International Peer Mentoring Program
International Peer Mentoring Program is offered by the Office of Global Affairs.
What is the Peer Mentoring Program?
- The InternationalPeer Mentoring Program is an international mentoring community.
- Stony Brook University is one of many institutions to provide support for new undergraduate international students through mentorship.
- This program matches students with a trained alumni/current students mentor based
on common interests, background, academics, and professional aspirations.
- MENTORS
Program Information
Peer Mentors are campus leaders who have demonstrated their commitment to diversity, recognize the contributions diversity brings to the work of the team, and dedicated to helping new international students have a good college experience. Peer mentors plays are a critical role in assisting new undergraduate international student’s transition into the U.S. education system and Stony Brook University.
Eligibility Requirements
- Must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.8.
- Must complete at least 2 semesters at Stony Brook University.
- Must have a working knowledge of the services offered on campus and where to refer students for various queries.
- Must be available to attend Peer Mentor training and meetings.
- Must be enrolled as an undergraduate student and commit to the program for the entire 2024-2025 academic year.
- Abide by a confidentiality agreement, maintaining confidentiality and respect for individual students' rights at all times.
Preferred Qualifications
- Strong interpersonal skills, especially when communicating with people from different cultural background.
- Strong desire to help new international students.
- Self-motivation.
General Expectations
- Paired with at least 3 mentees, and must commit to the program for the full 2024 -2025 academic year.
- Must attend required training sessions.
- Prompt response to all office communications (e.g., emails and Google Calendar invitations).
- Active engagement in International Peer Mentor Program events, including but not limited to pre-orientation evening programs, evening social events during the semester, and social media engagements.
- Available to communicate (phone, email, and/or in-person) with assigned new student mentees over summer 2024 and winter 2025, prior to their first semester, as well as throughout the remainder of the academic year.
- If applied and selected as the Mentor Program Event Committee Member:
- Assist with preparation, face to face outreach, and facilitation of Peer Mentor Program Events (1 major event per semester).
- Attend at least 3 major meetings in the semester regarding event planning with the program supervisor.
Benefits of Being a Peer Mentor
- Hourly paid position.
- Experience and development of the following core learning objectives and skillsets:
- Cognitive Complexity: Critical thinking, reflective thinking, effective reasoning, and creativity.
- Interpersonal Competence: Develop meaningful relationships, interdependence, collaboration, and effective leadership.
- Practical Competence: Pursuing goals, communicating effectively, technical competence, managing personal affairs, demonstrating professionalism.
- Intrapersonal Development.
- Networking with University staff, mentors, and mentees.
Apply to Be a Mentor
Applications is closed for 25-26 mentors. Come back in Spring 2026 for 26-27 application.
- MENTEES
Program information
What do mentors and mentees discuss?
- How will my major impact my professional options?
- How do I balance the demands of school, sleep, and socializing?
- How can I set myself up for academic, social, and career success?
- How do I make connections with peers and professional contacts?
- How do I find jobs and internships as an international student?
What are other Mentees saying about the experience?
- "[My mentor] helped me answer the question of how to form strong relationships with my professors by giving me an actionable strategy to having strong purposeful visits to their office hours. "
- "I'm really excited to have someone there for me. It's nice knowing that I'm not completely alone and hopefully I can someone I can reach out to if I'm having a hard time in school or other activities. "
- "My mentor has been an amazing help in my life, he makes me realize and see things more clearly. Sometimes it's in front of your face but you can't see until someone puts into words for you. "
How do I apply?
- MEET THE 2025-2026 MENTORS
Ana Assad
Language: Haitian Creole, French, Spanish
Major: Business/ Pre-dental
AnastamyaJean.Assad@stonybrook.edu
Ana is an international student from the beautiful island of Haiti and enjoys music, specifically konpa and playing the piano. She loves dancing, singing, reading, crafting, and cooking. She is outgoing, energetic, and loves interacting with new people and learning new things. 
Zarni Aung
Language: Burmese Major: Computer Science
Zarni is an international student from Myanmar studying Computer Science. He spends most of his days at the New CS building, whether to study or talk to professors. In the evenings, he prefers to work on whatever his hobby of the week is. Recently, he's been diligently working through the NYT Monday & Tuesday crossword puzzle archive. His most consistent hobbies have been playing the electric guitar and weightlifting. 
Ava Dang
Language: Vietnamese Major: Information Systems
Ava is a domestic student from Queens. A fun fact about Ava is that she has two adorable Shiba Inus that she absolutely adores. She enjoys reading, watching anime, or indulging in action-packed shows. She also loves to travel and explore new places, especially when it comes to trying out different food spots! Ava dedicates a lot of time to studying, and is always looking to learn more and grow. 
Nandini Goswami
Language: Hindi, Gujarati, French Major: Applied Mathematics & Statistics
Nandini.Goswami@stonybrook.edu
Nandini is an international student from India studying applied math and statistics. She has been learning the violin in the Indian classical music style for about 6 years. She's interested in pursuing data science and is currently exploring computational geometry and operations research. She's outgoing and has a strong willingness to learn and improve. She likes to typerace, write calligraphy, or watch Studio Ghibli movies. A fun fact is that she speaks French and enjoys recreating songs on GarageBand! 
Colin Grant
Language: English Major: Computer Engineering
Colin is passionate about food, especially when cooking and trying new foods. His favorite thing to make is a toss-up between gyoza and confit byaldi. He enjoys exploring nature; his favorite hobbies include rock climbing, backpacking, and scuba diving. Colin is also interested in thrifting, looking for specific records, and taking photos on his digicam. He hopes to travel the world. A fun fact about Colin is that his go-to beverage is sparkling water with calamansi syrup. 
Yvette Han
Language: Mandarin Major: Computer Science
Yvette is an international student from China who plays viola just for stress relief, but she wishes she actually enjoyed it more.
She's recently gotten into working out and has been for about a year now. She feels it’s helped her focus and feel motivated again.
She also enjoys volleyball, tennis, and ping pong and is looking to make friends with others that enjoy playing the sports too!
Mahim Hasan
Language: Bengali, Hindi, Urdu Major: Mathematics / Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mahim enjoys gaming, working out, and combat sports. He also has a good collection of perfumes. He is always up for a nice conversation and hopes to meet people and have a great time through this program! 
Chloe Liao
Language: Mandarin Major: Applied Mathematics & Statistics / Economics
Chloe is originally from Guangxi, China, and came to New York when she was 13. She loves fashion, painting, photographing, and traveling. She also enjoys listening to music, trying new foods, meeting with friends, and going to concerts. A fun fact about Chloe is she loves summer and the beach... but she can't swim. 
Nashita Nawarah
Language: Bengali, Hindi Major: Chemical and Molecular Engineering
Nashita.Nawarah@stonybrook.edu
Nashita is studying Chemical and Molecular Engineering and is involved in research on carbon capture and decarbonization.
She loves painting to express creativity. She also enjoys reading, exploring new places, and trying different cuisines. In her free time, she likes staying active. She used to play the harmonium in her childhood, and still appreciates music and cultural performances. Fun Fact: She loves challenges! One of her goals is to ride all the most dangerous roller coasters and go skydiving someday. She enjoys pushing limits and seeking thrilling adventures!
Winston Ng
Language: Mandarin Major: Biomedical Engineering
Winston is a very motivated and disciplined student, who tries to stay on top of everything, while making time to be with friends and family. He loves photography and takes food pictures, selfies, and portraits of people. He loves sports and the gym. He also likes to watch Chinese movies and Korean dramas, play American Handball with his friends, read mystery books, learn other languages, such as Korean and Japanese, and learn basic cooking recipes. One fun fact about Winston is that, despite being Chinese and traveled to over 10 different countries, he has never been to China. 
Kate Park
Language: Korean, Chinese Major: Biology
Kate is an international student from South Korea, and a junior majoring in Biology. One fun fact about Kate is that she has lived in three different countries— Korea, China, and America. She enjoys exploring different cultures and trying new foods, which has been shaped by her experience living in multiple countries, whether it's trying different restaurants or traveling to unique places. In her free time, she loves watching Netflix shows to relax. She also has a strong interest in fashion and keeping up with new trends.
Lucas Rhode
Language: German Major: Electrical Engineering
Lucas is a Simons STEM Scholar majoring in Electrical Engineering and is passionate about quantum technology. He's especially interested in pursuing a PhD in quantum engineering in the future. Outside of academics, he enjoys playing the violin, going to the gym, and exploring new ideas in science and tech. A fun fact about Lucas is that he used to wrestle in high school. 
Kim Sandoval
Language: Spanish Major: Psychology / Health Science
Kimberly.Sandoval@stonybrook.edu
Kimberly is a rising Senior interested in working in the healthcare field. She enjoys watching movies, reading books, and listening to music. A lot of her life revolves around taking care of her dog named Moses who she loves. She is very proud of her Guatemalan heritage and hopes to improve her Spanish fluency. She is open to traveling to new places, especially to try new foods. 
Heejoo Shin
Language: Korean Major: Psychology / Biology
Heejoo loves to read books and webtoons, watch movies and anime, work out, sing, and do skincare. She used to play the violin and tennis but stopped after coming to college. She hopes to still play both once in a while. She also enjoys sleeping and having alone time. 
Hana Vo
Language: Vietnamese, Korean Major: Psychology
Hana has a passion for learning new languages and trying out cuisines from different cultures. A few of her favorite dishes are "snail rice noodles" luosifen from China, "spicy rice cakes" teokbokki from Korea, and "stir fried noodles" Pad see ew from Thailand. Some of her hobbies include bingeing TV shows, anime, manhwa and playing Genshin. She is a hardcore fan of One Piece and is currently bingeing the newest season of Exchange. A fun fact about Hana is that she is a major cat person and would love to visit every cat cafe available in NYC.