Student Union
Violence, Racism in US Worry Foreign Students
Around the corner from where Anna Shchetinina lives in Minneapolis, the post office is gone, shops have been boarded up, and the police station has gone up in flames.
That’s the same police station the officers, who arrested and restrained George Floyd on a busy street before he died, worked from. Since then, protests and looting have erupted nationwide against racism -- Floyd was African American -- and police brutality in the U.S.
“These past few days demonstrated how physically vulnerable I am,” said Shchetinina, 29, an international student from Russia at the University of Minnesota. “Living in the center of the protest in Minneapolis put me in constant fear.”
Grocery stores, local restaurants, a couple of nonprofits, affordable housing sites affordable, bus stops, rose bushes and hydrangeas, are all gone, she said.
“Watching an apartment building next door burning with people trapped on the roof is scary. Smoke getting into your lungs making it impossible to breathe or see is terrifying.”
But Shchetinina says she harbors no anger toward whoever caused the damage and make her scurry from her house every night in a hurry.
“This wave is as much scary and damaging, as it is powerful and justified,” she said.
“I saw business owners saying: ‘Let my building burn if it’s for this cause.’ I saw people peacefully helping each other at the support centers. I saw as many people volunteering during daytime, as rioting at night, and most likely these two groups overlap.”
“I guess the only thing I haven’t seen these days is indifference. While Minneapolis is licking its wounds, the scars will remain as a sign of urgency of change,” she said.
Many young people are expressing sorrow and anger, compassion and anxiety over Floyd’s death, which instigated protests and rioting across the U.S.
“I worked very hard for years to learn English and earn all the qualifications to become a student here,” said Armenian native Ani Martikyan, 19. “I think that was one of the best decisions and achievements I've had in my life.”
But the unrest over racial discrimination unsettles her.
“I love the U.S. and what it offers me, but I am very disappointed by how my idea of it turned from a land that welcomes absolutely everyone to a place where people can get killed because of the color of their skin,” said Martikyan, a rising sophomore at Stetson University in Central Florida.
Like other international students in the U.S., Martikyan is stunned by the events leading to Floyd’s death. Although she knows many people from her country want to move here, she said “modern racism scares them.”
Martikyan said her mom in Yerevan is “worried” about her amid the upheaval. Armenia saw police brutality in 2015 when people protested hikes in electricity fees, and in 2018, during the Velvet Revolution against the government led by Nikol Pashinyan, who became the prime minister. But not since, she said.
“My mom is definitely very worried about me,” she said.
“Every time I see a video of a usual arrest in the U.S., [it] always seems unnecessarily violent and scary to me.”
Protests that began in Minneapolis -- where Floyd died May 25 after he was arrested and restrained on a busy street as bystanders video recorded the incident -- have spread to New York City, Dallas, and dozens of other U.S. cities. In Washington, protesters have clashed with law enforcement outside the gates of the White House.
“Me, personally, I believe every protest, every riot, tweet, post, hashtag, etc. is necessary,” said Raequan Johnson, an American computer-science student at the College of Southern Maryland.
“Everything is necessary for the change of this country. Everything in stores can be replaced but lives can’t be,” Raequan said. “These riots and protests are beneficial to get our point across. This probably isn’t going to end racial profiling but I’m confident that it will lessen it.”
Myanmar native Saw, 19, who used only one name because she said she fears her visa being revoked if she comments on the record, said recent events have “changed my mind about the police and how they are supposed to behave.”
Saw said that before choosing to pursue a biology degree in the U.S., she considered gun violence, but it had always been “her [dream] to study abroad [...] in the U.S.”
Family and friends from Myanmar were “shocked” seeing the police brutality in the U.S. last week, she said.
Jacob Mwanza, 36, an international student and graduate assistant at the University of Nevada-Reno from Zambia, said he has not personally felt racism.
But the Floyd video “brings a lot of untold fear in me because I am slowly realizing that these things are happening, and anyone can be a subject of racism,” Mwanza said.
“I am traumatized, really, my movements are restricted now, and I watch my back more than I used to. It is an experience that will live with me for a long time and will definitely influence my interactions/perceptions of life in the diaspora for an African child,” he said.
Some students, like Markus Tarjamo, 26, said racism and police brutality in the U.S. will require a “multigenerational effort” to make progress.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” the College of Southern Maryland student said. “This is not going to be something that can be solved within just 2020, 2021. This is going to be a … multiyear, and really I mean, multigenerational effort that we’re going to have to go and make to fix a lot of the problems in America.”
Ariel Hall, Ruby Rosenthal and Sarmat Misikov contributed to this report.
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International students navigate financial challenges to pay US tuition
Navigating the complexities of higher education is challenging for many, but for international students, the financial hurdles can be particularly daunting.
Faced with skyrocketing tuition and fees, limited access to financial aid, and the instability of scholarships, many international students struggle to sustain their academic dreams.
Funding problems can lead some students to withdraw their college applications, as Alpha Daramy Sesay of Sierra Leone did. He abandoned his dream of studying journalism at the University of Maryland.
"I've applied to almost three universities in the past two years, and the board members were thrilled with my purpose statement and approved my application unambiguously," Sesay told VOA News. "However, I was unable to register due to the funding bottleneck, and the deadline for these offers has just lapsed."
Sesay had meticulously planned his move to the U.S., even stopping his scholarship search when a family member promised financial support. When Sesay was admitted to his dream school, however, the family support fell through, leaving him scrambling for scholarships that didn't cover all expenses.
Reflecting on his ordeal, Sesay advises future international students to seek scholarships and consult with school advisers early to avoid similar setbacks.
Talia Popovski, senior director of International Student Services at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida, suggests starting at a community college to save on tuition costs.
"Primarily, we have international students pursuing associate degrees," she said. "This is a major way for them to save money compared to going directly to a university."
Popovski emphasized the benefits of community colleges as pathways to universities, with many international students pursuing associate degrees before transferring to earn their bachelor's degrees. She also highlighted the role of on-campus work in alleviating financial burdens, suggesting institutional work-study programs as options.
According to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, a nonprofit dedicated to international education and exchange, international students are ineligible for federal work-study positions, necessitating discussions with advisers about employment eligibility. Popovski also mentioned that universities offer part-time jobs through their human resources departments, including paid internships, which provide additional financial support for education.
Student secures honor scholarship
Guilherme Lucas Mannarino, who received his associate degree from Valencia College, turned down 32 esports scholarships to study in Florida.
"I came to the United States [from Brazil] when I was 18 years old," Mannarino recalled. "I rejected all the scholarships that I acquired through esports, playing Fortnite."
Mannarino, who majored in finance at Valencia College, exemplified proactive planning in overcoming financial challenges.
Despite declining the esports scholarships, Mannarino secured an honor scholarship at Valencia College covering 50% of his tuition. He attributed his financial stability to planning ahead, staying on top of his academics, and acquiring an on-campus job.
To supplement his income, he conducted workshops advising Brazilian students on esports scholarships, allowing him to cover living expenses by finding roommates through social media.
"I was able to find a roommate on social media before coming to the U.S., which is a great way to save money," he said. "A year later, we had another roommate, which made my living costs cheaper, which is honestly the best way to save money in the U.S."
Tips for overcoming financial hurdles
Kadiatou Sow, from Conakry, Guinea, is studying at Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Michigan.
"Managing the high cost of tuition and living expenses while studying abroad involves a strategic approach," Sow said. "I prioritize securing scholarships and grants tailored for international students to alleviate tuition expenses and sometimes cover living costs. Supplementing this with part-time work both on campus and in the local community provides a steady income for daily necessities."
She encourages fellow international students to balance work and studies effectively, understand visa work-hour regulations, and seek university support for financial aid options.
"Seeking guidance from university support services and staying informed about financial aid options are essential strategies for navigating these challenges successfully," Sow said.
Three ways international students can overcome financial hurdles:
1. Community college enrollment: Begin with an associate degree at a community college to save significantly on tuition costs before transferring to a university for a bachelor's degree.
2. On-campus employment: Explore institutional work-study programs and university job boards for part-time employment opportunities that complement studies and provide financial support.
3. Proactive financial planning: Save money before arriving in the U.S., seek scholarships tailored for international students, and explore paid internship opportunities to supplement income.
While financial obstacles are daunting, international students can achieve their academic aspirations through strategic planning, diligent scholarship pursuit and leveraging on-campus resources, advisers say.
By adopting proactive financial strategies and staying resilient, they can successfully navigate the challenges of financing their education abroad, ensuring a path to academic success and personal growth.
- By VOA News
Indian newspaper offers tips for US-bound students
Telangana Today, a newspaper in India, offers a list of tips and resources for students planning to study in the United States.
Among them:
- Prepare for your travel to the U.S., making sure to gather all necessary documents, including your passport and visa.
- Be sure to attend orientations.
- By VOA News
Michigan State international students get their own space
Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, is setting aside a space in the International Center for international students.
Nidal Dajani, vice president of the school's International Student Association, said that the club plans to use the space to host events and hopes to collaborate with other student groups.
- By Dylan Ebs
International students find community during Pride Month
For LGBTQ+ international students, Pride Month, observed in June, is a unique time to reflect.
They hold on to multiple identities — both their LGBTQ+ identity and their cultural background — but coming to terms with them is not always easy.
For graduate student David Zhou, these identities can feel conflicting as transgender rights in China remain a controversial issue and spaces for LGBTQ people close. Zhou, 25, is transgender and pursuing an education in the STEM field at an urban university in the Midwestern United States.
VOA is using a pseudonym for Zhou’s first name and is not naming his university to protect his identity due to safety concerns back home in China. Zhou is not open about his transgender identity to his family.
During Pride Month, Zhou said he attended multiple LGBTQ+ events in his community and is surrounded by a supportive group of LGBTQ+ students who can relate to his experiences. But he’s not open about his identity to everyone on campus and said he doesn’t disclose his preferred pronouns to everyone to avoid transphobic comments.
“I feel like I have to make some judgments of the character of that person to see if they’re a good person to disclose [my identity] to,” Zhou said.
Zhou’s Pride Month celebrations included attending local markets with LGBTQ+ vendors and hanging out with his LGBTQ+ friends.
“They normalized being trans and for a long time I feel like trans identity is, should I say a vulnerability, brings me fear and worrying about discrimination, but having those events are helpful because it allowed me to see that queer people could just [live] openly,” he said.
At social events where few international students are present, Zhou said it can be tough to fit in.
“There's a lot of times like when they were talking about things I kind of, don't really understand, mostly because I kind of lack some background experience or knowledge,” he said.
Zhou said he is not aware of specific groups for LGBTQ+ international students at his university, but said international students are more prevalent in graduate programs and therefore find representation in organizations for LGBTQ+ graduate students.
In China, transgender individuals must obtain consent from an “immediate family member,” even for adults hoping to transition, which critics say limits the autonomy of transgender individuals while supporters say the policy protects doctors from violence by upset parents.
Struby Struble, a former coordinator of the University of Missouri LGBTQ+ Resource Center, told NAFSA: Association of International Educators in 2015 that LGBTQ+ international students face a “double barrier” on campus.
“With their international student friends, they feel isolated because they’re the LGBT one,” she said. “But then among the LGBT students on campus, they feel isolated because they’re the international one.”
Nick Martin, associate director of the Q Center, Binghamton University’s LGBTQ+ student support office, said when international students tour the center, there’s often a sense of hesitation as they enter a type of space that may not be present in their home country.
“I compare that to a year in after they've come into the space, they've again, maybe come to some of our events, they've got more connected,” he said.
Martin said graduate students have a unique interest in the Q Center as they may use the office for research and advocacy purposes that align with their studies.
“For older students, there may be hesitancy in a different way, but I think it's more in the vein of they want to do some of the advocacy work,” he said.
Martin said he thinks about how both his office and BU’s international student office can support students who come from countries with few — if any — protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.
“It's been a learning process of what those students really need, but I think I've kind of learned that a lot of students are just looking for the safe space that we offer,” Martin said.
- By VOA News
International students discuss US campus culture shock
International students at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, talked about culture shock in an article in La Voz News, the student newspaper.
"It felt like a major culture shock. Everything was so different, from academics to mannerism," said a student from Mexico.
Read the full story here.
