Giovanni Tunesi’s Alabama experience wouldn’t have been the same without his First Friends.

Tunesi, a native of Italy, was one of the undergraduate exchange students who participated in First Friends last year. First Friends, an Honors College initiative beginning its second year this semester, pairs each international exchange student with two UA Honors College students. These friends help the international students navigate not only the University, but also everything else Tuscaloosa has to offer.

“The most rewarding experience was getting in touch with American culture and habits,” Tunesi said. “They cooked for us and took us to experience some of the coolest restaurants and places around Tuscaloosa.”

Fran Oneal, director of the International Honors Program, said she agrees that First Friends is about experiencing the whole community.

“Of course we want the international students to go to classes and explore academics, but we want them to them to experience all of Tuscaloosa,” Oneal said. “We want them to get to experience football and all that.”

The program is not based on events held by the Honors College, but rather on individuals forming real friendships.

“There aren’t really many rules or guidelines to the program,” said Jake Appelbaum, a senior and director of First Friends. “It is more about friendship amongst international students and UA students.”

Oneal, who started the program, said the idea arose from conversations she had with many international students expressing the difficulty they had making friends.

“Many international students felt that conversations were continually superficial,” she said. “They felt that they could never get past the, ‘Hi. How are you? You’re from France?’” O’Neal said. “They really appreciate getting to know someone on a personal level beyond superficial chit chat in classes.”

Kate Stovall, a junior and First Friends co-director, agreed that these personal relationships are beneficial to international students.

“I have spoken with several international students in last year’s program, and their UA experience greatly benefited from their friendships with UA students,” Stovall said.

First Friends does not just benefit the international students, however. It benefits UA students as well.

“We want the program to give Honors College students a very personal cultural interaction that they wouldn’t have otherwise on this campus,” Appelbaum said. “It is an opportunity for those people who might not get to go abroad to have a cultural exchange.”

Appelbaum, Oneal and Stovall all said the positive response from UA students this year is promising to the program’s development.

“We have received an overwhelming response from students this year,” Stovall said.

“We want to do more formal events this year,” Appelbaum said. “Things like a Thanksgiving potluck dinner and Dirty Santa party are fun and reflective of American culture.”

Tunesi enjoyed American experiences like these so much that he has returned to pursue a graduate degree. He hopes to continue to learn outside of the classroom as he did as an undergrad.

“I learned how to appreciate a different side of the US, especially between friends and their families,” Tunesi said. “I learned more about how Americans grow up and their traditions.”

Though all there are no First Friends positions currently available, Appelbaum encourages interested students to apply in case of dropouts or changes.

For more information on First Friends, contact Jake Appelbaum at [email protected].