International students, from over 40 countries, must manage visas, travel plans and culture shock when arriving at PA. Susanne Torabi, Instructor in German, will be the go-to person for these issues as the International Student Coordinator, beginning in the 2006-2007 academic year Ms. Torabi did not begin teaching at Andover until this past academic year. However, she first became affiliated with the school when she judged for PA’s German Olympiad, a one day event for students in German, in 2000. She will continue to teach two classes of German while also acting as the International Student Coordinator. The International Student Coordinator has many duties. She will advise the International Club and help organize the International Festival in the Fall Term. Ms. Torabi said that she looks forward to working with the student board of the International Club; Henry Yin ’07 will be President of the club next year. She will also coordinate the Kemper Scholar program, which pays for an international student to attend PA. She must read 15-25 applications for the program, and oversee the host family program, matching new international students with American families. She will act as a liaison between international parents and students, sending out an e-mail to parents once a term. In the first six weeks of school, Ms. Torabi will conference with all new international students to help them adjust to America and PA. Along with helping students in daily life at the Academy, Ms. Torabi will manage the legal aspect of School Year Abroad (SYA), such as visas. Ms. Torabi said she wants to make, “happy, eager students, so they walk through school with a smile.” Ms. Torabi frequently traveled with her father “all over Europe” during school vacations as a child. She said these experiences allowed her to appreciate internationalism at an early age. Ms. Torabi was born and raised in Germany. She began working towards her M.A. in German at the University of Münster. In 1986 Ms. Torabi came to America for the first time to live with a host family in Atlanta, Georgia for six months, before returning to Germany to finish her M.A. and then teaching at a diverse inner-city school. In 1991, Ms. Torabi herself became an immigrant, returning to teach in the Atlanta International School in Georgia. Before arriving at Andover, Ms. Torabi established a German tutoring business from her home. Dean of CAMD Linda Griffith said, “The energy and enthusiasm [Ms. Torabi] will bring to this role will certainly infect everyone in the CAMD office.”
