Student Voices
"LAS 100 helped me through the transition from high school to university as well as from my home to UIUC. LAS 100 was also able to build my understanding of what a liberal arts college means. It is more than just an introductory course; it is a platform where I was able to meet international students like myself who may be going through the same struggle. This was why I decided to be an LAS intern—to continue the great legacy of helping incoming international students."
-Jessica Gu (Fall'20 Student, Fall '22, '23 Intern)
“In our exploration of social identities, we delved into various dimensions such as age, sexual orientation, physical abilities, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, and socio-economic status. This approach in the course material encouraged me to look at issues from multiple angles and to gain insights into the experiences of others.”
-Azhura Viandyra (Fall '23 Student)
"Being an intern for LAS 100 in the Fall of 2021 and 2022 has been a rewarding journey. Helping international students navigate through their new environment was an insightful experience that pushed me to appreciate diverse perspectives. The role was a challenge, but one that fostered personal growth and offered the chance to forge unique connections. It wasn't just about supporting others, but also learning and growing together in a diverse academic setting."
-Zean Li (Fall'20 Student, Fall '21,'22, '23 Intern)
"LAS100 is an essential course for international students. This course helps new students quickly become familiar and integrated into the campus during the most overwhelming two months. With time and exploration of the campus, students are able to better integrate into the community and discover the valuable aspects of LAS100."
-Chenyu Jiang (Fall'20 Student, Fall '22, '23 Intern)
"From online session to the in-person activity, it is my fourth year with LAS100. It is an excellent course designed for international freshman to get familiar with campus resources and learn about new topics they never knew before. The course helped me develop my critical thinking skills and global perspectives. With its accompany by four years, I also got a Deloitte offer with it on my resume."
-Richard Gao (Fall '20 Student, Fall '21,'22, '23 Intern)
"My experience with LAS100 equipped me with everything I needed for the next few years in college. Despite spending the most unprecedented years throughout the global pandemic, LAS100 was flexible and always listening to the incoming international students’ practical needs. I felt supported and encouraged through both the interpersonal relationship I built with my section’s intern and the resources provided by Nikia. LAS100 laid a strong founding block of my college experience and I hope to give back to the incoming international freshmen this year!"
-Eunjoo Kim (Fall '20 Student, Fall '23 Intern)
"This is a great course that met more than my expectations. The course material was extremely thorough and was an excellent guide and resource as we entered the University. This course gave me insight into higher education and helped me integrate into the new environment easily. I also had a lot of fun there. As part of a team-building exercise, I built a bridge made of marshmallows and toothpicks with my group mates. On several occasions, I participated in meetings hosted by the Asian American Culture Center. Most important of all, I made lots of friends there. By the way, you won't have any burden in this course and you will easily engage with the course materials, which will be a good start for you. I hope all of you have a great freshman year."
-Jinglun Gao (Fall '19 Student, Fall '20 Intern)
"This course was the highlight of my freshman year as I had the opportunity to meet numerous international students from different parts of the world. Getting to know so many people from different cultures and backgrounds was an eye-opener for me and marked the first milestone of my college experience. There were various activities during the course, led by the instructor as well as the interns, that helped me discover the perspectives of people from different backgrounds. I believe that this course is a prime platform that helps connect international students. Thus, I hope to lead the incoming students so that through this course they are able to discover things about others as well as themselves."
-Bhavya Pardasani (Fall '19 Student, Fall '20 & Spring '21 Intern)
"I really enjoyed the experience of being a student in the class of LAS 100. I took LAS 100 as a freshman during the Fall 2019 semester, and I am an intern for the Fall 2020 semester. The best thing about LAS 100 is that students from all over the world will have numerous opportunities to communicate with each other and share their culture. I believe that the experience of taking this course is really unforgettable, and the knowledge you will learn from LAS 100 will be very helpful for you!"
-Zhengde Liu (Fall '19 Student, Fall '20 Intern)
"One thing I feel is interesting about LAS 100 is the Best & Worst Moment activity. In the beginning of the class, our TA would let us share our best and worst moment of the week. For instance, I remember one of the students said that his worst moment was when he forgot to pay the rent, and thus he had to pay $50 more for that month. Sometimes we hear about some funny moments, and sometimes we hear about some sad moments. It's a great activity that helps us get together as a group."
-Jasmine Liao (Fall '18 Student , Fall '19 & '20 & '21 Intern)
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
~ Mahatma Gandhi
"LAS 100 not only assisted my transition to college life but also totally changed my view towards liberal arts education. I used to think it was an abstract idea that was not worth talking about, but now I know what I’m learning every day."
-Xiaoxiao Wu (Fall '15 Student, Fall '16 Intern)
"My experience as a LAS 100 facilitator was interesting because it was very different from my expectations both in good and bad ways. I was able to meet a lot of amazing students from previous semesters, but because the class was larger and had more diversity of opinions and characters, it was hard to lead discussions in a particular way. The lesson plans were never followed through, but sometimes that meant we were discussing things that meant a lot to students. I like the flexibility of LAS 100 because that is what makes us closer to each other compared to other courses."
-Naomi Kainuma (Fall '15 Student, Fall '16 Intern)
"LAS 100 meant more than a class getting international students ready for the college life. I learned how to appreciate the different cultures, to seek out the meaning of education, and to step out of my comfort zone. I sincerely appreciate the course director, instructors, facilitators, interns and my peers who made LAS 100 one of my favorite classes."
-Hyunjoon Oh (Fall '16 Student)
"This is a great experience that changed my perspective on the impact of cultural influence on individuals."
-Hanyu Lu (Fall '15 Student, Fall '16 Intern)
"LAS100 was the place where I learned to be most proud and accepting of my identity as an international student. It is easy to feel small in this vast community of people, especially if you are a minority and your culture is so different from the norm. But if you start accepting differences as beauty, you will truly cherish yourself, your culture and your surroundings. At least, that was the case for me."
-Alia Radzi (Fall '15 Student, Fall '16 Intern)
"LAS 100 made my transition to college life better. We had small group discussions in class, a chance to do a group project, and also wrote a reflection paper in the end. All these skills are important and useful. It is an introductory course that helped me develop skills instead of just giving me an orientation."
-Wenyulin Li (Fall '15 Student, Fall '16 Intern)
"The best part about LAS 100 is that it showed me the reality of American life. I started to gain a basic understanding of how my life would be here. It taught me knowledge that was not covered in any of my other classes and allowed me to make a bunch of great friends. The content is innovative, and the learning community is inspirational."
-Adele Zhai (Fall '14 Student, Fall '15 & '16 Intern)
"I have been participating in LAS 100 since the course opened. I took LAS 100 during my first year of college and met Dr. Lamers and my instructors Sophy and Ga Young. I decided to stay involved during the following semesters as an intern and continued to work with Dr. Lamers and Sophy. Both LAS 100 & LAS 399 (professional development course for interns) have inspired me a lot; I met many interesting people and learned a lot from both classes."
-Zidian Zhang (Fall '14 Student, Fall '15 & '16 Intern)