confined to the lab, absorbed in your own work, and not knowing or communicating with fellow colleagues in your own department is no good use when it comes to sharing our scientific outputs with the world," said Thakur. "It is imperative to be a good communicator along with being a decent researcher."

Baier says she wants the seminar series to normalize the experience of international students and hopes they will help students with similar experiences connect. However, she says the series can be enriching for everyone.

"I am also hoping that people who are not of international background attend these events to understand the experience of internationals, build relationships with them and recognize how connecting can enrich their lives in a variety of ways," said Baier.

The next installment of the series, "Understanding Culture Shock," will focus on various stages of culture shock and ways of coping with challenges and uncertainties. The seminar begins at noon in the OTL Suite, 150 Purdy Kresge Library. The Office of International Programs will provide a free lunch to all who RSVP.

By Jack Thomas, OIP communications associate

The Office of International Programs leads Wayne State's global engagement by creating opportunities that foster international education and research, facilitate the exchange of individuals and ideas that promote global competencies and citizenship, and provide resources that support the expansion of the university's global agenda. Follow us @WayneOIP.