Buzz Buddies is a new mentorship initiative from Graduate Student Government Association (Grad SGA) aimed at helping 1st-year international graduate students to acclimate to life at Georgia Tech. 

“To build a strong sense of belonging for these students has been a major platform for this Grad SGA leadership (2024-25), and we are a carrying out what we set out to do,” said Donglai Yang, second-year Ph.D. student in geophysics. “Being an international student here in the United States has been an incredible opportunity of growth for me. This identity has granted me many unique challenges that would be difficult to overcome without the help of many mentors and peer support along the way.”

Buzz Buddies is designed to help with some of the more nuanced or social aspects of life at Georgia Tech such as housing, hobbies, extra-curricular activities, and life in Atlanta. 

Amaya McNealy, a third-year Ph.D. student in industrial engineering added, “Graduate school can be difficult to navigate from an academic, professional, social, and personal perspective. Buzz Buddies was created to help with the transition by pairing current international graduate students with incoming international graduate students.”  

Apply for Buzz Buddies

How to Join Buzz Buddies: Application and Matching Process

Currently, Buzz Buddies program only targets incoming, on-campus graduate students. Those interested in receiving mentorship fill out a brief application, which can be accessed here. Mentees are paired with an experienced graduate student mentor through a holistic evaluation. The application reviewers consider professional and academic pursuits, hobbies and interests, and other factors. The application allows both mentors and mentees to identify specific needs, which will be considered during the matching process. 

What to Expect as a Buzz Buddy 

For mentees, the program starts this summer and ends in December, although the specific starting time is up to the mentors and mentees themselves to decide. Participation for Buzz Buddies is a once-a-month meeting to be determined between mentor and mentee. These meetings can be informal but are designed to act as a check-in with the mentee’s progress and address any questions or concerns they have. 

Community Events, Workshops, and Peer Connection

In addition to the monthly meeting, three social events will be held each semester, designed to build community within Buzz Buddies cohort and allow students to interact with students who have similar experiences. 

In the fall semester, participants can expect a series of social gatherings of various forms to better strengthen the mentor-mentee community. There will also be workshops with Georgia Tech staff and/or faculty to facilitate discussions around professional growth, as well as focus groups to reflect on the challenges encountered as international graduate students and crowdsource solutions.

Aligning with Grad SGA’s Commitment to Community

Buzz Buddies is part of a broader effort by Grad SGA to support Georgia Tech’s international student community. With collaboration from the Office of International Education and Student Engagement and Wellbeing, the program reflects a commitment to “provide students as many resources as possible to ease their transition to Georgia Tech so they can enjoy and thrive during their time here.”