Now, the 19-year-old twins from the Caribbean island country of Barbados are sharing yet another experience: an undergraduate program in chemical engineering at Florida Tech in Melbourne.

The Flemmings, transfer students from a community college in Barbados, are just two of more than 700 international students representing nearly 100 countries at Florida Tech. They all help give the 4,700-student university an multicultural flavor that "makes it a special place," said Judith Brooke, the school's director of international student and scholar services.

The students are among the best and the brightest from their home countries, Brooke said, destined to become successful professionals and professors either in the United States or back home after completing demanding degree work. The school's emphasis on forging an international student body goes back to its early years and its first president, Jerome Keuper.

Keuper, who helped found the school in 1958, worked in China and Burma (now Myramar) as an U.S. Army intelligence officer, developing a love and respect for Asia throughout his life, said Karen Rhine, a Florida Tech spokeswoman.

As a reflection of his international interests, Keuper, as Florida Tech's president, reached out to many countries to attract students, Rhine said.

By the time of Keuper's death in 2001 at age 81, Florida Tech's focus on its international students had become a significant component of the school's ethos.

Starting this fall, the school is launching an "Around the World" series of events "that will highlight the food and culture of each region," administrator Brooke said. The first one is expected to focus on the Caribbean, the home region of the Flemming sisters. The Middle East and east Asia will follow.

Florida Tech also has launched an "International Friendship Program" by which people in Brevard County are encouraged to meet international students, especially at the holidays, as well as a "diplomat" program. The latter links the Florida Tech student body and faculty with specific international students, assisting them as they adjust to their new surroundings.

Such cultural adjustments can be particularly difficult for students who come from places where the lifestyle and language are dramatically different, especially the Middle East and Asia.

"The biggest shock for me was the way Americans laugh at what they laugh at," said computer science student Zeeshan-ul-Hassan Usmani , 27, of Pakistan. "I did not understand what was so funny."

Some countries in the Middle East, however, even stopped sending students altogether because of concerns about the post-9-11 atmosphere, Brooke said.

"Students had difficulty obtaining visas to enter the country, and there was concern in Muslim and Arab countries as well about sending students here," Brooke said. "But the situation is getting better and we are seeing a slow increase in students, especially from Saudi Arabia."

As the international presence rebounds, the emphasis on making sure foreign students adjust smoothly to the school and to Brevard and Florida is especially important.

"It's really cool to spend a lot of time with international students and break down some of the stereotypes that exist about foreigners, especially Muslims," said Ron Lorusso, 29, of Melbourne, a full-time employee with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, a ministerial group for students with offices on the Florida Tech campus.

Lorusso also spends much of his off time working with the school's newly launched diplomat program -- meeting students at the airport, helping them with visa problems, and giving gentle advice on American culture and customs.

"Americans are privileged, but with that privilege comes responsibility," he said. "Our country doesn't always go about things the best way, and it's good to realize that."

Kishore came to Florida Tech in 2001 and is working on his doctoral degree in computer science. He has become comfortable enough with Florida Tech and the area to help guide other students, including one from Nigeria and one from Venezuela.

For example, he said, many foreign students, especially those from Asian and Middle Eastern countries, are accustomed to collective societies and are taken aback by U.S. individualism.

"In India, families live together, including children, parents and grandparents, even after kids are married," Kishore said. "That is not the case here."

In keeping with the theme of family togetherness, Kishore said he especially misses "all the festivals and family gatherings and celebrations in India. They happen all the time."

Perhaps because of the emphasis on festivals and celebrations in many other countries, foreign students, when they are not studying, are drawn to activities at Disney World and Universal Studios in the Orlando area.

Both of them entered Florida Tech in August with impressive grade point averages from their community college in Barbados. Christine had a 4.0 and Charmaine a 3.98.

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