!

HOW DID YOU FIND

YOURSELF HERE?............1 ISSUE 4 VO LU ME 1 YEAR 2 00 7— 2 00 8

! ISP STATISTICS,
BEACH DAY, AND MENTOR
& MENTEE PROGRAM…. 2-4

International
! PRESIDENT’S LIST,
SPORTS DAY, TRANSFER

focus
STUDENTS, SPORTS
DAY…………….7-13

A PUBLICATIO N BY I NTERNATIO NAL ST UDENT S AT CYPRESS

CO LLEG E, F OCUSI NG O N T HEI R ACADEMIC ACHI EVEMENT S,
YEAR-LO NG ACT IVI TIES AND OTHER HIGHLIG HTS .

A Warm Welcome to
the End of the Year
Dear International Stu- Program, Conversation
dents: We would like to Hour and those students
introduce International Fo- who organized other ac-
cus—a hot-off-the-press tivities.
newsletter by Interna-
tional Students of 2007- Welcome to the first edi-
2008. tion of the Cypress College
International Focus!
Overall, this has been a
very successful year for
the students and for the
International Students
Program itself. This news-
letter will focus on year-
long academic achieve-
ments, Mentor/Mentee

Let’s Speak International

Match it up!
1. Kwaheri a. Take care in Bisaya
2. Ayo-ayo b. How are you doing? In Jamaican
3. Wah Guan c. Goodbye in Swahili
4. Arigato d. Hello in Korean
5. Anyong-ha seayo e. Thank you in Japanese
Answers on page 16
 ISP Staff Answers: How Did You Find Yourself Working Here?

YONGMI HAN
Before coming to Cypress College to oversee its International Students Program in 2005, I
was working at ELS Language Centers at Chapman University in Orange. While working
there as the center director, I got to know Joyce Ricci, who was the manager of the college’s
ISP.

Joyce and I had worked closely together since many of my students from ELS transferred to
Cypress College, and I highly recommended the college’s small International Students Pro-
gram, more so than some other big schools and their international student programs.

In the summer 2005 Joyce emailed me about her promotion to be the interim dean of Coun-
seling and Students Development at Cypress and told me that her old position, the ISP Man-
ager position, was vacant. I applied for the position and was hired to be its interim manager
for one year, and then as its permanent manager the following year.

GINA MARROCCO
I was a student at Cypress College and I was a student worker in the Business Building
Computer Lab. My word processing teacher was responsible for the lab. I kept in contact
with my word processing teacher and my academic counselor after graduating.

I missed my son during the day and I felt I was missing out on a lot of milestones. I
wanted to find a good part-time job. I contacted my teacher and counselor regarding jobs
at Cypress College. They referred me to the Cypress College website and there was a
part-time job listed! I applied for the job immediately. I was hired for the Administrative
Assistant position in the Center for Intercultural Understanding. I was responsible for the
center, study abroad and the international student orientation. This position evolved into
my current position as Administrative Assistant II for the International Students Program.

RENAY LAGUANA-FERINAC
I grew up in Cypress and I attended Cypress College myself. I was going back to graduate
school for career counseling and I needed to decide a field work placement. So when I needed
to think about where I wanted to work, I thought about Cypress College because I had such a
positive experience as a student. As a result of my field work (1998), I was offered to work as
a part-time counselor position for one year. Then a full-time position became available and the
rest is history. I enjoy my job tremendously. I love working with the students especially inter-
national students. I’ve been working for 10 years at Cypress College and I still enjoy my work
as much as I did from day one.

International Student Office

Student Workers
International Students Office
Office Hours
Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Location
Student Activities Center

From Left to Right:

Zarah Nulud (Philippines), Sagar Sangani (Tanzania),
Daphne Gopo (Phillippines) , Phebe Grant (Jamaica)

2
 Cypress College
International Student Population
Australia 1
Brazil 6
Canada 1
Chile 1
China 2
England 1
France 1
Germany 3
Indonesia 2
Jamaica 1
Japan 19
Kenya 2
Korea 57
Malaysia 1
Nepal 1
New Zealand 1
Nigeria 1
Peru 3
Philippines 12
Singapore 1
Taiwan 6
Tanzania 3
Thailand 7
Vietnam 25
Zambia 1

3
 Beach Day
If you didn’t attend this event you really missed out.
The Fall 2007 mentors and mentees decided to have a
relaxing day at Huntington Beach. The Mentor/
Mentee Program is really fun and exciting. Mentors
not only get business done (help with classes) but they
also plan fun activities for the mentees. Well, back to
the story, the group met at Cypress College and then
carpooled to the beach.

Although we had so much fun at the beach we

still found time for lunch. We had lunch at BJ’s
Brewhouse on Main Street.

Jim & Marlene

Thank you for accompanying us to the “The real fruits of life are experienced by people
beach. who believe in adventures”
We really appreciate it.
- From Tanzania

4
Mentor & Mentee Program: Mentees’ Point of View

From being a mentee to a mentor.

Having to study in a different country with a totally different culture from

mine gave rise to challenges that I thought I would not be able to cope
with. Luckily, I was introduced to the Mentor/Mentee Program at the
start of the semester. My mentor, who was from Japan, was very helpful
indeed during my very first
semester in a totally different country. My mentor made my adjustment
a little bit easier to handle. From that experience alone, it has inspired
me to help and assist new international students in Cypress College. The
next semester after being a mentee, I became a mentor myself and I still
am, and I will continue to be a
mentor. I hope this will also encourage continuing students to reach out
to fellow international students and become one as well.

- Daphne Gopo (Philippines)

Coming to Cypress College, it was reassuring that I would have a men-

tor to help me out with college life and settling into the new institution.
My mentor was Sagar Sangani and right off the bat I believed he was
truly there to make my time at Cypress more comfortable and aid in the
transition. I’m sure that is true of all the mentors.

I really believe in the Mentor/Mentee Program. It’s a new way to meet

people and be helped when you have a problem in both school and per-
sonal issues. I am so confident in it that I am actually signing up to be a
mentor for the Fall 2008. I am looking forward to meeting the new arri-
vals and helping them out in anyway I can.

- Yoso Pamon-Montri (Thailand)

I began school in January 2007, and when I arrived at Cypress the first
thing I was introduced to was a program called Mentor/Mentee Pro-
gram. Older students volunteer to help out new students as they set-
tle into a new environment in the United States. International students
are from different backgrounds and social circles. For me, having a
mentor was a strange experience yet very interesting. My mentor was
from Jamaica and I am from East Africa. We both had different cul-
tures but it was easy to learn and handle the culture shock, because
my mentor understood what I was going through. So, if you are plan-
ning to come to Cypress as an international student, it’s worth a try.
You will have a lot of back up and support.

- Grace Caroline (East Africa)

5
Join us in a casual, relaxed atmosphere to
practice your English and meet new
friends!

Conversation
Hour for
International
Students @
Cypress College
Fall 2008 Meetings
DAY: TBA
TIME: 11:30 am—1:00 pm
PLACE: Student Activities Center

For more information,

please contact Cypress College
International Students Program
@ 714– 484-7049
6
 Students with Academic Excellence
President’s Honor Roll
End of Fall 2007: President’s Honor Roll (overall GPA of 3.75 or above)

Bae, Sung Ah (4.0) Matsuoka, Yuki (3.83) Raymundo, Angie (4.0)

Cho, Eun hee (3.75) Mun, Ji Young (3.90) Romero, Laura (4.0)

Kim, Ha Young (3.84) Nulud, Zarah (3.93) Suzuki, Junko (4.0)

Kono, Minoru (4.0) Obidah, Joshua (4.0) Tajima, Misaki (3.96)

Lee, Jiyoung (3.79) Oh, Saeyougn (3.81) Vo, Chi (4.0)

Ly, Vy (3.94) Pamon-Montri, Yoso (3.76) Yoo, Kyung Hyun (3.80)

Mansho, Motoki (4.0) Ranjet Singh, Rajpal (3.95) Yoon, Kwang Hoo (3.75)

In addition, the International Students Office congratulates all 61 students

who made the Dean’s Honor List in each division at the end of Fall 2007.

Congratulations!

7
 First Annual
Students
a day at the park...

gam
es

three-leg

swings! swi

ces
ra

frisbees!
8
International
Sports Day
fun! fun! fun!

y b all
volle

gged race

ngs! swings!

wat
er b
allo
toss on

9
 Other Ac

ark
central p
picnic @ Spring 07
Spring 07 potluck

Movie nigh
t out @ Jim night
’s hou se Karaoke

A day @ LA zoo Beach day @ Hunt

ington Beach

10
ctivities

Convers
ck ations H
Fall 07 potlu our

k
8 potluc
Angels bas
eball Spring 0
game

@ LA zoo
st 08
World Fe

11
 Have you lived, studied or worked abroad?
Are you interested in sharing your overseas
experience with others? Or are you planning to go
overseas in the future to study, travel, work or to
live? Or are you simply interested in learning more
about different cultures and discussing
international and global issues with the like-
minded students? If any of the three describes you,
then we encourage you to join this new and exciting
club and become members!

Coming to
Cypress College in
Fall 2008!
INTERNATIONAL
CLUB
For international students, this Club will provide
opportunities to meet other Cypress College students
who are interested in interacting with students of
different cultures. More information about the club
will be available once classes begin in August,
including how to become a member.

For more information, please contact

Cypress College International Students
Program @714-484-7050

12
 Fall 2007 & Spring 2008: Grads & University Transfers

End of Spring 2008: End of Fall 2007:

Graduates and University Transfers Graduates and University Transfers

Chen, Hui-Jen De Lima, Adriano (CSUF)

Grant, Phebe Isogai, Hitomi (AA in ATC)

Joo, Hye Yeon Ivanova, Antonina (Certs in ATC)

Kil, Hyun A Kawamura, Shunsuke (AA in Liberal Arts)

Kim, Jee Young (Uni. of Hawaii) Kim, Eun Young (AA in Liberal Arts)

Kim, Young Jin (UCLA) Kim, Hui Yong (UCI)

Le, Uyen (Chapman Uni.) Kosaka, Maki (AA in ATC)

Lee, Seung Jae (CSU LA) Pham, Do (Univ. of N. Florida)

Lee, Soon A

Lieu, Binh (Cal Poly Pomona)

Novita, Amanda
Ben Thompson Named Orange Empire
Otani, Teppei
All–Conference Team
Park, Fabio
On April 20, 2008, Ben Thompson (from Australia) and
Sangani, Sagar
Christian Isip were announced as Orange Empire All-
Conference team. They were both honored twice, once as
Tran, Anh
singles players, and again as a doubles team.
Yang, Hyun Wook
Ben finished his conference season 10-2 in singles and fin-
ished the OEC tournament in the semifinals. In the doubles
team, Ben and Isip finished the season 9-3 and made it to
the semifinals.

Both will complete as singles and doubles in the Southern

California Regional beginning May 1st.

We international students here at Cypress College want to

show all our support for Ben. We are very proud to have
such a talented student in our program.

Go Ben!

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 Fall 2008 & Spring 2009 Calendar & Activities

Fall 2008

August New Student Orientation

Beach day

September Conversation Hour Kick-off Lunch

Bowling Nite

October Picnic/BBQ with Conversation Hour

Halloween Costume Party

November ISP Fall Potluck

Movie Nite

December Holiday Lunch with Conversation Hour

Ice Skating Adventure

Spring 2009

January New Student Orientation

Conversation Hour Kick-off Lunch
Go-Kart Racing

February Miniature Golf

Big Bear Adventure

March ISP Spring Potluck

San Diego Zoo Trip

April Picnic/BBQ with Conversation Hour

Karaoke Nite

May Sports Day

Graduation
Recognition of Graduates & Mentors

** These activities are subject to change **

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 Much Love From the International Focus Staff Writers:
PHEBE GRANT
Working on our very first issue of International Focus has been a wonderful
experience. It has helped me to be more creative and it also taught me pa-
tience. I had a lot of fun working on this newsletter and I'm sorry that it
came to an end. New friendships were created and I have learnt a lot
more about my old friends.

International Focus would not have been possible without the help of my fel-
low writers, Daphne and Sagar. I would like to thank you guys for volunteer-
ing your time and efforts to make this possible. Last but not least I would
like to thank Yongmi Han, our adviser. She was always available when we
needed her help. Yongmi, thank you for all your help and encouragements.

My fellow readers I hope you have as much fun reading this as we had put-
ting it together.

DAPHNE GOPO
And so it has come to an end.. now, it is time to look back on the fun-filled year
that we just had.. A time to look back on the new friendships forged.. the laugh-
ers shared.. and the unforgettable moments spent together.. Indeed, it has
come to an end but this is also the time to look at what's in store for us all.. A
time to move forward.. So I urge everyone to take up the challenge.. This is the
beginning of our new journey.. Good luck to us all..

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow newsletter staff, Phebe
and Sagar , for their time and effort in putting this newsletter together.. It has
been a BLAST working with you guys..

It has been our dream to make this “hot-off-the-press” newsletter possible so I

would also like to thank our newsletter advisor, Yongmi, for giving us her full
support and guidance in making this newsletter..

SAGAR SANGANI
Ladies and Gents, welcome to the end of our newsletter, International Focus. This
was an amazing, eventful experience. As they say, behind every successful man
there is a woman—I had three. Firstly, I would like to thank Phebe and Daphne for
their continuous support and cooperation throughout the newsletter production.
Without the two, this newsletter would not have been possible. I appreciate them
putting all their creativity into the newsletter. They also say men are from Mars
and women are from Venus, but I truly can’t believe how our team worked without
any conflicts or misunderstandings.

I would also like to show my gratitude to Yongmi Han, who despite of her busy
schedule, had always been there to support us whenever we needed her.

I take this opportunity to thank all the readers for taking your time to read this new
edition of newsletter highlighting international students at Cypress College.

As this is my last semester here at Cypress College, I wish you all good luck with
your journey at Cypress College and beyond.

We hope you enjoyed this newsletter as much as we did.

15
 Solve this!
See if you can figure out the capitals of these countries
1

2 3 4

5 6

7 8

9 10

11

12 13

14

15

16

1~C; 2~A; 3~B; 4~E, 5~D

ACROSS: DOWN:

Answers from page 1

2 S Korea 1 Germany
7 Kenya 3 Vietnam
10 South Africa 4 Jamaica
11 Malaysia 5 Tanzania
14 Thailand 6 Australia
15 Chile 8 China
16 Philippines 9 Nigeria
12 Indonesia
13 Japan

North Orange County Community College District

Cypress College
9200 Valley View St.
Cypress, CA 90630
(714) 484—7000
http://www.cypresscollege.edu
Board of Trustees:
Manny Ontiveros
Leonard Lahtinen
Michael B. Matsuda
Jeffrey P. Brown
Barbara Dunsheath
Molly McClanahan
Donna Miller
David Adame, Student Trustee, Fullerton College
Sabrina Tinsay, Student Trustee, Cypress College
Jerome Hunter, Ed.D., Chancellor
Michael Kasler, Ed.D., President, Cypress College

16