Noor Agustina is a doctoral student, majoring in curriculum and instruction in Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services (EHHS). She is from Indonesia and a faculty member at the Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta (UMY). She is also a scholarship awardee from FULBRIGHT-DIKTI (Directorate General of Higher Education Indonesia).
Love at first 'site'
Agustina chose Kent State because “Kent State has the best education major in the United States and is the pioneer in teacher education,” she said. “That's why I love Kent State and chose Kent State.” The first time she saw Kent State was via the website and she thought it was beautiful. “Kent State is blooming with flowers, and I love gardening, and (the campus) is very clean,” she said. “So, I really loved the place from the first.”
Coming to Kent was a big decision for Agustina. She had to leave her extended family and brought her husband and two daughters, now ages 18 and 12, to the United States. “That’s really a change of everything because actually I was in a comfort zone in Indonesia,” she said. “I’m a faculty member, I have a good job and a good life, but then I have to change everything to study.”
“But this is what I’ve dreamed since I was a little girl, because I want to study at the highest level possible.”
Safety for her family was also a priority for her in choosing to come to Kent. “Kent is a family-friendly city with a low crime rate,” Agustina said. “If you bring your family here, not only will you learn, but also your family, your children, will earn a lot from Kent State and the city of Kent.”
Help from OGE
Kent State’s Office of Global Education (OGE) helped Agustina from the very start, even before she arrived on campus. The staff helped her with transportation and accommodation and answered her questions via email. When she arrived, she received a student orientation that helped her with the details of daily life, like opening a bank account, using FlashLine, and learning how to use the campus library and the One Stop office.
The OGE staff, along with Student Legal Services, helped her with legal matters, leasing her apartment and setting up her utilities. “Sometimes there are small things that you feel are very trivial, but it’s a big deal for us, because we are international students and the systems are very different in our countries,” Agustina said.
‘A family away from family’
OGE has an International Friendship Program that matches international students and scholars with Kent State faculty and staff members, along with their families so that they may exchange cultures in a personal and fulfilling way. This connection helped put Agustina at ease when she was feeling loneliness and culture shock. “It’s real for an international student, because you are surrounded by friends and family, but then suddenly you come here with no one,” she said.
She said that it’s not always easy to make friends because of a language barrier, but that the activities, events (like the International Cook-Off), and networking organized by OGE help you ask questions and become part of the community. Agustina is still in contact with the faculty member she was matched with through the International Friendship Program. “They make me feel like I have a family away from family,” she said.
‘A lot of facilities and resources’
Agustina appreciates the resources available to her on campus, like the library and subject librarians who can help her finds specific resources that are in line with her major. She said she also appreciates her professors at Kent State who “are experts in their fields and can guide me to learn what really matters to me, what I am interested in.” She said, “They open our minds and give us an engaging experience and environment to learn.”
Agustina appreciates some of the things on campus that make her feel welcome and respect her Muslim beliefs. One thing she mentioned was the ablution rooms (Mushalla) on the second floor of the Kent Student Center. These rooms are available for people to perform Wudhu, a ritual cleansing of some parts of the body in preparation for prayer.
‘Kent State is a good place for you.’
Agustina said, “I have friends who ask me about ‘Why Kent State?’ ‘Do you like studying there?’and I say ‘Kent State is great, and this is the best decision and the best investment for me. Because I get what I need as a graduate school student, as a scholar, to study and find my calling - what I’m curious about, what I want to pursue in my life. So, Kent State is a good place for you.’’
When asked what she would say to an international student who was thinking about coming to Kent State, Agustina said, “Kent State is the best place to study because you can not only learn something, but also have a good experience. You can also have networking with other people. You can enjoy staying here. So, what are you waiting for?”
