International Student Council
Mission
The International Student Council (ISC), formerly known as the International Student Advisory Board (ISAB), is a group of international student representatives selected to provide insight and feedback to ISSS and other campus units. Members are expected to foster and maintain strong relationships with international student organizations and UMD international students to understand their experiences and challenges. In turn, members possess the ability to collect and share information as necessary. This group is solutions-oriented and seeks to empower students to develop solutions to the challenges faced by international students on our campus.
Participation in the Council offers a meaningful opportunity for leadership development and helps build a more connected and vibrant international student community at UMD.
Meet the 2025-2026 ISC Members
Annu Sharma
Annu is a Master’s student in the Data Science program in CMNS. Originally from Rajasthan, India, they hold a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Science from BITS Pilani. They are dedicated to supporting international students, with a focus on creating safe and welcoming spaces for queer international students.
Chigozie Udeogu
Chigozie is a Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is originally from Nigeria and completed his master’s in South Korea. He is equally excited to serve as president of the International Student Council, leveraging this role to advocate for and promote supportive initiatives for international students.
Eden Lee
Eden is a senior undergraduate student majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering from South Korea.
Elaine Wu
Elaine Wu is a Ph.D. student in Bioengineering. Before joining UMD, she served as President of the International Student Association at Texas A&M University. Elaine enjoys meeting people from diverse cultural backgrounds and learning languages.
Eralp Toker
Eralp is a sophomore studying computer sciences who is determined to ensure that every international Terp not only thrives during their studies at UMD, but also feels prepared and confident about life beyond graduation. Eralp was born in Turkey and studied high school in Germany.
Hieu Hoang
Hieu is a second-year international student from Vietnam studying Supply Chain Management in the Smith School. As a member of the ISC, he aims to help other international students navigate the diverse campus life and connect with the amazing people here.
Junbin Yang
Junbin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Kinesiology at the School of Public Health, where he earned his M.A. in 2022. Junbin is currently working on his dissertation project, which examines contemporary popular culture using international football as both a conceptual framework and an empirical case study.
Kwesi Sam
Kwesi is a Ph.D. candidate in the Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy Program, and an international student from Ghana. He works as the Graduate Coordinator for Conduct Operations on campus. Kwesi is passionate about helping international students find community and support.
Raya Francis
Raya is a doctoral student in the Family Science Department at the School of Public Health. She is originally from Beirut, Lebanon. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Saint Joseph University of Beirut. She loves languages and is proficient in Arabic, French, English, and Spanish.
Taiwo Alawode
Taiwo Alawode is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Global Environmental and Occupational Health. She earned a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, her home country. ISC provides her with an opportunity to contribute positively to addressing the needs of international students.
Yipeng Lu
Yipeng Lu is a first-year mechanical engineering student who loves building things and solving real-world problems. He is originally from China but moved to Baltimore for high school. Outside of engineering, he loves playing basketball and badminton, watching TV shows, and eating good food with friends.