I was always interested in global communities and expanding my views of the world, so I knew I wanted my Capstone project to enable me to connect to people in the international community. Having a basic awareness of culture shock, I researched the topic in-depth. With this new knowledge, I discovered that international students do not have many resources to help them adapt to US culture. I decided to create a journal to help them on their journey.

I contacted several different faculty members at various colleges including the Vice Provost of International Affairs at Case Western Reserve University, the Immigration Services Advisor at the University of Akron, and the Office of International Student Services at the College of Wooster. After visiting the University of Akron and sitting in on meetings between international students and staff as they talked about their experiences in the US, I created a draft of the Culture Shock journal. I was able to receive feedback from some of these students and I was also able to reach out to graduate students to gather their opinions as well.

After the feedback rounds of both faculty and students, I printed my journal through Barnes & Noble. It is currently available for free at the University of Akron for any international students who wish to use it, and I have future plans to offer copies of the journal to other local colleges. 

Through this project my communication and networking skills greatly improved, and I have many different colleagues at colleges and universities around Cleveland. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and Capstone was one of the best experiences I have had to improve my confidence and competency in the greater world.