Today, Tabor's unique group of 96 International Students arrive on campus from 24 countries. Chinese students have eclipsed Koreans as our largest block with 21 coming from China and Hong Kong and 19 from Korea. The remaining countries have from 1-7 students and they include: St. Vincent, Mexico, Russia, Bahrain, Vietnam, Sweden, Venezuela, Finland, Kazakhstan, Bahamas, Singapore, UK, BVI, Austria, Spain, India, Canada, Japan, Germany, Bermuda, Taiwan and Thailand.
The strength and diversity these students bring to Tabor is incredibly important to our community and we value them tremendously. There is a very strong tradition of international students at Tabor going back to the 1890's, and while different continents have held prominence over the years, our commitment to including students from all over the world has been constant.
Our International Student Center, led by Steve Downes and Merry Conway, supports the students and their families, creating a community within a community. There is a great deal of effort made by our faculty and students to integrate the international students quickly with American students for the benefit of everyone. This year 75 returning student "Global Partners" will join 34 new international students for 3 days of international orientation. These "global partners" help guide new international student; they host them on weekends, and are roommates, teammates, classmates and friends. International students have monthly coffees and other programs and activities to interact with and engage their American friends. And later this month, the new international students will be invited to the homes of local Tabor families for dinner to further cement new ties.
Making the commitment to our international students extends to our alumni, too. Each year, Steve Downes, Director of the International Student Center makes a trip to Asia to visit alumni as well as current students and their families. Dinners are planned by our Asian hosts and everyone comes out to greet us! Over the years, their partnership has blossommed into a vision to engage more faculty and American students with the international community.
For example, this summer two groups explored Asia. The first group visited China, Cambodia and Thailand for two weeks in June. Led by faculty members Rick DaSilva, Aubrey Groves, and Steve Downes, seven Tabor students enjoyed home stays with Tabor families in Beijing and Bangkok, and performed community service by teaching English classes and joining recreational activities at a school in northern Thailand. They traveled to the Great Wall and Forbidden City in Beijing, saw Shanghai’s World Financial Tower, explored the ancient Khmer capital of Anglor Wat, enjoyed Bangkok's Royal Palace, and trekked on foot, raft, and elephant in northern Thailand. A second group of three Tabor students studied Chinese and lived with local families for the second summer in Hangzhou, China. Arranged through a current Tabor family in Hangzhou, the students attended classes at the local high school and explored on weekends the special cultural and economic features of Beijing and Shanghai.
These kinds of opportunities are rarely available to high school students and we are grateful for the vision of cultural literacy our international community and teachers bring to the Tabor experience.
