Conn opens International Student Lounge

With a snip of a ribbon, Connecticut College officially opened its International Student Lounge during a Nov. 20 ceremony attended by students, faculty and staff. Located in a large, bright and airy room on the first floor of Knowlton House, the College’s international language residence hall, the International Student Lounge is a dedicated hub for connection and community building rooted in cross-cultural exchange.

International Student Association President Sababa Ahmed ’27, a computer science major and Ammerman Center for Arts and Technology scholar from Bangladesh, said she and her fellow students look forward to using the space to host events, study, relax and make memories.

“To international students, this lounge is more than just a room. It’s a home base … a space that gives comfort and belonging,” she said. “Thank you to every staff member, faculty member and student who helped us to get this lounge—this space didn't appear out of nowhere. It happened because of the collaboration, listening and the hard work of so many people who deeply care about the international community.”

Associate Dean of the College, Dean of Sophomores and International Student Adviser Carmela Patton said the grand opening ceremony was planned to coincide with International Education Week, “a nationwide celebration of the importance of global learning, cross-cultural exchange and the many ways international education enriches campus life.”

“This new space represents the College’s deep commitment to supporting our international students and celebrating our global community,” Patton said, adding that Knowlton House has become “a global village—a living and learning community where domestic and international students come together to engage with and experience diverse cultures.”

Director of Residential Life Staff Eric Barnes and Director of the Walter Commons for Global Study and Engagement and International Fellowships Melissa Ryan also gave remarks during the ceremony.

Just prior to the ribbon cutting, Elaine Sandoval Carrasco ’28, an international relations and history double major and Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy scholar from Peru, gave a poetry reading of Masa by César Abraham Vallejo Mendoza. The poem, she said, “tells the story of a dying man who rises again, not by his own strength, but because millions surround him with love and solidarity.

“In many ways, this resonates deeply with what it means to be an international student. We come from different places, often facing challenges that can feel isolating or daunting, yet it is the presence of community, friends and peers, in shared spaces like this, that revive us, that make us whole and give us the strength to move forward,” she said.

“Today, as we inaugurate this space dedicated to international students, we honor that very power—the power of coming together, reaching out and lifting one another up.”