Who We Are

This all started back in 2003 when a group of UC Berkeley alumni decided to provide a ‘home away from home’ for international students, and provide a space to explore the big questions of life and build a relationship with God.

We invite you to join us and experience that home is not necessarily a place, but being close to the ones who care for you!

Our Student Council

  • Ashley

    Year: Senior

    Hometown: Guangdong, China

    Fun fact: My thumbs are a different length

    Favorite food: Stuffed tofu, Hakka style (客家酿豆腐)

  • Anderson

    Year: Senior

    Hometown: Malaysia

    Fun fact: I dreamed to be a pilot one day

    Favorite food: Nasi Lemak

  • Kelly

    Year: Junior

    Hometown: Hong Kong

    Fun fact: First tried coca cola at the age of 18

    Favorite food: Durian cake

  • Max

    Year: Junior

    Hometown: Shandong, China

    Fun fact: I started playing Go since I was 4

    Favorite food: Steak

  • Anne

    Year: Senior

    Hometown: Thailand/China

    Fun fact: Not fluent in any language

    Favorite food: Anything sweet

  • Qinggao

    Year: Sophomore

    Hometown: Beijing, China

    Fun fact: I make videos about math

    Favorite food: Dry hot pot (麻辣香锅)

 FAQs

Still wondering if IUSM is the group for you? Swing by one of these days and see for yourself! 😉
In the meantime, here are some FAQ to help you learn a little more about IUSM. 🤔

  • We are a community of international students! We meet together throughout the week, study hard for school, hang out, eat yummy food, play sports/games, take trips, and talk about life's big questions from a Christian perspective. We hope you will find our group to be your home away from home!

  • Definitely! You can expect to meet our alumni volunteers when you join one our activities. We consider them a strength of IUSM since they are working professionals with experience in getting a job, navigating Cal academics, giving life advice and spiritual guidance, and doing all of this in the English language! We hope that IUSM can help you succeed not only at UC Berkeley, but in life!

  • There are no applications or attendance requirements to join our group. We welcome you to check out our Friday gatherings or one of our other activities to see if our group would be good fit for you! If you're joining us for the first time, please let us know so that we can welcome you!

  • We do mid-week study halls, academic workshops (e.g. Resume, Course-Specific Review Sessions), Bible studies, trips to famous landmarks in the Bay, snow trips, and more! Please see our Events Page or reach out to us for more information.

  • On Fridays we gather to explore some of the biggest questions in life by studying the Bible and listening to special talks. These questions are important, but don't come up in every day conversation. Questions like, ‘Does God exist?’ ‘How do we love one another?’ ‘What is a meaningful life?’ ‘Does absolute morality exist?’ and more!

  • Nope! We consider ourselves a Christian group for non-Christians and hope to provide a home for all international students. We welcome you to come and join us. We would love to get to know more about you! 😊