December 2021 Global Ambassador: Andrii Tiiara

Full Name: Andrii Tiiara

Hometown & Home Country: Dubno, Ukraine

Mother Language: Ukrainian

Field of Study: Materials Science and Engineering

Interests: Listen to music, weightlifting, volleyball, cooking, exploring the world, fishing, harvesting wild mushrooms and berries

Favorite Quotation (if you have one): “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a men healthy, wealthy and wise.” Benjamin Franklin

Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: Buckwheat is not common food here. Cannot imagine my life without it. Long live the buckwheat.

What I Miss Most from Home: Family and friends, food and nature (especially fishing, which is different here).

What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: Nature! Nature is different in different places, but it is similarly gorgeous, wonderful and breathtaking. Also, I enjoy McAlister Dining Hall for good variety of food and Y beach for its volleyball field, great swimming spot and opportunities to do activities like paddle boarding, kayaking and so on.

How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: I am an experimentalist. Always doing experiments with cooking, lifestyle, habits and my project in the lab, of course. It gives you the ability to analyze and make right conclusions in what direction to follow and it is the greatest way to improve yourself. Clemson has enriched my life with the huge opportunity to do so.

Ambassador in Action (things you have done which highlight how you have been an ambassador for your country): One of the most practical techniques to help students to learn the material is to show them unsuccessful experiments first. It is the powerful reason for them to think creatively and develop the possible ways to solve the problem. Of course, it takes more time, but it worth it. So, I am grateful to my students for being patient conducting different experiments and for having a lot of fun and gathering important knowledge during the labs.

Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Without having a distinct plan of what you need to do to achieve the goal your path will be foggy and inefficient. So, be confident in yourself.

• November 2021 Global Ambassador: Amirreza Yeganegi

  

  Full Name: Amirreza Yeganegi

  Hometown & Home Country: Qaemshahr, Iran

  Mother Language: Persian

  Field of Study: Bioengineering

  Interests: Soccer, Movies, listening to music and podcast while driving.

  Favorite Quotation (if you have one): To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.

  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: Most of the land in the east is not owned by the federal government. 

  What I Miss Most from Home: My family and hanging out with friends in new cafés in the university street.

  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: The quietness and low-pressure environment of Clemson and my students since they are all great and very polite.

  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: Clemson gave me the opportunity to express myself and try to be the version of me that I want to be.

  Ambassador in Action (things you have done which highlight how you have been an ambassador for your country): I tried my best to show students from other countries how is the situation in Iran and what is happening to the people with no filter.

  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Don't be afraid to take risks, be yourself, and try not to live with other people's standards.

• October 2021 Global Ambassador: Xiang Li

  

  Full Name: Xiang Li

  Hometown & Home Country: Huzhou, China

  Mother Language: Chinese

  Field of Study: Computer Science

  Favorite Quotation: “K.I.S.S - Keep It Simple, Stupid”;

  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: I never knew “General Tso's Chicken” and “Orange Chicken” were “Chinese” food; KFC is better in China; I actually visited some places in America which I only watched on TV back in China! Mexican food and Indian food are soooooo delicous!

  What I Miss Most from Home: Oh God, Food!

  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: Clemson is a tranquil University but full of passions!

  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: Clemson actually fulfilled my dreams - Becoming a Ph.D. student; Learning advanced knowledge in my area; Teaching a class. I hope my life in Clemson would be a bright starting point of my life in future. Go Tigers!

  Ambassador in Action (things you have done which highlight how you have been an ambassador for your country): I think the most important thing I have done is to show How a real Chinese is look like. I will try my best to eliminate bias and stereotypes between U.S. and China.  

  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Stay together! Stay Union! Clemson actually is a really good university for study. You will learn a lot!

• September 2021 Global Ambassador: Yadnyesh Yoginish Luktuke

  

  Full Name: Yadnyesh Yoginish Luktuke

  Hometown & Home Country: Pune, India

  Mother Language: Marathi

  Field of Study: Computer Engineering

  Interests: Basketball, Swimming, Cooking, Travelling

  Favorite Quotation (if you have one): Be proud of how far you've come, have faith in how far you can go.

  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: Tipping people is thought of as a necessity and not as a courtesy.

  What I Miss Most from Home: Family, especially my Mom.

  What I Enjoyed Most About Clemson: Clemson is an awesome place when you're a student, plenty of opportunities to improve your technical skills and relax afterwards with extra-curricular activities.

  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: Clemson taught me to relax, adjust to life's pace instead of always trying to run the show.

  Ambassador in Action (things you have done which highlight how you have been an ambassador for your country): I believe that Indian students have a multitude of talents that are often suppressed in the favour of academic achievements. I've always encouraged my friends to experiment with their technical and non-technical interests as opposed to sticking to the beaten path.

  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Remember to take care of yourselves, your minds and bodies. You'll be able to focus on your professional growth a lot better once you're comfortable.

• August 2021 Global Ambassador: Manu Srivastava

  

  Full Name: Manu Srivastava

  Hometown & Home Country: Lucknow, India

  Mother Language: HIndi

  Field of Study: Intelligent Systems in Electrical Engineering

  Interests: Running, reading, and the stock markets 

  Favorite Quotation (if you have one):

  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: The sky appears to be very low and close at US latitudes compared to India's which makes seeing the moon at eye level possible sometimes.

  What I Miss Most from Home: My family and the excitement that comes with being involved in their daily life and chai

  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: The degree of faculty involvement in student success is a lot higher than other bigger schools. 

  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: As a second year PhD student and after having worked after my Masters for a few years,  Clemson has provided to me the invaluable opportunity to change my field and to learn a new one at my own pace in an environment where I feel that the professors have a stake in my success.

  Ambassador in Action (things you have done which highlight how you have been an ambassador for your country): I have been a part of the graduate student sustainability committee over the last year and have helped with their Spring tree planting event. And I am a new senator for EE in the Graduate Student Government starting this Fall.

  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Don't hesitate to ask questions in general. Make use of faculty's office hours. And the Dikes have the best sunset in the area!

• June 2021 Global Ambassador: Geisianny Augusta Monteiro Moreira

  

  Full Name: Geisianny Augusta Monteiro Moreira

  Hometown & Home Country: Brasília, Brazil 

  Mother Language: Portuguese 

  Field of Study: Microbiology, Microbial ecology, Biotechnology 

  Interests: Understand our relationship with the micro world (microorganisms) and, based on this understanding, seek sustainable ways of living with all forms of life. I'm also interested in the stories of women who make history (mainly but not only in science), spirituality, sustainability, and conversations about life in general. 

  Favorite Quotation: "The essential is simple." Raimundo Légua Boji Buá 

  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: 1) The hospitality and friendliness of the locals in Clemson and the way everyone I met made me comfortable even with my not-so-good English. 2) The long hours of daylight gave me another sense of time. 

  What I Miss Most from Home: Food, my city, family, friends, dancing "forró", Brazilian weather 

  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: Nature, the incredible number of lakes, and the poetic form of the city 

  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: Living in Clemson has provided me with personal and professional growth and maturity, expanding my horizons to different customs and cultures and a different way of thinking and doing science. 

  Ambassador in Action (things you have done which highlight how you have been an ambassador for your country): I brought to Clemson the hope and faith that the Brazilian people have in better days. I had the opportunity to present some of the typical Brazilian food, our popular parties, and customs, especially my favorite party, "Festa Junina".

  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Allow yourself 30 seconds of insane courage to do all the amazing things you dream of doing, but for some reason, you don't.

• May 2021 Global Ambassador: Misbakhul Munir

  

  Full Name: Misbakhul Munir 

  Hometown & Home Country: Born in Semarang, Central Java; lived in Palembang, South Sumatra (the home of Sumatran tiger), Indonesia.

  Mother Language: Javanese & Bahasa Indonesia. 

  Field of Study: Plant Pathology.

  Interests: Integrated Pest Management & Fungicide Resistence.

  Favorite Quotation (if you have one): All the hard works always come with worth paid off.

  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: I was surprised that the real face of this country is agriculture area instead of the city full of skyscrapers as I seen on the movie. And I have a big crush on agriculture for sure!

  What I Miss Most from Home: Family, Friends, and Food.

  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: Even though I spent only one first year in Clemson, to me Clemson is a good habitat for Tigers, and I am Sumatran Tigers! Go Tigers! I spent the rest of my doctoral years in Edisto REC, Blackville, a research station surrounded by nature that made me enjoyed delicious wild Bass and deer without even fishing or hunting. Edisto’s folks are awesome!

  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: Experience and opportunities I got in Clemson made a huge difference in the way I see the world today and boost my optimism that tiger can Rrrroooarrr in every way, everywhere!

  Ambassador in Action (things you have done which highlight how you have been an ambassador for your country): I was proud to introduced Indonesian Batik (technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth) products like shirts and decoration stuff, and also Indonesian food like rendang , tempe, yellow rice, stir-fried fish with sambal, even nastar (pineapple-jam-filled pie cookie which can be easily find in any religious occasion), etc., to my friends and colleagues. I believe that what I delivered not only the stuff or food itself but the value of caring and hospitality as well.

  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Never doubt your shine wherever you come from. Colorful shines make this world more incredibly beautiful! 

• March 2021 Global Ambassador: Faequa Uniza Rahman

  

  Full Name: Faequa Uniza Rahman

  Hometown & Home Country: Dhaka, Bangladesh

  Mother Language: Bangla/Bengali

  Field of Study: Masters of Architecture

  Interests: In my leisure time, I enjoy doing the painting. Travelling is also my passion and I think it's a great opportunity to enhance knowledge about our world. Moreover, cooking and trying out different dishes and new cuisines triggers my inner joy in life. Apart from all of that, I find gardening to be stress-relieving. Recently I started collecting indoor plants for my home. I feel like I am madly in love with nature.

  Favorite Quotation (if you have one): "Less is more" by Mies van der Rohe

  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: Getting admission to Clemson University’s School of Architecture with a funded Graduate Assistantship offer in Center for Health Facilities Design and Testing (CHFDT) was the biggest break since coming to the US for me. Here, the school of Architecture of Clemson University has been named one of “America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools” by 'DesignIntelligence'. Not only that, for the seventh consecutive year, the Master of Architecture is also ranked one of the top 10 accredited architecture graduate programs at a public university. This was a dream come true moment for me. 

  What I Miss Most from Home: My family, friends and obviously food

  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: The beautiful campus life, especially the 'LEE HALL' (Department of Architecture). 

  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: I came from Asia having a different background and culture. By joining Clemson, I got to know how to cope up with different surroundings, people, and cultures, which enhanced my adaptability. I am so blessed to have supportive colleagues from my workplace here and also friends who are still helping me to grow. I am learning new things every single day and I am so glad that I have chosen to be here. This is one of my greatest achievements that I will cherish my whole life. Clemson brought me unique professional experiences, which I believe is going to help me to nurture my professional life in the future. I feel so proud to be a Clemson Tiger! 

  Ambassador in Action (things you have done which highlight how you have been an ambassador for your country): I am blessed with the opportunity to start my Masters in “Clemson school of Architecture” as the first student from my country, Bangladesh. It wasn't an easy journey at all, completing 15 credits each semester along with the assistantship tasks and maintaining family life. I feel so blessed and grateful for where I am standing right now. No matter what struggles I came across, I will keep going because I have the will and strength to overcome it all. All my greatest accomplishments, I once thought I could never achieve, but I keep on succeeding in every challenge that I have faced. No matter what is beyond my control, nothing will ever make me less than a woman. I am and will always be a positive, hardworking, and optimistic empowering woman.

  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Life is short and full of surprises. Be grateful and optimistic towards the goal. And always feel proud to be a 'CLEMSON TIGER".

• March 2021 Global Ambassador: Gayathry Krishnan

  

  Full Name: Gayathry Krishnan
  
  Hometown & Home Country: Having been born in India and raised in a different country, I believe I have two hometowns and countries in my heart: Kerala, India and Dubai, UAE
  
  Mother Language: Malayalam
  
  Field of Study: Automotive Engineering 
  
  Interests: Playing the ukulele, Hiking
  
  Favorite Quotation: "Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another" - Carl Sagan
  
  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: How friendly and genuinely helpful people here are!
  
  What I Miss Most from Home: The food
  
  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: Being surrounded by nature
  
  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: I have made relationships here that could last a lifetime.
  
  Ambassador in Action: I try my best to explain the culture, traditions and what my life was like to people I interact with. It's interesting when you realize that there are a lot of similarities in various cultures and how you are not so different after all.
  
  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Be open to new experiences and meeting people who are not necessarily from the same background as you, it can really help you grow as a person. 

• February 2021 Global Ambassador: Yexuan (Daniel) Lyu

  

  Full Name: Yexuan (Daniel) Lyu
  
  Hometown & Home Country: Beijing, China 
  
  Mother Language: Chinese
  
  Field of Study: Supply Chain Management 
  
  Interests: Golfing
  
  Favorite Quotation: "The only impossible journey is the one you never begin."-Anthony Robbins
  
  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: My English was not as bad as I thought.
  
  What I Miss Most from Home: My family 
  
  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: I love the passions that every single Clemson student has.
  
  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: Clemson gave me the opportunity to make life-long friends from all over the world.
  
  Ambassador in Action: I have been involved and organizing multiple celebrations for traditional Chinese festival.
  
  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Each one of international student is an ambassador for Clemson University and we should tell more people about Clemson and make Clemson not only well-known in the United States, but also around the world!

• December 2020 Global Ambassador: Lea Marcotulli

  

  Full Name: Lea Marcotulli
  
  Hometown & Home Country: Fermo, Italy
  
  Mother Language: Italian/French
  
  Field of Study: Astrophysics
  
  Interests: Science in general, astrophysics is my love, and in particular my research is about chasing  supermassive black holes at the beginning of the Universe. When I am not doing research, I love spending time with my friends, having a laugh and drink, as well as spending time outdoors (cycling, hiking and most recently doing Yoga).  I also love doing anything that is practical, such as knitting, gardening and making cheese (not joking).
  
  Favorite Quotation: “I don't feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in a mysterious universe without any purpose, which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell. Possibly. It doesn't frighten me.” – Richard P. Feynman
  
  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: Before coming to the US everyone said that I would have needed a car. I used to say I may have done without it. But when I arrived, I realized that the distances are huge, not comparable to what we have in Europe, and a 3 hrs drive is considered ‘sort of closeby’. And most of it is empty wilderness. This was a big surprise. So yes, I ended up getting a car.  Also because of the fact that there is only 1 train a day. :)
  
  What I Miss Most from Home: Being close to my family. And the food of course.
  
  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: The beautiful nature that surrounds us and its wildlife. 
  
  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: I didn’t know what to expect the first time I boarded the plane to come here. Surely I didn’t expect that I would have found basically a family here (made of my friends and colleagues), that I would have felt at home and that I would have built the career I now have and love. 
  
  Ambassador in Action: I usually try to explain the differences in culture between Europe and the US, the costumes, the food, the traditions and the history that permeates every little town you find wandering through Europe. Most of my friends are also international so we share these sorts of traditions with each other from very different countries. And that is enriching. I used to try and explain that chicken doesn’t go on pasta and pineapple doesn’t go on pizza. But now I love the hawaiian pizza, so I am fusing with the culture. As I always say: “paese che vai, usanze che trovi ” (aka “when in Rome (do as the Romans do)”)
  
  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Be open to what you will find. Try to reach out, connect with as many people as possible, understand their culture and traditions, and adapt. Sometimes you may feel lonely and miss home, we all feel that from time to time. But you should try to make your own family and home here. Try to get the best out of the experience that is offered to you and you’ll have a great time! 

• November 2020 Global Ambassador: Laura Rodrigues Vieira de Alencar

  

  Full Name: Laura Rodrigues Vieira de Alencar
  
  Hometown & Home Country: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  
  Mother Language: Portuguese
  
  Field of Study: Evolutionary Biology
  
  Interests: I am interested in elucidating what happened millions of years ago so that we today observe such a huge diversity of vertebrates.
  
  Favorite Quotation: “There ought to be something very special about the boundary conditions of the universe - and what can be more special than that there is no boundary?” – The theory of everything
  
  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: The small size of Clemson - the city - and the huge size of Clemson - the University.
  
  What I Miss Most from Home: Family, boyfriend and the Brazilian food.
  
  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: Being surrounded by nature.
  
  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: Clemson brought me a unique professional and cultural experience, and amazing new friends.
  
  Ambassador in Action: I brought to Clemson the positivity and happiness of the Brazilian people. As a Brazilian, I always try to help people to see the positive side of situations. Additionally, it has been important to share with the Clemson community how Academia works in Brazil (both similarities and differences).
  
  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: This is an amazing opportunity, enjoy and learn as much as you can!

• October 2020 Global Ambassador: Foster Kangben

  

  Full Name: Foster Yambout Kangben
  
  Hometown & Home Country: Jilig & Ghana
  
  Mother Language: Bimoba
  
  Field of Study: Plant and Environmental Sciences
  
  Interests: Cotton Research
  
  Favorite Quotation: Better days are coming.
  
  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: Long hours of daylight
  
  What I Miss Most from Home: Wife, Family, Friends and Church
  
  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: Course instructors are welcoming and open-minded.
  
  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: In my few weeks at Clemson, I have made new friends from diverse backgrounds and I am optimistic in the ensuing years, my circle of friends and associates in academic, professional and social life will broaden.
  
  Ambassador in Action: I brought some artefacts from home which I shared with some new friends and my host.
  
  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Let us be good ambassadors of our countries and make the best of our time here.

• September 2020 Global Ambassador: Youwei "Adam" Xing

  

  Full Name: Youwei “Adam” Xing
  
  Hometown & Home Country: China
  
  Mother Language: Chinese
  
  Field of Study: Economics
  
  Interests: Tennis
   
  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S: 1) How sweet a dessert can be. 2) How easy a door can be opened using just a credit card. 3) How often receiving emails from professors, department chair, and president of the university. I never receive any email from the chair and president of my alma mater and seldom from professors.
   
  What I Miss Most from Home: My family, my friends, and my fiancée
   
  What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: Clemson is a tightly knit community with the perfect size. You are isolated from the rest of the noisy world, but there are always activities going on campus and there are always scenically attractive natural areas you can explore around.
   
  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: 1) The lakes, the waterfalls, the nature, and the hospitality of people in Clemson inspired me try to be more friendly to everyone in my life, to be more positive and enjoy life. 2) I gained knowledge about economic intuitions and researching capacity from the amazing faculty and students from economic department.
   
  Ambassador in Action: I do not think I am suitable ambassador for my country, but I am trying my best to rationally digest and discuss news and actions between China and the U.S. Objective, rational voices are we need in defining China-U.S. ties.
   
  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: Be enthusiastic about things around us. Be positive in the uncertain world. Be engaged in Clemson family. Join English Connection!

• August 2020 Global Ambassador: Moazzam Nazir
  

  Full Name: Moazzam Nazir
  
  Hometown & Home Country: Islamabad, Pakistan
  
  Mother Language: Urdu
  
  Field of Study: PhD in Electrical engineering
  
  Interests: Community involvement, reading, blogging, travelling
  
  Favorite Quotation: “Education is a slow-moving but powerful force. It may not be fast enough or strong enough to save us from catastrophe, but it is the strongest force available for that purpose and in its proper place, therefore, is not at the periphery, but at the center of international relations.” J. William Fulbright.
  
  Biggest Surprise Since Coming to the U.S.: I am profoundly surprised by cultural diversity of the U.S and hospitality of locals towards the internationals. Every place I have visited so far has something exciting to offer leaving me enthusiastic to discover more.
  
  What I Miss Most from Home: I miss my family, food and gatherings on cultural events the most.
  
   What I Enjoy Most About Clemson: The Clemson University has faculty and students from all parts of the world. This has provided me an opportunity to learn global cultural values in addition to sharing my own culture; the major objective of the Fulbright cultural exchange program being carried by me. I am also impressed by the professionalism and friendly attitude of faculty towards the students that helped in ameliorating my knowledge and developing long-term relationships that would be helpful towards my future research endeavors.
  
  How Clemson Has Enriched My Life: I am among the few students who got the opportunity to live for a substantial amount of time both at the main campus and the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI), North Charleston. This provided me an opportunity to work in both an academic and professional work environment. I have developed strong relationships at both places, and I am excited to act as a bridge between the two campuses. I have made wonderful memories so far and look forward to the opportunities that await me during the rest of the time at this prestigious university.
  
  Ambassador in Action: I am the vice president of Pakistan Cultural Association (PCA), Clemson University aimed at disseminating the cultural values of Pakistan on the myriad of events that include First Friday parade, international festival and awareness week. Being a Fulbright scholar, I am blessed with the opportunity to join innumerable social gatherings aimed at sharing of global cultural values among people from various nations.
  
  Advice for CU International Students & Scholars: There are numerous volunteer opportunities at the Clemson University either through joining a student organization or via community engagement, which is a great tool for developing leadership, communication, and team-work skills. Effectively utilize your stay at Clemson University by contributing in building a vibrant culture that blends and strengthens academic and professional development and supports the cause of quality education for all.