International Senior Retreat 2008

Organized by the Director of International Student Programs, Petra Crosby, this was the fourth year that soon-to-graduate seniors spent the weekend at Camp Pepin.

Located by the Mississippi river and surrounded by trees and forests, this was a time for seniors to socialize, (re)bond, share memories, reminisce and have fun with fellow international students before parting ways at graduation.

Plenty of activities were lined up this year including:

• A visit to the oldest Swedish heritage town of Stockholm in western Wisconsin
• Outdoor activities
• Drives by the Mississippi river
• Bonfire, walks, smores by the beach
• Plenty of food to cook and eat
• Senior activities conducted by Petra Crosby

It was also a time for seniors to relax and get away from the daily hustle and bustle of Carleton life and enjoy each other’s company!

Senior Reflections

Excluding the large pile of textbooks, most of the possessions I have acquired at Carleton are intangible - knowledge, friendship, maturity, and understanding. The academics are stimulating, the people are engaging; yet the biggest lesson I have learned in my four years at Carleton is not to take life too seriously.

- Aki Uchida
Tokyo, Japan

There are a lot of ways I feel like I have grown in Carleton over the four years but I would like to talk about a growth that has been very interesting to me as I look back. Coming to Carleton as we all know it almost seems like people are always exaggerating difference. It was an unsettling feeling when I first heard of the Women of Color retreat, but I went all the same because anything that would let me make more friends was good. I was so set in my ways that I believe I shut my ears and mind to all the race talks that were such a big part of the multicultural community and Carleton as a whole. Why can't people be people instead of being black people, white people or yellow (I never heard about this race until I came here)?

You can not be in Carleton for four years and not have to deal with the race question personally. With some close friends I have raised the issue of race and listened to their side of the story. While I still consider myself African, and still choose to believe that at the end of the day we are all just people, I have learned to accept other people and the way they think. I have learned to place myself in their shoes and feel their pain, to place myself in their shoes and share their joys.

- Sinele Tsabedze
Ngomane, Swaziland

Being a senior in a number of ways is similar to, but also distinct from, being a freshman. During my senior year I have been uncertain about what the next years of my life are going to be like. But unlike freshman year, when my questions revolved around what I could get from the world to become a "better" person, senior year has barraged me with questions about how I can constructively contribute to the fate of humanity. At this moment, I stop to take a breath and reflect upon the person that I have become as a result of having received a fine education.

- Eunice Ajambo
Norway & Uganda

At first, upon my arrival here, I have to admit I was somewhat in a daze. I guess I wasn't ready for Carleton and the U.S., maybe for a number of personal reasons. Thankfully though, I managed to snap out of that daze and realize the full extend of my being here. I have been enriched in every aspect here at Carleton: from developing a more acute sense of critical thinking, to being challenged and growing spiritually, and having the privilege of getting to know and befriend people from all parts of the world and the U.S. What has been a conclusive reaction to all this has been the question: what can I give back?

Carleton is one school where there are so many opportunities to "give back." The 'get rich fast' attitude is minimal here and it is like a breath of fresh air from the rest of the commercialized life that exists otherwise. Even though it may not have been in a grandiose manner, I believe or hope I have been able to contribute to the community in my own meager way. Though it's true that much is expected of those that have been given much, it's not just an idea of responsibility, it's really a way of being, a way of life.

Over the past four years, I have been very fortunate to have been supported financially by the Starr Scholarship Program. My present situation as a senior here at Carleton, would not have been a foreseeable future had it not been for Carleton and the Starr Scholarship's generosity and faith in admitting me. 'Giving back' is to perpetuate that very generosity that enabled a tribal girl like me from the small north-eastern state of Nagaland in India to open up my holistic horizon, to many others in the coming years. That is the greatest lesson I have gained here at Carleton which I will continue to apply in my life.

- Kilangsungla Yanger
Kohima, India

Broadened horizons and perceptions, is the best way to describe how I have changed over my years at Carleton. Before I arrived, I naively assumed being worldly was already a foregone conclusion, and Carleton would only be an addition. Now, I realized it turned out to be an augmentation. Students from all corners of the U.S. and the world introduced their cultures; professors from disciplines all across the academic spectrum passed on their knowledge; the supporting network showed me opportunities and possibilities I didn't know existed. Those first two aspects made my experience here enjoyable, fulfilling and meaningful, while the last shaped my aspirations for the near future, and helped me on which way to that destination. I can't speak for all students, but after Carleton, you do discover that you have grown up, but suddenly feel a whole lot smaller, because the world has become a lot bigger.

- Xiuyuan (Geoffrey) Yu
Beijing, China

Carleton College - a peaceful but challenging college located in Northfield, Minnesota. Four years have passed since I first came to this school in September of 2002. When I look back at these past four academically rigorous years, I have realized that I have succeeded not just in academics but also in the context of life; I have matured as an individual, not just as a student. People at Carleton are obviously smart, intelligent, but most importantly unique. By engaging in activities on campus with so many different types of people, I have learned to appreciate the different values each student possesses. I have used this unique attribute at Carleton to my own advantage; I believe the experiences at Carleton will help me further advance in life - regardless whether it is at work, at graduate school, or just life in general. Carleton has also given me the opportunity to succeed outside classes, by allowing me to participate in several internship programs. I will be graduating in June of 2006 and will pursue my after-college ambition as an investment banker in Tokyo, Japan. I believe Carleton has transformed me into a well-rounded individual and I really appreciate my experiences at Carleton. Liberal Arts education, I believe, is not just for a career, it is an education for life.

- Hikaru Teramoto
Tokyo, Japan