International Mentor Squad (IMS)

The International Mentor Squad (IMS) is a group of architecture students who are dedicated to welcoming and supporting new international students to the School of Architecture.

Members of the IMS work to provide new international students with an avenue to socialize with individuals outside their cultural groups and learn from students who have experience adapting to the United States and Syracuse University.

In addition, the IMS aims to explore the world with students from almost 50 countries found within the School of Architecture through cross-cultural engagements and cultural celebrations planned throughout the academic year.

2020-2021 Squad

	Adhityan ’22 Adhityan is a fifth-year architecture student studying at Syracuse University. He is originally from India but was born and raised in Japan for most of his life. He finished his high school years in Jakarta, Indonesia. Thus far, Adhityan’s years in Syracuse have positively transformed his life to several extents and have brought him great joy in meeting new people and learning different aspects of design. Some things that he enjoys doing, other than designing, are playing basketball, being around wildlife, and listening to music. One of his career goals and modes of practice is to implement the fundamentals in architectural learning into other interdisciplinary design.
	Amina ’22 Amina is a fifth-year architecture student from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she has lived most of her life. She has also lived in Harare, Zimbabwe and London. In addition to IMS, she is currently a member of NOMAS. Last semester she studied in NYC and even though it was cut short, she enjoyed every part of it both in and out of class. While in NYC, she developed an interest in design justice and continues to learn more in this semester’s VC studio. Outside of architecture, she tries to stay active, likes to try new things including food, and picking up new hobbies.
	Daria ’22 Daria is a fifth-year student who is majoring in architecture and minoring in philosophy. She is originally from Moscow, Russia. Her personal area of interest includes the issues of diversity and inclusion, which is why she wants to contribute to promoting the cross-cultural engagement on campus.
	Divija ’22 Divija is a fifth-year student from Mumbai, India. Apart from architecture, she invests her time in teaching students in Syracuse and India. A little something about her, she is fluent in three languages (English, French, and Hindi) and can have basic conversations in five regional languages. She is always up for cooking a new recipe!
	Hussain ’22 Hussain is a fifth-year architecture student. In addition to his architecture major, he is currently pursuing a minor in architectural history and is a member of the Renee Crown University Honors Program. Hussain is originally from Kuwait where he lived his whole life until college. After graduating with a BArch, he hopes to complete his architecture masters and doctoral degrees somewhere in the US or Europe with the goal of becoming a university professor alongside running a private practice in Kuwait / the Arabian Gulf region.
	Jessica ’25 Jessica is a second-year student majoring in architecture. She was born in São Paulo, Brazil and lived there up until college. At Syracuse University, she is a member of BRASA, the Brazilian Student Association. She is pretty excited for the next five years at Syracuse!
	João ’22 João is a fifth-year architecture student. On top of his architecture major, he is also completing a minor in geography. João is originally from Brazil, where he lived for nine years, yet he has spent most of his life living abroad in Geneva (Switzerland), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Mexico City (Mexico). At Syracuse, he is one of the founding members and the Director of External Communications for the Brazilian Student Association (BRASA), a member of the Men’s Volleyball Club, a founding member of the architecture fraternity Alpha Rho Chi, and of course a member of the IMS. After completing the New York City abroad semester, he developed a passion for real estate development, which he later hopes to combine with his passion for architectural design and urban planning.
	Khushee ’23 Khushee is a fourth-year student from Ahmedabad, India. She is minoring in religion and loves talking about conspiracy theories. Don’t feel shy reaching out to her to talk about anything!
	Nahall ’22 Nahall is a fifth-year architecture student from New York City, who spent time living in the Middle East during her childhood. Since being enrolled in the Syracuse Architecture program, she has been an Architecture Ambassador, NOMAS member, and will join the Student Mentor Squad this fall. Nahall minors in Philosophy and partakes in extracurricular activities such as painting and cycling. She hopes to continue her architectural studies in graduate school to eventually become a professor herself.
	Sneha ’22 Sneha is a fifth-year architecture student from India but grew up in Nigeria and India. Since enrolling in Syracuse Architecture, she has been an Architecture Ambassador and Peer Advisor. In addition, she is a member of the Student Mentor Squad (SMS) and a member of AIAS, American Institute of Architecture Students as Syracuse University. Sneha is currently part of the Syracuse Florence program. Over the past few years, she has interned in Lagos, Nigeria and has done a research internship with a Syracuse Architecture professor. In her free time, Sneha likes dancing, hiking, and painting.
	Yifan (Ivan) ’25 Ivan is a second-year architecture student from Shanghai, China. He is the NOMAS Class Representative for the Class of 2025 and a founding member of Class Connections ’25. Besides architecture, he is interested in songwriting, music production, and vocal performance. He is excited to meet students from different cultural backgrounds.
	Yixing (Cindy) ’24 Cindy is a third-year student majoring in architecture. She was born and raised in Harbin, China, and lived in Beijing after middle school. At Syracuse University, she has been a teaching assistant of the 2020 Fall Introduction to Architecture and Architecture Practice course. She is a member of Architecture Ambassador, Peer Advisor Creative Team, and Class Connections ’25. Outside of architecture, Cindy is passionate about experimental theater and also interested in playing badminton, swimming, cooking, and traveling. She would love to work on cultural diversity and inclusion. Feel free to reach out to her at any time!