Adlin Iskandar had never visited the United States before she arrived on the Indiana University Bloomington campus three years ago as a freshman.
But before she even boarded the plane, the Malaysia native knew she would be greeted by fellow Malaysians who had traveled the same path she was embarking on.
"I knew about the Malaysian Student Association before attending IU," Iskandar said. "They reached out to me, as an incoming student, to help me get acquainted with my new environment."
Iskandar is one of about 430 students from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region currently enrolled at IU. Students hail from eight of the 10 ASEAN countries, and in 2018, the IU Bloomington campus saw a 28 percent increase in applications from the region overall.
Description of the following video:
[Words appear in upper-left corner: Indiana University presents]
[Video: Indiana University student Adlin Iskandar walks along IU's campus. She finds a table to study at and works on her homework outside.]
Iskandar speaks in voiceover: My name is Adlin Iskandar. I am from Port Dickson, Malaysia. I am president of the Malaysian Student Association.
[Video: Iskandar appears on camera.]
[Words appear: Adlin Iskandar; Junior, Indiana University Bloomington]
Iskandar speaks: Currently, we have 50 registered members, …
[Video: A photograph of the Malaysian Student Association at Indiana University. Iskandar can be seen to the far right of the group.]
Iskandar speaks in voiceover: … composed of undergraduate students, graduate students and also Malaysians working here in Bloomington.
[Video: A photograph of Iskandar. She is working at an event booth, where she is sitting at a table. She smiles at the person she is talking to.]
Iskandar speaks in voiceover: It is really fun for us because we feel …
[Video: A photograph of a Malaysian Student Association event. A group of students are sitting at a table together, eating traditional Malaysian food.]
Iskandar speaks in voiceover: … there is, there is an organization …
[Video: Iskandar appears on camera.]
Iskandar speaks: … here on campus that we first belong to, …
[Video: A photograph of Iskandar and a fellow Malaysian Student Association member with a name tag that says "Lucas." Both are smiling at the camera.]
Iskandar speaks in voiceover: … and we feel very proud to admit that we are the member of the Malaysian Student Association.
[Video: Iskandar walks toward a group of students sitting at a table. The students are using laptops and doing homework. Iskandar joins them and removes her backpack. She smiles and begins a conversation.]
Iskandar speaks in voiceover: Studying abroad really made me grow because I learned how to make friends with people from different backgrounds and how all of that, …
[Video: Iskandar appears on camera.]
Iskandar speaks: … my social life, my academic life, will impact me as a person.
[Video: Iskandar studies with the group of three students at the table. She has a binder with paper in front of her, while another student is using a laptop. She listens attentively as another student speaks.]
Iskandar speaks in voiceover: And I become more open-minded, …
[Video: Iskandar appears on camera.]
Iskandar speaks: … and more curious of what's happening out there …
[Video: A photograph of Iskandar in front of the School of Public Health at Indiana University.]
Iskandar speaks in voiceover: … instead of what I believed what was important before.
[Screen goes to black]
[IU trident appears]
[Words appear: Indiana University]
[Words appear: Fulfilling the promise]
[Words appear: iu.edu]
[END OF TRANSCRIPT]
"At IU, students from the ASEAN region introduce their experiences from countries which have tremendous forward momentum," said John Wilkerson, assistant vice president for international services at IU. "They come to campus with a spirit of progress, innovation and curiosity imbedded within them.
"Of course, that has great importance within our classrooms, but it also influences the entrepreneurial spirit of the student body. Students from ASEAN leave IU having enriched our campus and community, and they continue to exemplify the lifelong service, ingenuity and creativity they've honed at IU."
Many students from the ASEAN region join organizations representing their home countries as a way to build a support system of familiar faces and share their cultures with domestic students.
The Malaysian Student Association at IU has been around for more than 50 years and currently has about 30 members. Recently named the most outstanding Malaysian Student Association in the Midwest, the group has spent the past year connecting not only with Malaysian IU students but with students and student groups from other parts of Asia including Indonesia, Thailand, Korea and Japan.
"We really enjoy meeting people from all parts of the world," said Lucas Chin, an individualized major studying textiles and marketing with psychology and treasurer of the Malaysian Student Association. "We love experiencing something different, and we are eager to teach others about our culture, our language and our food, just a chance to share knowledge with each other."