My name is Elené Okruashvili and I’m a junior international student from the country of Georgia. I came to Stetson to study classical piano performance with Professor Kennard. Since the day one of being here, I have felt huge support from the WORLD office. Through WORLD I’ve been adapted to the community at Stetson and gained many great connections. I have gained many resources through Roxanne Lewis, International Student and Scholar Services Coordinator, that helped me greatly throughout my time here at Stetson. I got opportunities to be involved on campus and gained some success within my major and also extracurricular activities: I am a 3rd year resident assistant, member of the School of Music Student Advisory Council, as well as representing the student body on the new Dean Search Committee for the music school, I am one of 2 winners of the annual Concerto Competition as well as selected as one of the performers at the annual Stetson Showcase. Roxanne and the international students have supported and celebrated my musical achievements as well as given me emotional support.
As an independent student receiving no financial help from my family back in Georgia, it’s been tough to get through the Covid-19 pandemic alone in the United States. I was very fortunate to have received an anonymous donation to help me cover some costs for the Spring 2021 Semester and helped me stay in school. I had been very worried about saving money for this semester as I was having less and less work opportunities due to the pandemic over the year. I reached out to Roxanne at the WORLD office and thanks to them I received a donation that helped me stay in school. I hope WORLD continues to help and inspire students like me in the future!
Written by Elené Okruashvili, Piano Performance ’22