Argiria Williams
Special Projects Coordinator/Intake Advisor at the International Students & Programs Office | akw011@ucsd.edu
Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a UC San Diego Alumni with a BA in International Studies- Sociology and a minor in Global Health. I work at the International Students and Programs Office as an intake advisor and special projects coordinator. I help coordinate special projects like the International Research Program, and a new Global Exchange Program. I advise students about immigration during their program of study, on maintaining and extending legal status, travel/reentry, employment, and other non-academic matters. I get the best of both worlds as a program coordinator and intake advisor working with current international students and programming global exchange with students abroad.
What does the International Students & Programs Office do?
The International Students & Programs Office’s mission is to enhance the academic and intercultural experiences of international students, provide the highest levels of knowledge and expertise in advising and immigration services, and facilitate global education through programs and services to the campus community. We serve as primary authority on immigration matters related to international students here at UC San Diego. Some services we offer are Immigration and non-academic advising, we oversee the F-1 Student Exchange & Visitor program, liaise with federal agencies, train, support, and collaborate with campus administrators, departments, and campus units and much more.
What opportunities are available at the International Students & Programs Office for international students?
There are wonderful programs available to international students such as the Thanksgiving Exchange program which a gives international students the opportunity to celebrate the Thanksgiving Day holiday with an American host family. We have cross cultural programs such as iThrive which allows students an opportunity to explore identity and culture through group discussions, activities, and presentations with us and various partners around campus. Intercultural Social Hour is another program we offer which offers students the chance to come together to discuss their cultures and make new friends through conversation, games and light refreshments. We also have English-In-Action Conversation Program that matches international students, scholars and spouses with volunteer conversation leaders to help our international visitors with conversational English language skills, simultaneously helping them to acquire a better understanding of American culture.
The International Students and Programs Office also hire international students to work in the office in positions such as student assistants, video production assistants, and graduate student programming assistants. Be on the lookout for our job openings on Port Triton!
