Meet Our International Peer Mentors

International Peer Mentors (IPMs) are current Geneseo students who are passionate about making campus a welcoming place for new international students. Our goal is to make the transition to college life successful (and fun!) for new international students. IPMs volunteer their time to answer questions for new international students, support them, and to help them find their community at SUNY Geneseo. These IPMs were selected for their outstanding skills of communication, friendliness, reliability, knowledge of campus resources and passion for cultural diversity.

2023-2024 International Peer Mentors

Sophuth Phon

I will be in senior year and I'm from Cambodia. I major in Geography and minor in Urban Studies. I am very much interested in urban planning, GIS, and other spatial technology. I'm also keen about learning other languages, including Spanish and Japanese. I don't do much sports but I enjoy disc golf and frisbee, watching anime, photography, and playing video games. One "fun fact" about me is that my favorite season is winter and I don't like summer.

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Josiane Dattilo

I’m an International Accounting Master, expecting to graduate on May 2024. I love to be connected with people and make new friends. I love volunteer work and I try to get involved with a lot of events at Geneseo.

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Nazari Cooke

Hello! I am a senior international relations and french major with a minor in linguistics. I love learning new languages and about new countries and cultures. I am the vice president of Original Xpressions and I take part in many performances and events with the cultural clubs at Geneseo. A fun fact about me is that this past summer I visited Japan and Korea.

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Seynha Jean Coute

I am a sophomore international relations major with a minor in French. I am particularly interested in politics, art, travel, and all things relating to fashion. One interesting detail about myself is that I used to compete in international pageants.

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Emma Bail

Hi! My name is Emma Bail and I am going into my senior year at Geneseo. I am a political science and international relations major. A fun fact about myself is that I play for the Geneseo women's ultimate frisbee team, called Escargot. We even made it to Nationals in our 2022 competitive season!

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Become an International Peer Mentor

International Peer Mentors (IPM) volunteer their time to serve as resources, advocates and friends for new international students to help them adjust to their new home at Geneseo. 

The application for Fall 2023 is closed. The application will reopen in Spring 2024.

Eligibility:

• IPMs must be considered a full-time student at SUNY Geneseo and should be in at least their second year on campus.
• Monthly meetings with the ISSS Office are mandatory.

Responsibilities

Peer mentors are asked to introduce themselves to their mentee(s) by email over the summer (pre-departure). Mentee(s) may have questions about life on campus, what there is to do in Geneseo, and your experience as a student. The ISSS office is available to help with any questions regarding immigration regulations, class registration, etc.

New students will arrive in Geneseo on August 20 and 21. New international student orientation will be on August 22. If you will be in town and available, we invite you to meet your mentee in person to welcome during arrival and orientation, or at the latest during the first week of classes.
During the fall semester, please check in with your mentee by phone/text/email at least once every two weeks and in person once per month. 

At least one time during the fall semester we ask that you take your mentee to something on campus  such as the student organization expo, a club meeting, or an event. The goal is to help our new students to get involved and to find their community at Geneseo.