Arriving in the United States from another country means starting from zero in many ways. It is not only about learning to navigate a new language, system or culture, but also about finding a place where you feel you belong, a space where you do not have to explain who you are, where you come from or why fitting in can be difficult. 

That is why I decided to join two student organizations: the International Club and the Latin American Student Association (LASA). I thought it would make it easier to make friends, share experiences and enjoy activities with people who, in some way, understood my story. I believed those spaces would help feel less alone in a new country. 

In LASA, I found exactly that. I joined because I thought there would be people who spoke Spanish, and although we spend most of the time speaking English, it has not been a problem. Instead, the club has become a space where I have made genuine friendships, lived meaningful experiences and felt comfortable. In LASA, I felt welcomed, heard, and valued. 

My experience with the International Club, however, was completely different. From the beginning, it was clear that social groups were already formed. Every time I tried to join an activity, I felt out of place and uncomfortable, as if I had invited myself into a space where I was not truly welcome. 

There was one time that stood out for me. A person in charge of the club invited me to go out with other international students. When I asked if I could bring a friend, I was told no, because she was not considered international and because she lived here. The response confused me. My friend is also Latina, and I also live in the United States. So why was I allowed to go, but she was not? 

I felt the only reason was personal preference rather than a fair rule. More than that, it made me question the true meaning of being “international.” Does it only count if you come directly from another country? Does your culture, language and story stop mattering once you live here? 

I felt as though we were being excluded simply because we live in the United States, even if we are from somewhere else. As if our identity were invalidated by an address. And that hurts. 

An international club should be an open space where everyone feels comfortable, included and free to participate; a place to bring cultures together, not separate them. 

Today, I chose not to attend. Not because I do not want to belong, but because I do not like how that space makes me feel. I stay where I am welcomed and where I can be myself without feeling like I am in the way. 

Being new in the United States is already difficult enough. We should not also have to fight to feel accepted.