October 30, 2025
The St. John’s community specializes in being a welcoming, friendly, accepting place and so we are excited to introduce you to some of our new international students. We hope these students will become co-creators in “belonging” as they discover and explore ideas, solve world problems and connect with others. We invite you to read these snapshots to possibly meet your new best friend, your new best student, or your new best unexpected worldview!
The following are just a few of St. John’s University’s latest group of international students.
Giovanna Carolina Lipas
Giovanna is from Brazil and speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish. She loves the energy and diversity of New York City and that St. John’s is right in the middle of it. Economics is her passion, and she looks forward to getting involved in student clubs and organizations, meeting people from all backgrounds, and making the most of every opportunity to grow both academically and personally.
Allon Benedict (Valent) Cruz Guevarra
Valent is from Singapore and speaks English, Tagalog, and Mandarin. He was surprised at the number of places he can sit and enjoy the beautiful campus grounds between classes. A fun fact about Valent is that he is a professional Dungeon Master in Singapore and hopes to run a Dungeons and Dragons game on the Queens campus—and maybe even start a community!
Arianna Bowen
Ariana comes from Jamaica, where English is the official language. She was happy to find that St. John’s has a beautiful campus and offers many resources that she will continue to discover this semester. A new taste sensation for Arianna is white pizza, and a new hope for her this year is to become an orientation leader.
Claudia Sofía Suárez Chacín
Claudia is from Venezuela and is fluent in both English and Spanish. She says that St. John’s is a place where regardless of your situation, the community will “always be willing to help you out” and motivate you to succeed. She looks forward to her classes, getting to know her professors, and making “unforgettable connections.”
Nikolett-Patricia Nagy
Nikolett-Patricia hails from Romania and speaks Hungarian, Romanian, and English. Her first impressions of St. John’s are that it is “friendly, supportive, warm, and welcoming.” She is living her American dream thanks to St. John’s. “I know that since I made it here, I can make it anywhere,” she noted.
Georgette Elora Isis Zarate Gonzales
Georgette is from Peru and speaks Spanish, Chinese, Mandarin, German, French, and English—so it is no surprise that she likes learning languages and feels like a global citizen in New York. She hopes to grow both academically and spiritually at St. John’s while making friends, playing cricket, and learning quantum physics.
Diana Valentina Silva Martinez
Diana comes from Ecuador and speaks Spanish and English. She is a “brave, strong, and capable person” and is determined to succeed in her studies. She did not expect the Queens campus to be more beautiful than in the pictures, and was pleased how the diversity makes her feel she immediately fit in.
Danicha María Vásquez Pacheco
Danicha is from the Dominican Republic and speaks Spanish and English. She hopes to dive deeply into her studies and explore all the academic resources St. John’s offers. This year she wants to meet new people, join clubs, and get more involved in the community. A fun fact: She is an avid reader, and in 2023 she read 100 books!
Juan Pablo Vargas Rodriguez
Juan Pablo is Italian and Colombian and speaks Italian, Spanish, English, and French. As a new college student, he is discovering St. John’s strong school spirit, something he never experienced growing up in Italy. Here, it “feels like I am in a movie,” he noted, since time passes at a slower rate, and each week is filled with a thousand experiences.
Khushi Murarkar
Khushi is from India and speaks many Indian languages, Gujarati and Hindi being the main ones. Her first impression of St. John’s was how welcoming and helpful everyone is. She is a biology major and hopes to make friendships that won’t make her want to leave St. John’s during the breaks and not miss it when she is back home. She is excited to meet new people and learn about different cultures and perspectives.