Program Mission

The mission of the International Student Peer Support (ISPS) program is to support incoming international graduate students as they transition to life at Marquette University and Milwaukee. Through peer-to-peer connections with current international students, the program aims to welcome new students, help them navigate their new home, and build an inclusive community.

Peers Helping Peers

Our current international graduate students serving as peer supports have first-hand experience navigating a new life on Marquette University’s campus and surrounding Milwaukee. The peers are here to help incoming international graduate students:

Integrate into life at Marquette University.

• Foster friendship and community.
• Find academic, professional, or personal resources and opportunities.
• Navigate campus and surrounding areas of Milwaukee.

Peer supports are not authorized to provide advice on complex immigration, health, psychological or related private and confidential matters.

Peer Pairing

International graduate students serving as peer supports will be paired with one or two incoming, international graduate students. The pairing process takes into consideration gender (if disclosed), academic area of study/interest, and region of world.

Program Expectations

Peer supports will:

• Connect with their new peer(s) before the start of the fall semester to welcome them to Marquette University and the city of Milwaukee.
• Meet with their new peer “in-person” within the first one to two weeks of the beginning of the semester.
• Check-in with their new peer once per month or spend time together as often as mutually desired (both on-campus and off-campus).

Students participating in the ISPS program are encouraged to attend Marquette University events together. The Graduate School will also host occasional social events as an opportunity for participants to gather as a community.

For more information, please contact melissa.econom@marquette.edu.