By Daniel Johnson-Kim, Editor in Chief

It was a long journey from Ghana to Abilene, but Kwame Twumasi-Ankrah is glad he is at ACU.

Twumasi-Ankrah, freshman political science major from Ghana, is one of 30 new international students to attend ACU this year.

“For the first time in my life, I’ve been able to make international friends, which I believe will last me a lifetime,” Twumasi-Ankrah said.

The new international students hail from all over the world, and International Student Services Coordinator Laura Blake said each student is adjusting to life in Abilene.

Blake said she encouraged students to arrive the weekend before Welcome Week to move in and begin the process of enrolling as an international student at ACU. In addition to registering for classes, getting a student ID and moving into the residence halls, international students have to go through many things at the beginning of their college careers that can be overwhelming, Blake said.

This year, ACU’s new international students call China, Nigeria, Ghana, Argentina, Zimbabwe, The Bahamas, Honduras, South Korea, Jamaica, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Canada, South Africa and Japan their homeland.

Some of the students flew into Abilene during Welcome Week and participated in the Welcome Week activities before starting classes. Blake said all of the new international students attended an orientation Sunday to better prepare them for life as an ACU student.

Included in the orientation was information about immigration policies and procedures, Chapel and student organizations like International Students Association in which they can get involved.

But despite the journey from one culture to another, Blake said most students she meets are amazed by the receptiveness and kindness of people in the ACU community.

“Several people said to me people are so friendly and nice,” Blake said.

Twumasi-Ankrah agreed and has taken the opportunity to meet people from around the world.

“In my country I knew just a few people,” Twumasi-Ankrah said. “Since I came here, I have been able to meet with a number of people from different cultures and different countries.”