Friday November 29th has marked the official launch of the Buddy program, a student-initiated and student-led initiative especially geared toward the international students of Year one.
Through the years, since the inception of the first cohort of students of the MD International program, we have become aware of how difficult could be initiating a new life in a foreign country, how many documents and requirements are needed, and how intricate it is to navigate the Italian bureaucracy. Also, Università Cattolica’s system can result somewhat cumbersome with the many different offices in the university campus, with staff not fluent in English language and not fully accustomed with the real problems the international students face.
Università Cattolica few years ago initiated a similar initiative coordinated through the International Office. What is available today for our other colleges is a service provided by students who have been exposed to study experience abroad in an international partner university and when back on campus volunteer themselves to help international students who come to Università Cattolica for a semester, summer program or to just follow classes for a period.
“What we intend to initiate today on the Rome campus is an extension and further consolidation of such service - Professor Giovanni Gambassi, President of the MD International Program, says - This is in line with the historical dedication to our students but wants to recognize the unique status of students transferring to Italy to study in the MD International Program at Università Cattolica and the specific needs that such transfer entails. As such, the buddy program is primarily intended to address the hurdles faced by the international community of students and will embrace both the problematic issues arising from arriving in a new campus, a different educational system with its own rules but also with the many administrative duties arising from settling in a new foreign country not knowing the Italian language.
Thanks to the generous dedication of students who have been able to settle down successfully going through this initial inevitable difficult time, we are now launching a student-led initiative named A Buddy 4 Me(D). This intends to provide easy access to a dedicated buddy for immediate and constant guidance, support, and concrete help. “A buddy is exactly like you but just a year or two ahead of you, somebody who has made it through the first year and has gone through the very same hard time and has faced the very same difficulties that you are experiencing” says Maria Bras Jorge, a year 3 student who helped establish the buddy program.
Although it is primarily intended for Year 1 students as they first land on campus, the buddy initiative is not restricted to them and is available to all the students in the initial years of the MD international program. A buddy will be matched to a student following an explicit request and based on the specific requirements and individual needs. In that respect, it is a fully customized, personal service easy to access and facilitate by the peer-to-peer relationship. With the anticipated success of this initiative, we trust that any student who has benefited from a buddy will be a good candidate and will volunteer to become a buddy the following year.
Professor Gambassi adds: “What we complete today is an entirely redesigned process of integration of the new community of international students with a full range of services initiating before the actual start of the academic year. Students intending to move to Rome campus now benefit from online courses and materials on the foundational sciences for an easier start and more fruitful participation to classes since the very beginning. Also, as they arrive on campus, they will be engaged in the Orientation week culminating with the Welcome Day and the official salute by the academic community. Now, even prior to the arrival on campus, they can be matched with a buddy student to be fully embraced and supported.”
During the event eleven Università Cattolica students who are currently serving as buddies have been officially granted an award of recognition and will receive as a sign of appreciation a Università Cattolica’s official water bottle.
