Uark IFriend Programs

04/08/2026

Empathy is a skill, and we are teaching it. 🙌 The ACIREMA simulation puts participants in the shoes of international students to show what studying far from home truly feels like. Link in bio for the full story.

04/08/2026

Read our latest Arkansas Traveler article about ACIREMA! 🇺🇸🌎⭐️ ‘ACIREMA’ simulation provides insight into international student experiences - by Mia Ovalle (link in bio)

03/06/2026

Learn more about our upcoming simulation workshop, ACIREMA, in this Arkansas News Article!

Check out the article or RSVP to the workshop using the links in our bio. U of A students, staff, faculty, & NWA community members are welcome!

03/06/2026

ACIREMA (America spelled backwards) is an interactive simulation designed for participants to gain perspective to the difficulties that International students encounter in their quest for a U.S education.

Participants will play the role of international students from the fictional country of Acirema, and will have to overcome a series of obstacles in order to study in the United States. This workshop will also include a debrief and a reception sponsored by the .

U of A students, staff, faculty, & NWA community members are welcome to join us on March 13th from 2:30 to 5 PM for this engaging opportunity! RSVP at link in bio.

03/06/2026

International students face many obstacles on their journey to a US education, even before ever arriving in the US.

To learn more, we invite you to join us for a special interaction simulation workshop on March 13th from 2:30 to 5 PM. RSVP at the link in our bio. U of A students staff, faculty, & NWA community members are all welcome to attend!

12/02/2024

We successfully kicked off our Thanksgiving in an American home for our awesome hosts and iFriends!
Thank you to all that came for this special moment and we hope everyone had the best Thanksgiving this year!

10/30/2024

10/01/2024

This August, a total of 113 new international students, scholars, & family members participated in Dinner in an American Home. This special event invites new students to have a homecooked meal with an American family to welcome them to Northwest Arkansas. Students were hosted by 17 different Friendship Family Hosts with the iFriend Program! 🏡♥️