What I’m Doing for Fall 2022

Hey guys!

It’s been three months and a few weeks since I wrote my last blog. I’m now a sophomore and I can’t believe I have already spent a year in college. Starting this term was a bit different from the fall term of my freshman year. As an international student, I didn’t know much about the culture or how the school system worked in the US. Now, I can say my perspective has changed a lot over the course of a year at Carleton and I started the term with much enthusiasm and with a more structured campus lifestyle. Aside from classes, which I will talk about in a different blog, here’s a bit of what I’m up to this term.

International Student Peer Leader (IPL)

I got a new job from the Office of International Student Life (ISL) to ensure a smooth college transition for international students from the class of 2026. This began with the International Student Orientation (ISO), which took place two weeks prior to the start of the term. I was already working with other IPLs to facilitate events such as discussion panels, campus and Northfield community tours, bank appointments, social gatherings, and a writing workshop. It felt like a crash course on how to live in the US and how to navigate Carleton.

After ISO, my standard responsibilities were to support six international students as an IPL, throughout their first year. The same goes for my co-workers. The position involves meeting one-on-one with my mentees every two weeks to talk about how they are doing, advise them about academics and social aspects, and program events throughout the term for all international students to hang out.

Men of Color (MOC)

I’m a board member serving as the Public Relations Officer for MOC, which provides a fun space for men of color on campus to build strong relationships with one another. I’m in charge of everything that involves outreach, such as advertising the organization on social media platforms, creating event collaborations with similar groups from other Minnesota colleges, and supervising a mentee program that the organization runs. Although every board member has a designated duty, we are pretty flexible and always help one another.

Carleton’s Men Club Soccer

We beat the University of Northern Iowa 4-1! However, the sad truth was that I didn’t play. It was no fault of the captain; rather, I was injured in the last club training session and was unable to play the next day.

Playing soccer at Carleton will be incomplete without the incredible people I have met from Men’s Club Soccer. Every practice session is a good hour and thirty minutes of drills, banter, and sarcasm. When I joined the team, I often compared myself with some talented players on our team. Over a short period of time, I came to understand that they mostly focused on having fun and helping one another become better. That’s the beauty I found in this group.

The number of activities I am involved in this term, including blogging for Carleton’s Admissions, is less than the number I had during my freshman year. I was committed to many responsibilities at the time, which made me constantly stressed and confused. But so far, I have seen that it is working well at keeping me organized and more focused. Well, that’s a wrap. Adios!

Bennet is from the town of Bamenda, Cameroon. He is currently undecided but looking forward to a double major in Computer Science and CAMS (Cinema and Media Studies). Aside from blogging, Bennet also works for the Office of International Student Life as a Peer Mentor. On campus, he is part of the African and Caribbean Association (ACA), Men’s Club Soccer, and serves as the Public Relations Officer for Men of Color (MOC). He likes spending his free time reading nonfiction books, working out, watching movies, and hanging out with friends.