International Orientation Leaders (IOL)

Spring 2023 IOLS

Meet our Spring 2023 Orientation Leaders who are ready to welcome incoming international students at the University of Maryland! Review their bio to learn more about them. This exclusive group of leaders was chosen to facilitate the transition and welcome of new international students to the UMD community.

Aakash Raman he/him/his	Hello, everyone, my name is Aakash Raman and I am pursuing my Masters of Engineering in Cybersecurity. I did my Undergraduate in Information Security at VIT, Vellore, India but have stayed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the past 19 years, pretty much my entire schooling and childhood was living in a foreign country. I have met and made so many friends from different cultures and countries, so I almost have someone living in every country in the world. I love to travel, am a big fan of crime and mystery novels and love to sing different pop songs! Overall, I am a very extroverted person and would love to meet each and every one of you here at UMD!
Animesh Nandan he/him/his	Hi! My name is Animesh Nandan. I joined UMD in fall 2022 to pursue a master's degree in Information Management from UMD. I'm from India and I did my bachelor's degree in electronics and communication engineering and then worked at Tata Consultancy Services for a year.
Apurv Chauhan he/him/his	I am Apurv hailing from India and currently pursuing my Master's Degree in Information Systems from Robert H Smith School of Business at University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to this, I completed my Bachelors of Technology from VIT University, India and have 3.5 years of work experience in total. I have worked as a System Engineer in Infosys and had the honor of working as an Associate Consultant in the leading Management Consulting company - ZS Associates. Post my Masters degree, I plan to work as a Consultant contributing my knowledge and experience in betterment of the healthcare industry. Apart from these technical introduction, I have an ultimate dream which I hope to achieve in the future i.e. to attend the Scuba Dive Activity exploring the sunk Titanic in the bottom of the ocean and also, hear the blue whales sing and cry.
Apurva Anandhe/him/his	I am Apurva Anand, from Nepal. I am a PhD student in Aerospace engineering department. I have lived in India for around 10 years, and this is the first time I have traveled to the US. Outside work, I enjoy soccer, cricket, and swimming.
Ishana Pandit she/her/hers	My name is Ishana Pandit and I am originally from India. Currently, I am a Marketing Analytics graduate student at UMD. Prior to this, I worked in the tech industry as a marketing manager for two years. I graduated from the University at Buffalo, New York in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in marketing. Beyond the classroom, I am a part of the Smith Master Student Association and my interests include traveling and reading. I am thrilled to talk to you about the abundant resources at UMD and welcome you to the community.
Jwalanth Edulakantihe/him/his	Hello peeps! I'm Jwalanth. I'm a graduate student currently pursuing my Master's in Cybersecurity. I'm from India and completed my undergrad studies in India. My goal as an IOL member is to ensure that new students have an enjoyable experience at our campus, which is why I chose to serve on the IOL. I'm looking forward to establishing an inclusive community of students where they can share their struggles and problems. To improve the social life of international students, I would gather information and look for solutions.
Livingstone Imonitiehe/him/his	My name is Livingstone Imonitie and I am a second-year graduate student from Nigeria. I major in transportation engineering and my research focus is on traffic safety. Being a graduate student is a lot of work but with a community of like-minded people around, I am able to relax and have some fun.
Maruko Kogure she/her/hers	My name is Maruko Kogure, a senior-year undergraduate student at UMD majoring in Human Geography and minoring in Remote Sensing for Environmental Change. I am originally from Japan, but have lived in Shanghai and California for two years each. —- This semester, I’m volunteering as a Japanese tutor in the Language Partnership Program (LPP). Besides, I'm a big fan of chips and fries - I have plenty of favorite places to get delicious bacon cheese fries around campus.
Matthew Lee he/him/his	Welcome to UMD! I came here as an international student from Indonesia and also a transfer student from Washington state. I’m currently studying Computer Science and taking Business as my minor. I am a senior this year and will be graduating in Spring ‘23. I’m glad you are coming to UMD and hope you have a great time! Go Terps!
Maximiliano Gonzalez-Cruzhe/him/his	Hey Everyone! My name is Maximiliano or Max, and I’m a rising junior majoring in public health science. [Last] spring semester I studied abroad in South Korea at Yonsei University located in Seoul! Living in a homogenous country can be isolating for many, especially when there are few people who share the same cultural background as me. Given this hardship, I’ve learned the importance of building a strong support network and working on my confidence to overcome the obstacles of being a student abroad. Can’t wait to meet you all, best wishes on your upcoming semester :)
Mohamed Elnoor he/him/his	My name is Mohamed Elnoor. I'm a PhD student majoring in Electrical Engineering. I'm originally from Sudan and I love travelling. I'm looking forward to meeting you :) Welcome to UMD!!
Opeyemi Ogedengbe she/her/hers	My name is Opeyemi Ogedengbe, an International student from Nigeria. I am a graduate student in the Department of Nutrition and Food science, with a major in Nutrition Science. My Bachelor's and master's degree were in Biochemistry with a focus in Nutrition research.
Rohit Reddy Pakhalahe/him/his	Hello, I’m Rohit, from Hyderabad, India. I’m a Robotics graduate student. Welcome to the University of Maryland! Hoping your stay here will be fun and make you achieve your goals. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Saleel Anthrathodiyil he/him/his	I am Saleel Anthrathodiyil. I consider myself as a people person. I love to meet new people and chat and to listen to their wonderful stories. I am doing masters in Fire Protection Engineering and working as a full time graduate assistant.
Sanath Rajapolhe/him/his	I'm Sanath from Bangalore, India. I'm currently pursuing my masters in Cybersecurity at UMD. Outside of my professional life, I enjoy reading fiction and playing video games. I also love cycling and trying new foods from different places.
Shreyas Mehtahe/him/his	Hello! My name is Shreyas Mehta and I am a graduate student studying MS in Marketing Analytics at the University of Maryland. Coming to a new country can be challenging and you may have lots of questions before and after transitioning to the US but don’t worry we all are here for you. See you all soon! Feel free to reach out to me via my email: shreyasm@umd.edu.
Siddhi Umesh Shidruk she/her/hers	Hello, I am Siddhi Umesh Shidruk, Graduate Student joined UMD this Fall 2022 studying Masters in Cybersecurity, I have completed my Bachelors in Computer Engineering from Maharashtra, India and here at UMD pursuing my passion to explore cybersecurity and personally I love dogs and eating Pizza, Also I love Cars, Games, Being at Libraries, Explore and meet new People!! Feel Free to contact me on LinkedIn Happy to connect!

Spring 2023 IOL Applications are now closed. Please revisit this page in the summer for information on being an IOL for Fall 2023.

What does being an IOL mean?

It means being passionate about engaging with incoming international students! UMD welcomes around 1,500 international students each year. The majority of our students arrive at UMD for the fall semester but we do have a smaller number arriving for the spring semester . As an IOL, we ask that you guide and support these students as they become acclimated to our campus and the College Park community. Orientation marks the beginning of a transition for all students. As an IOL you can make a difference in supporting incoming international students feel welcome as they start their studies at UMD!

Hear from your peers about being an IOL:

All IOLs would recommend volunteering as an IOL to a friend.
All IOLs felt that they developed intercultural communication skills
The majority reported that this experience broadened their leadership, teamwork and facilitation skills.

When asked their favorite part about being an IOL, student leaders said:

“I love to meet and talk with new students and introduce how great UMD is. Also, I made new friends. Especially in the online environment, it's hard to find a chance to meet with other students.”
“I became friends with several other IOLs, and because we all live near campus we actually got to meet up in person (socially distanced), which was so fun.”
“Chatting with students and learn about their background and culture”
“My favorite part is to talk with more new friends since we cannot see them face-to-face.”
“Making the deliverable and knowing it was helpful.”
“I really enjoyed meeting other IOLs.”
“Collaborating with other students.”

What did IOLs gain from this experience?

“The IOL program helped me improve my leadership and gave more confidence to show myself.”
“I'm confident I improved my leadership skills by learning how to empower people and lead them by my example.”