The People Behind CASA
By Stephanny Kusmana
Vendor Relations
I’m Stephanny, and I was born and raised in Bandung, Indonesia. I spent three years in Seattle as an undergraduate before moving to Boston for graduate school at Babson College, where I studied Entrepreneurial Leadership.
I’ve grown with every step of that journey, from learning to navigate the T to exploring Boston and finding people who now feel like family. But the move was far from picture perfect.
Studying in the U.S. brought a stack of firsts: signing an apartment lease on my own, flying solo, opening a bank account, living with roommates I hadn’t known before, showing up to events alone, and building a friend group from scratch. Some days, I felt like I was doing it all by myself.
I thought moving from Seattle to Boston would be easy because I’d already made a much bigger move across the world. It wasn’t. My list of things to sort out before arriving seemed endless: housing, insurance, banking, transportation, furniture, and even where to buy groceries.
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me
It took about three or four months to feel settled. What helped was saying yes to new experiences, even when I felt unsure. If you’re an incoming student, give yourself that time. Feeling lost at first doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.
I also learned that it’s okay to feel behind when you walk into a room full of accomplished people. At least you’re in the room. Over time, some of the people who intimidated me most became people I could learn from and lean on.
Ask the People Who Can Help
I wish I’d reached out to my school’s international student office sooner. It was a place to bring questions and find out which resources could help, even when I wasn’t sure where to start.
The same goes for career advising. Introduce yourself early, before you urgently need an appointment. A conversation can help you understand opportunities you didn’t know to look for.
Find Your Places in the City
I’ve always loved exploring different cuisines, and Asian food is often the first thing I look for in a new city. Finding places I wanted to return to helped Boston begin to feel familiar. I use Beli to keep track of restaurants I’ve tried and find new ones.
Some of my favorites are Yume Ga Arukara, Mahaniyom, Eastern Standard, Sushi by Bosso Ramen Tavern, and Barcelona Wine Bar. Discovering places like these shaped how I think about my work with CASA’s local business partners. A recommendation can give a student a reason to explore a new neighborhood, meet a friend for dinner, and begin to feel at home in the city.
Looking Back
Being an international student has meant facing one unfamiliar experience after another. Some were scary. Many became opportunities. Graduate school asked a lot of me, but it also brought friendships, favorite places, and a life I couldn’t have pictured when I first arrived.
Somewhere along the way, Boston stopped feeling foreign and started feeling like home.
That experience is part of why I care about CASA. If we can help another student find their footing and their people a little sooner, that matters.
