Imagine walking into a new school not knowing anyone, maybe not even speaking the same language as other students. This is the reality for most transfer students, who have to adjust to new environments and social settings, Esther Bowen, Multilingual Coordinator, said. Seemingly simple things other students do everyday are much harder, as they have to relearn the culture of the school and how everything works, Bowen explained.

Once a family gets their residency approved by the enrollment office,they are then guided through gathering school records, scheduling placement testing, and arranging a meeting with their counselor, Registrar Allison Kirby said. For multilingual transfer students, Bowen first gets to know them and then assigns the transfer student an ambassador through the Titan Ambassador Program, which provides transfer students with a built-in friend, someone they can go to with all their questions about how to function in the school.

“The Titan Ambassadors are very proud of what they do,” Bowen said. “They are genuine and want to help others feel like they belong here.”

The Titan Ambassador program was put in place during the 2024-2025 school year, and works to give transfer students a sense of comfort and belonging, Bowen said. Senior Enkhzaya Enkhbulgan was assigned a Titan Ambassador when she transferred from Mongolia two years ago, halfway through her sophomore year. Having the ambassador really helped her, since she struggled with English but luckily had her ambassador to speak Mongolian with, Enkhbulgan said.

“I couldn’t understand some of the things people were saying in English,” Enkhbulgan said. “Having someone who could speak the same language as me was helpful.”

Junior Renata Pasquali Barreira transferred at the beginning of this September from Sao Paulo, Brazil, she said. She was very nervous about making new friends, especially with the language barrier. But, she eventually overcame this fear and met people who became very important to her, she said. While it was difficult leaving her old life behind, she knows going to school in America will bring her more opportunities in her future, she said.

“Moving definitely showed me how much bigger the world actually is,” Pasquali Barreira said. “When you leave the bubble you’ve set for yourself, there’s so many more opportunities.”