Iowa State’s international students come from 106 different countries. The largest international student population by country is almost 2,000, while the smallest is just one student.

Exactly 33 countries are represented by one student. They come from countries like Azerbaijan, Saint Lucia or Mauritius.

Rocioa Aviles, sophomore in industrial engineering and international ambassador from Guatemala is one of these 33 students. She remembered that the Office of Admissions was amazed when she applied to Iowa State.

“They asked me, ‘How did you know about us?'” said Aviles.

She learned about Iowa State through her boyfriend who is half American, half Guatemalan. Aviles said adaptation wasn’t hard for her because of him. She met students whose parents were from Guatemala, but that wasn’t the same, Aviles said. 

“They are born here. That is different, you can feel it. And when I got an email saying that I was the only one, I was like that’s why I don’t find people from Guatemala,” Aviles said. 

Her boyfriend, roommate, classes and other international students have made Aviles feel comfortable here. She said that she especially connects with other international students.

Seeing other international students can still be hard sometimes, Aviles said.

“What makes me kind of sad is that you see a lot of people with friends from their country, and I would like to be like that with friends from my own country, too,” Avlies said. 

Kevin Yan, junior in industrial engineering and international ambassador from Mauritius, said he agrees.

“I feel down when I see my friends having people from the same country as [them],” said Yan. 

He said that after a year at Iowa State, he has stopped explaining where exactly he is from.

“I got bored to tell the same thing every time,” Yan said. “Whenever people ask now, I will only tell them I am from Africa.”

Yan experienced quite opposite conditions than when he was a college student in Malaysia.

“When I was in Malaysia, I was surrounded by people from Mauritius a lot. I was almost feeling like I was home,” Yan said. 

While studying abroad, many international students want to live in a different environment from home. So when Yan came, he brought quite an encouraging attitude with him, he said. 

“I am studying to know something different, I am going to learn about a new culture,” Yan said. 

He said being the only student from Mauritius hasn’t been a problem.

“I have never regretted choosing Iowa State,” Yan said. 

Aviles pointed out that being the only student from a country has advantages and disadvantages, and that there are occasions when she is proud to tell people that she is the only one.

“I am sometimes proud to be the only one. I will be like, ‘Yeah, you know I am the only one,'” Aviles said. 

Overall, people react positively when she tells them she is the only student from Guatemala, Aviles said. Students often ask her questions. Because she is the only one really able to answer these questions, Aviels said she takes pride in talking about her home, the country of eternal spring.