Established in 2022, CIRCLE of Friends (CoF) is a space for international students, as well as students interested in different cultures, to hangout, make friends, share, learn, and get support. Every Tuesday and Friday from 6:00-8:00 p.m., you can join CoF teams for all kinds of fun activities, helpful presentations, meaningful discussions, free snacks, and much more!
Chat 1:1 with Dan, Executive Director of CIRCLE
CoF Program Goals:
- Provide a welcoming space where international students can hang out, make friends and find a community where they belong.? (Connection & Community)
- Create a safe space where international students can share their stories, voice their concerns, and support one another (Safe space)
- Connect international students with campus resources to support their academic and professional growth. (Resources and support)
- Create fun activities to enhance cultural understanding, as well as social aspects of being a college student in the U.S. (Social life)
- Build a casual environment for students to reach their full potential. (Leadership)
Meet the CoF Team
CoF Leadership
Dan Zhu (朱老師) (she/her) | Executive Director, CoF Program Founder
From: Jiangxi & Beijing, China
Languages Spoken: Mandarin Chinese, Hakka and English
Major: I did my undergraduate in BNU (北师大) and finished my PhD in English composition at UW a while ago.
Fun fact: I have two lovely mixed boys: Miles and Sebastian.
Marion Ferguson (she/her) | Assistant Director for Undergraduate Programs, CoF Program Manager
From: Ithaca, New York
Languages Spoken: English
About me: I was an international student at the University of Edinburgh. I love to paint and explore the beautiful PNW with my dog!
Sangey Rinchen?(he/him) | CIRCLE Student Events Manager, CoF Program Leader
From: Bhutan
Languages spoken: English, Dzongkha, a little German
Major: Statistics
About me: I enjoy long hikes, writing stories, and spending time with my family!
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Rangel Zhou?(he/him) | CIRCLE of Friends Peer Advisor (PA)
Languages spoken: Chinese, English, a little Spanish
Major: Industrial Engineering
About me: Love playing tennis, drawing, all outdoors, and photoshooting, also a big animal lover.
Jason Li (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Mandarin
Major: Computer science
About me: I love baking, swimming, outdoor activities, traveling, and exploring new places! I also have a Bedlington Terrier dog that looks just like a little lamb ?
Lafayette Meng?(he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin,English
Major: Mechanical Engineering
About me: I love trying new food spots, listening to music, and watching F1! Max Verstappen is my favorite driver!
Annika Li (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin, English
Major: Mechanical Engineering
About me: I like to watch movies (especially Disney and Pixar) and baseball games!
Michael Mam (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Khmer, English
Major: Industrial Design
About me: Napping is my passion
Minny Murin?(she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Thai, Mandarin
Major: MCD biology
About me: #1 Burke-Gilman trail fan
Jennifer Jin?(she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Mandarin
Major: Applied Mathematics
About me: I’ve been drawing for almost 15 years, basically since I could hold a pencil!
Ketki Vaidya (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi, Marathi
Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering
About me: I am a coffee-holic!
Houma Yoshimochi?(he/him)?|?CIRCLE of Friends Peer Advisor (PA)
Languages spoken: Japanese, English
Major: Mechanical Engineering
About me: Love hooping
April Dhamija (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi, Punjabi
Major: Pre-sciences
About me: Phe in cap hill is my favorite Cafe!
Jasmine Chen?(she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Engilsh
Major: AMATH-DS
About me: I’m a big foodie who loves cooking Chinese food and trying new restaurants on weekends. I also enjoy photography and animals.
Terry Jiang (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Mandarin, and a bit of Spanish
Major: ESRM
About me: Love geography and environment. Also movie and different cultures! I have a cat, who’s name is pudding ?I also like Naruto
Sarah Dai?(she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin, English
Major: Business Administration
About me: I take good photos! I enjoy swimming, singing, studying, and playing Genshin Impact.
Bingli Guo (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Mandarin
Major: Mathematics&HCDE
About me: I am a huge soccer fan, play as a goalkeeper and love Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Yichen Wu (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin, English
Major: Mechanical Engineering
About me: Always love music
Philip Chen?(he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin, English
Major: Business & Economics
About me: I always love to try and learn new things. I play all kinds of sports; I like to explore new places.
Victoria Silkina (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Russian, English, German, French
Major: Chemical engineering
About me: I love to bake and hike. I have hiked a lot around Washington state, and I am excited to explore more places this school year. I also play flute in the concert band.
Kelly Du?(she/her)?|?CIRCLE of Friends Peer Advisor (PA)
Languages spoken: English and Mandarin
Major: Psychology
About me: Huge snoopy enthusiast
Damien Chan (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Eng, Canto, Mandarin
Major: Computer Science and Math
About me: I love playing any sports, specifically badminton or soccer but everything is fine! beginner in photography. New to Seattle, i hope to explore around Seattle or Washington state AND HIKEEEEE
Nancy Zhou?(she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Chinese, English
Major: Biochemistry
About me: I love photography, cooking, journaling, and exploring new places around Seattle.
Joshua Chong (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Chinese, English, Malay
Major: Informatics
About me: I enjoy playing pickleball, cooking and spending time with friends! My favorite restaurant is Sizzle and Crunch on the Ave and fun fact, I can name 150 athletes!
Ishan Agrawal (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Hindi, English
Major: Chemical Engineering
About me: I Love Playing Piano, Soccer, cycling and going new places. I have a great Dane.
Regina Wan (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Chinese, English
Major: Entrepreneurship, Finance
About me: I enjoy photography, baking, and animals! Since summer, I begun volunteering at an animal shelter’s food bank.
Xinrui Wang?(she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Chinese, English
Major: Prescience
About me: I love drumming, playing frisbee, watching anime, listening to music and singing. I also enjoy traveling and discovering cool new places(bookstores,cafes, etc)
Defne Atac?(she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Turkish, English
Major: ECE
About me: I enjoy drawing, playing basketball, folk dancing, and learning about photonics.
Rachel Daniel?(she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Hindi, Tamil, English
Major: MCD Biology
About me: I love dancing, cooking and cats! My favorite drinks are coffee and boba and my favorite restaurant on the ave is the Korean Tofu House Express.
CIRCLE of Friends Autumn Quarter Events Overview
| ?Date | ?Event Name | ?Time | ?Location |
| ?10/1 (Fri) | ?Circle of Friends Kick-off Party | ?6:00-8:00 p.m. | ?Schmitz Hall 250 |
| ?10/6 (Tue) | ? | ?6:00-8:00 p.m. | ?HUB Games |
| ?10/13 (Tue) | ? | ?6:00-8:00 p.m. | ?Schmitz Hall 250 |
| ?10/16 (Tue) | ?DOL Visit at CIRCLE Office | ?10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | ?Schmitz Hall 250 |
| ?10/17 (Sat) | ?9:30a.m.- 2:30 p.m. | ?Craven Farm | |
| ?10/20 (Tue) |
|
?6:00-8:00 p.m. | ?Schmitz Hall 250 |
| ?10/23 (Fri) | ?2:00-3:00 p.m. | ?Kraken Comm. Iceplex | |
| ?10/27 (Tue) | ? | ?6:00-8:00 p.m. | ?Schmitz Hall 250 |
| ?10/30 (Fri) |
|
?6:00-8:00 p.m. | ?Schmitz Hall 250 |
| ?11/3 (Tue) | ?Painting with Puppies (TBD) | ?6:00-8:00 p.m. | ?Schmitz Hall 250 |
| ?11/6 (Fri) | ?CIRCLE Diwali Celebration | ?5:00-7:30 p.m. | ?Intellectual House |
| ?11/10 (Tue) |
?Diwali Craft (TBD)
|
?6:00-7:00 p.m. | ?Schmitz Hall 250 |
| ?11/13 (Fri) | ?CIRCLE Career Day | ?6:00-8:00 p.m. | |
| ?11/17 (Tue) | ? | ?6:00-8:00 p.m. | |
| ?11/20 (Fri) | ? | ?6:00-8:00 p.m. | ?Schmitz Hall 250 |
| ?11/25 (Tue) | ?Thanksgiving Celebration | ?6:00-8:00 p.m. | ?Intellectual House |
| ?12/1 (Fri) |
|
?6:00-8:00 p.m. | ?Schmitz Hall 250 |
| ?12/4 (Fri) |
?Murder Mystery Night
|
10:00 am-12:00 pm | ?Schmitz Hall 250 |
The CIRCLE of Friends is proudly funded by the Services and Activities Fee (SAF), a student-levied fund designed to enhance the out-of-class experience for students at the 天美影视传媒. SAF supports a wide range of programs and services that promote students’ cultural, emotional, intellectual, physical, and social well-being. Through this funding, we’re able to offer ongoing support and create a space where all students can thrive and feel at home.