Over two dozen transfer and exchange students have decided to make Trinity their home this semester. They come from all over the country, and even across the globe.

“Everyone seems pretty open, welcoming and friendly,” said Joyce Palmer, a sophomore urban studies major.

Prior to coming to Trinity, Palmer attended the University of British Columbia. She is from San Antonio originally and thought of moving back in order to be closer to her family.

“I was nervous about the classes, but now I feel really good about them. [The professors] seem more interested in getting to know me and the other students,” Palmer said. “With orientation, I got to know people and was introduced to a lot of resources that would help me, so I wasn’t starting the year feeling like I didn’t know what to do. I felt like I was a part of the community even before I started classes,” Palmer said.

During orientation, transfer and exchange students get to know more about San Antonio and how they can explore the city.

“I have always believed that communicating with the locals helps us to understand the city and its unique culture as much as we can,” said John Wu, a first-year accounting major and exchange student from Lingnan University in Hong Kong.

Lingnan University has an exchange program that allows a few students from the university to come study at Trinity each year. This semester, Wu will be taking several humanities courses along with a Spanish course.

“Trinity focuses more on academic and scholarly research, while Lingnan has a bigger focus on the knowledge itself,” Wu said.

This year, many of the transfer students have gotten involved with extracurricular activities and clubs here on campus.

“I did a lot of LGBT services back in Hong Kong and know that San Antonio is a very inclusive city. I am most interested in PRIDE right now and want to join in on LGBT activities here,” Wu said.

Many of Trinity’s transfer students have not lived in San Antonio before and are able to enjoy many unique experiences by exploring the city on their own or with friends.

“The cool thing about coming to a new area and not knowing anyone is that you have new things to encounter, so that’s a fun process,” said Joy Yauger, an undeclared junior.

While academics take up a large part of any Trinity student’s life, there is always time to attend many of the social events on campus and in the nearby San Antonio community.

“Trinity is a challenging school, but you should still definitely go to as many social events as you can. Try out new things that you haven’t done before,” Yauger said.