Working as a Student Assistant in the International Student Program

Hello again! This is Haruna from Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC). I would like to talk about my work experience in the SRJC. I work as a student assistant in the International Student Program (ISP). I started this work a year ago. I wanted to gain experience in the United States and I also wanted to know the how work environment is different between Japan and the United States. International students can get an on-campus job, and I like this job! I am going to write down how I got this job and why I like this job.

Finding my job

I found this job in the app called Handshake. Students can see all on-campus in the SRJC and they can apply for the job if they are interested (some jobs need criteria or experience). I found this job through this app. I submitted a resume and I had an interview. Then, I got this job! However, I have to work on getting my social security number (SSN) and finishing the documentation. These processes took time.

My first day on the job

I still remember that I was very nervous on the first day. I met a lot of people in the office and the supervisor trained me for several weeks. But I gradually get used to the job, and today I did a lot of things and it applies to my experience.

I have done a lot of things but the hardest thing was phone calls. People have accents so it is a little bit hard to catch up. One of my achievements through this job is to hold events and meet a lot of international students. Each international student has an interesting background and it is interesting for me to talk about why they are inspired to attend SRJC. 

My current job is posting on social media, hosting events, replying to emails, making videos, and so on! (also, I made this video!)

Balancing work and school

However, it is hard to maintain a balance between my classes and work schedules. International students are allowed to work up to 20 hours a week in each semester (summer semester is 25 hours a week). Mainly, I came here to study, not working. But I would like to accumulate experience so I have to be very disciplined and work hard for everything. But I like being busy and I like to help international students so it is a good experience for me!

Haruna Matsuoka from Japan is studying sports medicine at Santa Rosa Junior College in California.