Jacksonville State University has served as the area's primary institution of higher learning since 1884. While the majority of its students have come from the local region, others have come from other areas. A steady number of international students have also chosen to further their education at JSU.

There are currently 40 residents of the Clarence W. Daugette Jr. International House, representing 23 different countries. The House often hosts events showcasing these different cultures. To help its students adjust better to life in a new country, there are also trips and retreats.

"I didn't really have any challenges," said Caterina Lazzaroni, 20, a junior from Honduras majoring in animal biology. "The House made it perfect to get used to things.

"I like the House because it's a house of many nations, a place in which you can be at many places at one time."

Milic Zecevic, a senior from Montenegro who will graduate with a finance degree, serves as the resident assistant in the House. In this capacity he organizes different activities and events.

"We show what we stand for, because we show diversity of cultures," he said. "We try to show what the International House is about."

Rajiv Silwal, 20, a biology major from Nepal whose sister had earlier graduated from JSU, said he was encouraged "to come to the International House to understand different cultures and to express my culture."

The International House was founded in 1946 by Dr. James H. and Myra Hume Jones, Mississippi natives and educators whose experiences in France led them to seek cross-cultural understanding. Dr. Jones encouraged students to learn another language to foster understanding.

"Know one another and you will love one another," he said.

They were quoted by their son as saying that the House was "in Alabama, for Alabama, but of the world."

In July, 2006, the JSU Board of Trustees renamed the program the Dr. James H. and Myra Hume Jones International House Program.

Sardorbek Ruziyev, 23, a sophomore from Uzbekistan majoring in computer integrated manufacturing, said his greatest challenge in the U.S. was adapting to the culture but that the House has helped his transition.

"When I came as an exchange student for the first time in 2003, then I found the International House, that offers good opportunities for international students," he said. "I applied and they offered me a scholarship. It's a really good community."

Scholarships and the chance to study in the United States were primary reasons many of the students chose JSU. Stanley Ambeyi, 23, a freshman from Kenya majoring in computer information systems, said the scholarship "offers many opportunities and opens many doors."

For Max Schuller, 18, a freshman from Austria with an undecided major, the primary motivation was "the possibility to go to America and get to know new cultures and new people."

Volha Tsikhanchuk, 22, a freshman from Belarus whose major is undecided but who hopes to apply to graduate school, said: "I always wanted to study abroad and I already studied in England. I was lucky to meet people from Jacksonville who invited me here.

"The biggest challenge is to make friends in the classroom, because each course there is a different set of people in every class you take. I like to get close to people but it's hard to do when you only have an hour."

Ahmed Maazouzi, 22, a sophomore from Morocco who is majoring in English, said the cultural differences were challenging at first. "But I got used to it, and I haven't found much racism. Most people I've met are respectful."

Ky Tien Nguyen, 19, a sophomore from Vietnam who is majoring in biology, said that communication is the primary challenge. "The culture and the way we talk is different."

Jeren Akmuradova, 18, a freshman from Turkmenistan whose major is undecided, said she accepted the scholarship to JSU "because it covers everything financially."

She described her biggest challenges in the U.S. as "expressing my feelings and emotions in a different language. And being flexible and adaptive."

The House also includes several American students. Jeff Martin is a graduate of the International Students program and a member of the U.S. Army. The program was an important transition for him.

"The House allowed me to readjust, as a citizen growing up overseas. I came back to America and it was as new for me as it was for everyone else," he said. "I was far away from my family, just as the international students were far away from their families. Like a stranger in a strange land."

John J. Ketterer is director of International House and Programs, in which he directs the investments in the House, manages the scholarship program and conducts activities. He is also executive director of the International Endowment Foundation, the non-profit foundation that supports the International House.

The greatest challenge for him is to tend to the needs of the 240 students belonging to the International Program, including their visa and academic needs.

"I have been enriched by the creativity, diversity and beauty that all these students have brought to our campus," he said. "I have been repaid by so much gratitude and goodness (as well as intellectual stimulation) that I feel I have gotten better than I have given."

Sean Jobst is a junior at Jacksonville State University. His major is Communication and his minor is International Studies. "The reason I wrote the story is because I have always had something of an "international" perspective, i.e. interested in other peoples and cultures, and since I have close family ties overseas, i.e. my father is European-born and immigrated to the U.S. as a youth," Sean said. "So I thought it would be interesting to do this as one of my assignments for my COM 315 — Introduction to the News course. I also wanted to do something unique, knowing that many other students would do something more common for assignments."