By the Numbers
131 students
take part in the program
98 families
support the students
30 international students
are currently looking for a family
• Friendship Family program allows international students to join with American families to learn about culture.
• Students meet with family at least once each month to do activity.
• One woman has been with the program for 20 years.
For one international student at Ball State, coming to a new country didn’t mean going without a family.
Three years ago junior architecture major Sasha Mballa joined the program after coming to the United States from Africa, which connects international students with local families, when he came to Ball State. Mballa said he stumbled upon the program by accident and decided to try it out.
Since many international students come to school without any established friends, the program can provide support while they adjust to an American lifestyle. Of the more than 800 international students who attend Ball State each year, only 131 take part in the program.
Mballa said he sees his American family about once a month. He has been to swim meets, dinner at their house and was offered to come over during breaks when most students aren’t at school.
“One thing that’s been really nice about it is that a lot of students don’t have family around the area and you may not necessarily even have a huge friend network outside of the foreign students,”
he said.
Mballa said while the program did benefit him, he thinks it would be more helpful to someone who has never traveled before.
“I’ve had to move a lot, so it’s not different to be around different people,” Mballa said. “But if it’s, for example, your first time traveling out, [the program] will be such a useful network to have. If you’re not really an outgoing person and aren’t used to it, it can be extremely beneficial.”
He said his favorite part about the program is the spontaneity of the action. Mballa also enjoys how the program gives him an opportunity to hear other people’s stories and for others to hear his.
“I feel this is a learning experience both ways,” Mballa said. “Especially in the Midwest where I feel you guys are very sheltered, and I’m not really exposed to people from outside.”
Samantha Lamb, friendship family coordinator, said the purpose of the program is to familiarize students with Muncie and the United States. About 20 percent of the international students at Ball State take part in this program, with 98 families supporting the students.
The program asks the students to meet with their family at least once a month and keep in contact while they are apart.
“I think that the biggest benefit is that they make them feel welcome and they make them feel comfortable here,” Lamb said. “Because ultimately they’re coming from another country. So it could be uncomfortable for them and it’s new for them.”
Lamb said host family structures differ, including: older couples, single families, families with children and even Ball State students who volunteer to become a family.
“A lot of times, I hear from the family and even after the student graduates, they’ll be in contact with them and still consider themselves friends,” Lamb said.
Hope Robinson has been a part of the friendship family program for 20 years and has hosted over 20 students. Robinson said some of the students she has hosted have become like family.
“Some of them call me grandma, some of them call me mom,” Robinson said. “It’s the quickest way to connect international students with American families.”
Robinson said international students come to have the opportunity to get to know Americans and to be in American homes.
“We hope we make the American experience in America better for them,” Robinson said. “Our lives are enriched by knowing people from all over the world.”
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