Welsh student finds USM a home away from home

Most people on the USM campus know the International Center as “the building with the bagels and sushi.” While bagels and sushi abound, the International Center serves as a home base for students from a diverse selection of countries.

Shirelle Matthews, a 20-year-old Junior from Cardiff, Wales, sees it as a great help for her while she studies here in America.

“It operates really well,” she said. “The staff are extremely friendly and they keep me updated about all that goes on at the USM campus.

“Mississippi was not actually my first choice of places to live in America,” Matthews continued. “It wasn’t until two girls got up and did a presentation on Mississippi that I started considering it.”

Matthews, a history major, said she had a great interest in southern history and had dreams of being a high school history teacher. This, however, was not always so.

“As a child, I wanted to be a dancer,” Matthews said.

While has given up on dancing as a career, she still enjoys dance and is a member of the Dance Society at the Swansea University back in Wales.

“There don’t seem to be as many organizations and societies here,” she lamented. “If there are, they just don’t advertise them as well.”

Even without the societies of her home, she has still found interest in many places.

“I’ve been to New Orleans once and enjoyed it, but I really enjoyed the B.B. King Museum,” Matthews said.

An avid fan of Jazz music, Matthews enjoys playing the saxophone on occasion when she gets the time.

When asked about the differences between school here and school in Wales, she noted many differences.

“School has a lot more work over here,” Matthews said. “It’s more spread out, so it seems like a lot more work.”

In Wales, most of their schoolwork is done in summation at the end of the semester.

“The people here are very nice, though,” Matthews continued. “Usually, when I have very brief encounters with people, they’re extremely friendly.”

Not all meetings have been so normal, though.

“On a few occasions, people have stopped me and asked me to say ‘Harry Potter’,” she laughed. “It’s all cool, though.”

Matthews is expected to stay at USM until May, after which she will return to Cardiff.

She recalled her thoughts when she first got here.

“It was such a culture shock when I got here,” she said. “It was a lot different than what I was used to. I used to be shy, you know. I never thought I’d be here like this. I’ve had great experiences here, though, especially with other International Students. They’re a great bunch.”