International graduate students talk campus resources, building friendships Sep 15, 2026 2:00 pm The steady hum of multiple conversations going on at once filled the lobby inside the University YMCA on August 18 as newly enrolled international graduate students waited to attend Illinois International's first-ever Graduate Connections Meet-up. The New International Student Experience Week event kicked off with a student-led panel that was followed by an immersive, interactive networking activity. The rest of the evening was filled with students creating new friendships until well past the event's conclusion. Over 100 new international graduate students attended the meet-up. Illinois International celebrates International Families Day with inaugural event May 5, 2026 12:45 pm Several balloon “sword fights” broke out inside the Orchard Downs Community Center on April 24, as international graduate students, scholars, and their families laughed and played during the first-ever International Families Day event.