Overview

Welcome! The International Anchor Allies program is a peer support program dedicated to assisting international students with transitioning into life here at Grand Valley through a variety of measures. Anchor Allies does this by fostering community in a way that enables students to take advantage of a built-in support system of peers. Returning and new students can expect the program to run for one semester at a time, in which they will engage with one another in a number of group mixers and 1-on-1 gatherings.

Get excited, Lakers!

• Program Structure
• Terms Definition
• Participant Expectations
• Meet the Captains
• Lighthouse Rewards

Sign Up!

Program History

The Anchor Allies peer support program was founded in 2025 by ISS staff member Kyla Ozinga and was originally conceptualized by the Director of International Student and Scholar Services, Libby Jawish. The program debuted in the Fall of 2025 and began serving its first cohort of new international students (iStudents) that very same semester. The idea behind the program was to provide iStudents with a larger array of resources to assist them in getting acclimated to life studying in the United States, and what better resource than other seasoned iStudents?

The name for the program was chosen in a naming competition that took place in early 2025, in which iStudents themselves submitted name suggestions and voted on the best one - Pallavi Narra, an iStudent at GVSU at the time, was the winner with her submission of "Anchor Allies." That is how the name for the program was chosen!

Program Structure

The program will run according to a defined framework so that participants can maximize the advantages of it, as well as the time spent in group and 1-on-1 mixers. The Anchor Allies peer support program will run by semester and will include four (4) group mixers - one per month - and participants are encouraged to meet at least three (3) times in their own in small groups or 1:1 gatherings. Before the program begins, Captains will participate in a training meant to educate them on how to assist both Navigators and Sailors. Captains, Navigators, and Sailors all have the opportunity to participate in the Lighthouse Rewards Program.

Winter 2026 Group Mixer Timeline:

• Captains Training: January 15th, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
• 1st Mixer: January 23rd, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
• 2nd Mixer: February 20th, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
• 3rd Mixer: March 20th, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
• See You event: April 10th, 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

iAA Terminology

Below defines the frequently used terms in the International Anchor Allies program: 

• International Anchor Allies (iAA): Our peer support program!

• Ships: Subgroups in the iAA program.

• Sailors: New iAA members (first semester at GVSU).

• Navigators: Returning Lakers (at least a semester in the IAA program) support the newest iAA members, referred to as Sailors.

• Captains: Ship leaders responsible for maintaining engagement and offering support to their Navigators (and sailors). Captains are returning Lakers who have at least completed a year of academic work at GVSU and a semester in the IAA program. Captains will participate in a training before the program start date.

• Mixers: Monthly group gatherings

• Campus Resource: For reward purposes, GVSU Departments and Registered Student Organizations are considered (Replenish, Counseling, GSA, Housing, Career Center, etc.).

• Confidentiality Guidelines: A policy document designed to provide guidelines and to protect the privacy of all participants. 

• Lighthouse Rewards: A point-based program to reward iAA Participants. 

Captain Expectations

Captains are expected to provide guidance, support, and coordination for ship navigators and sailors and commit four (4) - six (6) hours per month to the program.  This time could include mixer activities, ship meetings and coordination, and providing feedback to the program through surveys. The Captain to Navigator ratio will range depending on the number of navigators and sailors each semester. The captain to navigator ratio can range from 1:1 to 1:4 as needed. Captain expectations can be found here.

Navigator Expectations

Navigators can expect to meet-up once a month in large group mixers with captains and sailors as well as once a month per sailor for one-on-one mixers. The average time commitment per navigator would range anywhere from two (2) to three (3) hours per month dependent on how many sailors each navigator is assigned. The navigator to sailor ratio will depend on the total number of navigators and sailors each semester, but could range from 1:1 to 1:5 as needed.

Sailor Expectations

Sailors can also expect to meet once a month in large group mixers with the Anchor Allies community, as well as once a month individually with their navigators for one-on-one gatherings. The average time commitment per month for sailors would range between two (2) to three (3) hours. Throughout the entire semester, sailors can expect to be able to contact their Captains and Navigators for general questions, social events, and to schedule mixer times.

Meet the Captains!

The ISS Team is excited to introduce you to our wonderful team of Anchor Allies Peer Captains. Below you will find pictures of our captains, their names, and what they are studying here at GVSU. Our captains look forward to meeting you during the upcoming school year!

Captain Sign-Up

Are you a returning international student who has completed at least a year of academic program at GVSU?  Have you been a navigator (mentor) previously?  Do you want to share your knowledge, help a new student feel more supported, and make new friends? Sign up here!

 Captain Sign-Up

Applications to be an international student peer captain for the Winter 2026 semester will open November 17th, 2025. The deadline to apply is December 13th, 2025 and applicants should expect to hear back on their acceptance sometime in early January 2026. Contact [email protected] with any further questions.

Navigator Sign-Up

Are you a returning international student who was formerly a navigator (mentor) or asailor (mentee) of the International Anchor Allies (iAA) program?  Do you want to share your knowledge, help a new student feel more supported, and make new friends? Sign up here!

Navigator Sign-Up

Applications to be an international student peer navigator for the Winter 2026 semester will open November 17th, 2025. The deadline to apply is December 13th, 2025 and applicants should expect to hear back on their acceptance sometime in early January 2026. Contact [email protected] with any further questions you may have.

Lighthouse Rewards

Navigators and Sailors have the opportunity to earn scholarships based on their participation in the program. Rewards start at 100 points/$100 USD and max out at 200 points/$200 USD. From there, participation points are awarded by total points.  
Examples:

• 100 points (minimum to be awarded): $100 USD 
• 150 points: $150 USD 
• 200 points (maximum to be awarded): $200 USD 

Captains also have the opportunity to earn scholarship rewards by fulfilling the Captain expectations. Full participation is rewarded with up to $1,000 in scholarship funds!

Additionally, Captains and Navigators can submit their hours involved in the program for the Lakers without Borders. Recognitions will be made at our end-of-year See You event!

Lighthouse Point System

For Navigators and Sailors, their participation is scored as follows:

Core Components: 100 points max 

• Mixers (10 points per gathering): 40 points max 
• Agreement Form: 10 points 
• Monthly meet-ups of at least 1 senior and 1 newbie (10 points per meet-up): 40 max 
• End-of-semester Reflection: 10 points  

Resource Sharing: 40 points max 

• Campus Resource Referral from Mentor to Mentee: 10 points per 
• Referral Follow-through where Mentee uses referred resource: 10 points per 

Above and Beyond: 60 points max 

• Ship All-Group Outing: 30 points per outing
• iAA Attending GVSU Events Together: 10 points per event
• Recruit the future of iAA: 5 points per referral who signs up