A home away from home

“We’ve become close friends, more like a family. I feel like I’m at home–a second home in the U.S.”

Before Sathish Raja, a biology post-doctoral research associate who hails from India and has lived in Germany and England, came to the U.S., he assumed Americans were too on the go to make time for cultural activities or family. Since meeting former Carolina faculty member Bobbie Lubker and her husband, Lynn, those stereotypes quickly vanished.

As part of a program organized by Carolina’s Retired Faculty Association, the Lubkers and other retired faculty members help international scholars acclimate to campus life and American culture.

At the heart of it all, according to Bobbie Lubker, are relationships—relationships that help up-and-coming international scholars create a home away from home.

Read the complete Carolina Story from the University Gazette

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