“I always feel lonely as an international student,” Liu said. “But when you go to the activities they host, you see a lot of international students from different places and even from the same country as you … and you feel belonging here.”

More than 500 attended the luncheon hosted by the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday. In a room of some of Central Texas’s biggest donors and sponsors, Abbott shared some of the highlights from his February State of the State Address and the 89th Legislative Session. Abbott announced legislative wins on issues like housing affordability, small business success and education reform to an applauding audience.

Ramsey is a sophomore from Waco studying economics and international studies in Arabic. Ramsey went to Amman, Jordan, with Qasid, an Arabic Institute Program running from June through August. But she didn’t suspect the challenges and conflicts that would occur in the coming days.

Kristen Howerton, a career success professional, said that while other career events provide full-time employment and post-graduation opportunities that apply mainly to upperclassmen, this event includes part-time jobs, internships, volunteering and shadowing opportunities for both upperclassmen and underclassmen.