S3 E4 Finding Your People: How a Third Culture Kid Built Cross-Cultural Community at Purdue University

What happens when a Third Culture Kid arrives at a major American university and discovers there’s no place that reflects who they really are? Evan Stonestreet—born in Beirut, raised in Saudi Arabia, and studying computer engineering at Purdue University—faced exactly that question. His answer: build the community yourself.

In this episode of Global Student Voices, Coach Martin talks with Evan about co-founding the Cross-Cultural Association (CCA) at Purdue, the struggles of launching a TCK organization when your target audience doesn’t know they’re your target audience, and the breakthrough that came from weekly community nights built on a simple principle: ask people their stories and actually listen.

Evan shares practical advice for students transitioning from international schools to college, for school leaders preparing graduates for life beyond campus, and for anyone who has ever struggled to answer the question “where are you from?”

Topics Covered

Growing up as a Third Culture Kid in Saudi Arabia’s Aramco compound. The domestic vs. international student classification gap at universities.

Launching a student organization from scratch with lessons learned.

The shift from TCK to CCK (Cross-Cultural Kid) terminology. Ruth Van Reken’s influence on building authentic community.

Advice for TCK students, international school leaders, and globally mobile parents.

About the Guest

Evan Stonestreet is a senior studying computer engineering at Purdue University and co-founder of the Cross-Cultural Association (CCA). Born in Beirut and raised in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Evan brings firsthand TCK experience to his work building inclusive cross-cultural communities on campus.

Connect with EvanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanstonestreet/Cross-Cultural Association: https://linktr.ee/cross_cultural_association

Connect with Global Student SolutionsInternational School Consulting: www.globalstudentsolutions.comMyCareer and College Coach: www.globalstudentsolutions.com

GSS Membership Network: www.globalstudentsolutions.com#crosscultural #internationalstudents #Studentorganizations, #communitybuilding #Purdueuniversity, #TCK, #CCK, #culturalheritage #Studentleadership, #globalstudentvoices