As part of Maverick Stampede, the official start of the academic year at the University of Texas at Arlington, the Office of International Education hosted “Global Maverick Welcome.”
The event is an opportunity for international students to meet current Mavericks and learn about student organizations, counseling centers and campus departments. Representatives from Arlington Public Libraries, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Academic Health were also on hand to answer students’ questions about the transition to college life abroad.
Among the participants were freshmen Hiya Kavalanekar and Sherley Sawant, who are studying computer engineering and business administration respectively. The two previously met at a MavsMeet in Mumbai, India.
Kavalanekar said she always knew she wanted to study in America.
“I was in the United States five or six years ago and was deeply fascinated by everything here, so I decided to study here,” she said. “I chose UTA because they offered me quite a few scholarships. This university’s ranking in computer engineering is also quite good, so that’s another reason why I chose it.”
Sawant said she came to Global Maverick Welcome to meet more people.
“I want to explore all parts of campus – I want to go to all the events and explore as much as I can,” she said. “I just want to enjoy my time.”
Rifa Rahman, Anika Rahman and Rubavet Rahman are all from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Rubavet, a first-year student in Electrical Engineering, followed her older sister Rifa, a third-year student in Information Systems, to UTA.
“My sister definitely had an influence on where I went, but I just knew I wanted to study abroad,” Rubavet said.
Anika and Rifa met at an event similar to Global Maverick Welcome when they started at UTA a few years ago. They said that attending such events is the best way to meet people and make new friends.
