By Ava Lee, South Korea

Having grown up in large cities my entire life, I always thought I would end up going to college in a big city as well. I ended up choosing Notre Dame out of all the schools I got accepted into because I wanted to challenge myself. I knew ND was a Catholic university with very little diversity, but thought I would have the chance to meet new people and share my experiences with them as well.

It was challenging in the beginning because people around me simply didn’t understand my international background. The more time I spent with them, they started having more appreciation for my experiences, and I felt grateful that I had a chance to share this in a new environment. I was prepared to take on challenges and so from the beginning, I took the initiative to make more friends and step out of my comfort zone. I knew I was different, but felt proud of this difference. I would like to tell all international students to embrace their uniqueness.

I went to an American school for most of my life, so the adjustment process wasn’t as difficult for me, but I realized that there are certain aspects that I am clearly different and the only thing I can do is to simply accept this fact. I learned not to feel bad that I can’t fit in at all situations, but feel grateful that I have other experiences that can make up for it.