The International Friendship Club is one of the University of Guam’s most diverse, long-standing, and busiest organizations.

Members of IFC volunteer to interact with foreign students from China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.

Local students take them on campus tours, cultural activities, and have student-to-student conversations.

There are at least a minimum of three tours each week and three different functions in one day with 20 to 250 students. During the summer, IFC accommodates at least 17 different universities from Japan and Korea and the students stay a total of two to six weeks depending on the program they are in.

IFC also partners up with the English Adventure Program (EAP) by helping foreign students with their English reading, writing, and speaking skills.

The International Friendship Club’s mission is to “strive to establish close friendships with students locally and internationally and to promote the internationalization of Guam’s culture and hospitality.”

Some may compare it to the “Japanese exchange” held at local high schools because both create long-lasting friendships and unforgettable memories.

IFC is known as a diverse club because it is not limited to ESL (English Second Language) or foreign language majors. IFC members major in subjects like economics, business, accounting, administration, biology, marketing, mathematics, psychology, East Asian Studies, and Japanese Studies.

IFC is not only an enriching experience for foreign students, but for the local students as well. Local members are also given the chance to attend international universities in Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. This gives them the opportunity to get more into depth about diverse cultures around the world. These members are part of UOG’s “Good to Great” campaign and are known as Ambassadors of our beautiful island.

The former president of IFC is Erickson Aquino who majors in East Asian Studies and Philosophy. He minors in Biology and Japanese Studies and has been a member since Sept 2012.

“It is a great opportunity to expand our social network and friendships from across the globe. It is definitely a great experience internationalizing the University of Guam and being Ambassadors of our island.”

Angelenne Serafico is the former vice president and majors in mathematics and has been an active member since June 2012.

She explained that the workload in the club can be overwhelming at first but it is definitely rewarding.

“You’ll be able to create lasting friendships, not with just foreign students but also with our local students in the club. Being able to interact with foreign students has made me realize that although we are from different places in the world and speak different languages, we are all human with the capability to have feelings, wants, needs and fears. Not only has this club inspired me to change as a person for the better, but also this club gave me the opportunity to inspire others. This club is great for you to grow as a person and to broaden your perspective about others and the world.”

If you have an interest in joining the International Friendship Club, you need to meet some requirements. One must be a high school, UOG, or GCC student and complete all membership forms. To participate in the scholarship trips, one must have at least a GPA of 2.5 or better and have accumulated a certain amount of hours or points.