INTERNATIONAL PEER COACHING PROGRAM

Zaira Hernandez

International Peer Coaching Program Coordinator

Personal gender pronouns: she/her/hers.

Zaira Hernandez (she/her/s) is a recent UCSD graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science/Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology with a minor in American Sign Language Studies. She enjoys supporting students and helping them find resources to make the best of their academic experience. During her time as a student, Zaira worked with Eleanor Roosevelt College as a Resident Advisor in International House where she helped foster a welcoming community for students living on campus through programming events. Although student life can be stressful, Zaira believes that being engaged on campus and attending events is a great start to making UCSD your home. In her spare time, Zaira enjoys getting to know San Diego, playing video games, and learning to sew.

Shagun Taneja

Eleanor Roosevelt College International Peer Coach

Pronouns: she/her/hers 

Major: Clinical Psychology (BS) 

What is a piece of advice you have for first-year international students? Just be open to new experiences and opportunities! Everyone is in the same boat, don’t be scared to reach out for help or experiences to clubs and organizations! Stay involved! 

During your first year as an international Triton, what were you most excited about? Definitely the beach and brunch! 

When you're not at Geisel Library, people can find you doing what or being where? Exploring new coffee places, dancing at a concert , and at the pool! 

What is an interest fact you want your mentees to know about you? I love tattoos and coffee and would totally persuade you to get them with me! 

What are your top goals for the upcoming academic year? Research, get in grad school, go to as many concerts as I can, and travel! 

Ailana Nurgaliyeva

Marshall College International Peer Coach 

Pronouns: she/her/hers 

Major: Neurobiology 

What is a piece of advice you have for first-year international students? This is an exciting time for you and a brand new beginning! Enjoy it to the fullest and remember to explore all of your options on the UC San Diego! Don’t be afraid of stepping outside of your comfort zone and learn new things about yourself!

During your first year as an international Triton, what were you most excited about? I was the most excited about being only minutes away from the beach and meeting new people who would become my friends!

When you're not at Geisel Library, people can find you doing what or being where? I am probably at the beach or in downtown La Jolla. I love going to the Del Mar Seagrove Beach and Windansea beach! I also like exploring coffee shops and studying there for my classes! 

What is an interest fact you want your mentees to know about you? I lived in four different countries: Kazakhstan, Russia, Germany, and the US! I have multiple cultural identities and I am always open to meeting people from everywhere once there is respect and compassion on both sides! 

What are your top goals for the upcoming academic year? Staying on top of the multiple things I have going on for me and being kind to myself throughout! Also expanding my network and making the most out of my time at UCSD! 

Nick Jobe

Muir College International Peer Coach 

Pronouns: he/him/his 

Major: Computer Engineering 

What is a piece of advice you have for first-year international students? Whether you're struggling with a class or finding it hard to make friends, the only mistake you can make is not asking for help.

During your first year as an international Triton, what were you most excited about? I was excited to live here. Don't get me wrong, SoCal can be super expensive, but it absolutely lives up to the hype.

When you're not at Geisel Library, people can find you doing what or being where? Wiping out at La Jolla Shores; “Studying” at the Price Center Game room; Trying out new food spots; Chasing sunsets all over the city. 

What is an interest fact you want your mentees to know about you? On weekends, I get up super early to watch Formula 1. I haven’t been to a Grand Prix yet, but that is definitely on my bucket list. 

What are your top goals for the upcoming academic year? Getting a Summer ’23 internship. Dedicating more time to bettering myself — reading 20 mins a day; working out every day; journaling. Becoming more financially responsible. 

Jiaming (Jessy) Li

Revelle College International Peer Coach 

Pronouns: she/her/hers 

Major: Cognitive Science w/ Specialization in Design and Interaction 

What is a piece of advice you have for first-year international students? Don’t be afraid to ask questions and make mistakes. It’s all a part of the process and everyone is going through it!

During your first year as an international Triton, what were you most excited about? I was most excited to meet new people and join various student orgs and clubs. I wanted to branch out and do things I otherwise wouldn’t be able to do back home. 

When you're not at Geisel Library, people can find you doing what or being where? People can find me either at the boathouse or the weights room training for rowing. They can also find me helping out with my sorority on campus. 

What is an interest fact you want your mentees to know about you? I can speak 4 languages (English, Mandarin Chinese, French, and Afrikaans) and I intend to learn more! 

What are your top goals for the upcoming academic year? I will be graduating this year so my top goal for this academic year is to really align my studies and grades to potentially doing postgrad and getting a masters. 

Xiaoyu (Mary) Liu

Sixth College International Peer Coach 

Pronouns: she/her/they/them 

Major: Theatre 

What is a piece of advice you have for first-year international students? I'd like to encourage first-year students to enjoy being in person again and trying things out both in the academic realm and recreational fields! College is the best place to explore yourself and the world :D 

During your first year as an international Triton, what were you most excited about? Although I spent my first year in Shanghai, my home town, I was exposed to a great deal of new perspectives and ideologies remotely. I was excited about college life in general cuz I am a first-gen student in my family! 

When you're not at Geisel Library, people can find you doing what or being where? You can find me playing tennis/ping-pong around Muir, studying at the PC Game Room (yes I love the vibe there), napping on hammock in the daytime; catch me from rehearsals in the theatre district late at night; or surfing at La Jolla Shores on weekends! 

What is an interest fact you want your mentees to know about you? I love to meet people and always have an ear for stories and feelings. 

What are your top goals for the upcoming academic year? (1) I want to workshop and direct my own play, which might be based on life stories of my teammates; (2) I want to improve surfing and tennis skills, and try flying paraglider; (3) I want to keep experimenting on things and discovering novelties. 

Kevin Wei (韦昊天)

Seventh College International Peer Coach 

Pronouns: he/him/his 

Major: Biology w/ Specialization in Bioinformatics 

What is a piece of advice you have for first-year international students? Think of college more so as a platform for you to meet, inspire, or get inspired by other interesting souls rather than a place you only come because you need to get those attendance points for your class GPA. Once you've changed your mindset to this, things would start to get absolutely awesome for you. 

During your first year as an international Triton, what were you most excited about? Being able to enroll in whichever class that interests me. As a bioinformatics major, I'm proud to say that I took design, psychology, urban planning, Spanish, and more all purely out of my interest. They either ended up opening a whole new avenue of interest in my life or introduced me to some of the greatest people I've met. So I highly recommend you to try the same thing. (Worst case scenario just drop the class, no biggie :p) 

When you're not at Geisel Library, people can find you doing what or being where? Doing top-notch biology research at ACTRI, cruising through campus crowds with my bike, playing badminton at Rec Gym, or (my favorite) travelling locally in San Diego or internationally anywhere on earth 🌍. 

What is an interest fact you want your mentees to know about you? I have a hard time saying "no" on travel invitations from a random day trip to an adventure in a totally strange country. Do hit me up if you have any cool places you want to go. I'm more than happy to plan on this with you! 

What are your top goals for the upcoming academic year? First, pass my last college writing class (Yes, I'm a senior and I'm still taking writing classes. Sue me!) Second, get better at cooking healthy and fresh food. Last and most importantly, making lifetime friends from different cultural backgrounds all over the world through being an international peer coach. 

Shriya Gupta

Warren College International Peer Coach 

Pronouns: she/her/hers 

Major: Human Biology 

What is a piece of advice you have for first-year international students? Expand your comfort zone and get involved on-campus. College is a great time to experiment. Don't be afraid to try new things and make as many memories as you can :) 

During your first year as an international Triton, what were you most excited about? Making friends of different cultures and exploring San Diego.

When you're not at Geisel Library, people can find you doing what or being where? 1) Roaming around in Target and realizing how broke I am, lol; 2) Main Gym, I don't workout :'-( only cardio; 3) At open desk, doing my overdue tasks; 4) Rogers because it has the best iced latte.

What is an interest fact you want your mentees to know about you? A fun conversation, good photos and beach are enough to make me happy. 

What are your top goals for the upcoming academic year? 1) Get more involved on-campus and not just my college; 2) Become a TA; 3) Spend more time on my hobbies and not just academics.

What is American Work Culture? Expert Chat w/ Josue Pinal, Associate Director - International Students, Career Center

Are you an international student looking for jobs? Thinking about working in the US after graduation? Looking for tips on networking and landing a job? Please join us and view this recorded Fall 2022 webinar of "What is American Work Culture? - Expert Chat w/ Josue Pinal, Associate Director for International Students at the Career Center" to learn more about career development in the US along with some tips and tricks to begin your professional journey. 

This event has been developed and curated by the International Peer Coach Program with the Career Center.

Got questions or want a follow-up? Email ipeercoaching@ucsd.edu and we can set you up with an IPC!

Why should I participate in the International Peer Coaching Pilot Program?

International Peer Coaches are international students like you who would like to help you navigate this new endeavor that is college!

There are many reasons to participate, these are just a few of the ones our students have mentioned:

• Desire to get connected on campus.
• Interest in having a mentor who has gone through similar experiences.
• Support for adjusting to American culture.
• Help with registration tools.
• Access to academic, career-building and social resources.
• Feelings of isolation on campus.
• Feelings of struggle within coursework.
• The need for an "accountability buddy" as it relates to your time here at UC San Diego.

What is the time commitment?

We encourage you to meet with your International Peer Coach 2 -3 times per quarter. Meeting times range from 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Your coach will provide you with activities to complete that directly relate to your goals and needs. Completing these before your meetings will be helpful for you and your coach to debrief and make next steps.

Activities might include:

• Academic and community-based programming
• Faculty office hours
• Visiting a relevant resource on campus
• Participating in major- and career-focused activities

You can also meet with a coach for quick questions. These meetings may be drop-in during Virtual hours, reaching out to coaches through Microsoft Teams, or by appointment.

I live in another time zone and it's hard to make time for extra activities. What are my options?

We can definitely accommodate you digitally! Let us know your availability.

How do I set up a time to meet with an International Peer Coach?

Make an appointment here.

You can also chat with your peer coaches by joining their International Peer Coaching Virtual Community on Microsoft Teams!

Zoom - One-on-One Peer Coaching

Our International Peer Coaches offer one-on-one virtual peer coaching through Zoom video and Microsoft Team video.

Microsoft Teams - Virtual Community

Through Microsoft Teams, our students can engage with their fellow first year international peers, peer coaches, and staff. It is a central hub for students to gain access to resources, events, and support.

Regional Meet-ups

Join our social events to learn, laugh, and play games with other international students, peer coaches, and staff during your regional time-zone! Check out the times and weeks below!

Intercultural Social Hour

Sometimes you just need a break. At Intercultural Social Hour, you can hang out, relax, and play games while meeting new people (both international and domestic students) in a fun environment. Now that we have taken Intercultural Social Hour online, join from wherever you are and let's play across time-zones!

Weekly E-mails

Our International Peer Coaches engage with their students through weekly personalized email messages updating on events, resources, and topical information to aid in the students’ success.