Stories of how study abroad experience helps students thrive in their studies and careers.

  • A first-generation international student here in the U.S. who studies Economics went on to work for a big company in the U.S. to provide financially for his family. He is thankful that his employer sponsored him on an H-1 B visa.
  • A first-generation college student from a Chicago minority community, although very reluctant, went to Italy for a semester. This experience broadened his outlook on life. He is now successful digital marketing person.
  • Two of my first students received the Gilman scholarship and had never been abroad before. Both of them had amazing experiences in Guatemala with our faculty-led Spanish program which was one of the first programs we have ever done. One has gone on to serve in the US military with plans to use Spanish as part of his career service and the other transferred to complete her Bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies and is looking to go into law or government service. One of my 2024 Gilman awardees plans to study in Portugal and is looking at working in technology/computer science with the US Department of State or other government service.
  • A medical student, originally from Puerto Rico, spent the summer in Tanzania, working with her mentor and a local general practitioner conducting research related to improved care for cancer patients. This experience motivated the student to concentrate her career on global health work with a focus on creating intercultural partnerships, engaging in bidirectional learning and teaching, and developing context-appropriate research projects.
  • Learning a foreign language is often now a requirement for graduation. For those who have language learning challenges, the best and quickest way for acquisition is through study abroad. I was not able to study abroad in undergrad as I did not have the finances and was forced to change my major from a critical language area study to a degree in government.

Stories that illustrate the value of expanding opportunities for a greater, more diverse number of students to study abroad.

  • As an example, Trente University in Netherlands offers robotics summer camp. A local student from Chicago attended it. He is now graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering and robotics. His capstone project was designing a golfing robot. In addition, US students gain global exposure to diverse cultures, which will help them in furthering their studies and placement in global society upon entering the work force.
  • My students who have used government support for study abroad are all low-income, Pell eligible students who could never have accessed these opportunities without support. Creating accessible programs with support allows them to achieve their professional development, academic development, and creates cross-cultural competency which is hart to access. My Gilman awardee going to Portugal this year plans to also plans to apply for the Critical Language program for next year.
  • A fourth-year Sociology PhD student, raised in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of LA and recipient of the Fulbright Award, has been able to spend time in Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico, working on her dissertation in data collecting through the IndigiTrauma Healing study. The Fulbright Award, along with a donor-funded campus scholarship, supported this student to pursue an academic experience connected to her and her family while exploring how indigenous-rooted traditional healing practices support migrants in overcoming feelings of health unworthiness.
  • An example of how funding specific to study abroad would help study abroad programs recover from the pandemic effects and grow.
  • Our study abroad program started with faculty-led programs in 2018 and we were growing and expanding our virtual and study abroad opportunities in 2020, but all of that shut down. It has taken 3 years to get our first faculty-led programs to go in 2024.
  • Student 1- There aren’t many scholarships available and if the number of students participating is less, there is an issue of them paying higher costs. Additionally, paying for Room & Board at your university makes no sense if the costs abroad are much lower, as compared to New York City, for example. There is not enough information about why the fees are the way they are and they do not feel justified.  
  • Student 2- If the funding were used to cover part of the fee for study abroad programs, I think it would attract more students to participate as the financial stress is less.
  • Student 3- Although the school offers international students scholarships, they cannot apply for scholarships from the state or the city.  
  • Student 4- International students should also have more choice of schools and access to scholarships. I have noticed that local students have more opportunities to choose other local schools when faced with the same dissatisfaction with their major. It's hard for international students to have more options due to scholarships.

Stories demonstrating how international students enrich U.S. students’ learning environment.

  • During International Education Week, my international students provided country exhibits and an Indian Cultural Night to provide a cross-cultural learning opportunity. This was particularly important for our Allied Health and Nursing students who are required to gain cross cultural skills for working with diverse communities within health care settings and these programs were greatly enhanced by having individuals from different contexts have information and broadening the domestic students ideas of other cultures, contexts, and history.
  • It's common at Carnegie Mellon for international students and U.S. students to collaborate on research projects, sometimes starting a business together after graduation.
  • On the one-year anniversary of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests in Iran, members of the Iranian Student Club hosted a campus-wide event to help educate the campus community on the current state of human rights in Iran, emphasize the important and ongoing role students play in the movement, and contributed a new dimension and understanding of global politics that would not have been possible otherwise.
  • We have begun hosting an annual Poster Fair event for J-1 Research Scholars to present their body of research in which they have engaged while sponsored by the institution. This event allows J-1 Research Scholars to share their knowledge with the campus community from a global perspective. Students and Scholar peers gain an understanding of ongoing research by the institution and are enriched by engaging first-hand with those working on the project.

Stories that illustrate the contributions international students make to their campus and communities.

  • Alabama has a shortage in STEM teacher education. More than the average number of international students are strong in the STEM fields and this creates an opportunity for retaining Alabama trained talent to provide for the future of our domestic student needs.
  • Our institution hosts a weekly flagship event, "International Coffee Hour". This event is open to the entire campus community and is an opportunity to network, socialize, and engage with peers. Various student-affinity groups have partnered as co-sponsors for individual events allowing for further engagement with the campus community. Other events such as a J-1 Scholar Poster Fair and International Student Essay Contests have been hosted at this event which further bolsters the impact within the campus community.
  • A master's student from Afghanistan with a background in epidemiology and biostatistics has coordinated a project focused on addressing the health and life vulnerabilities of refugees in the Sacramento area.

Examples that illustrate the benefits of establishing a pathway to green card for international students

  • Students who are studying fields in which there are high skilled and high shortage should be allowed to apply for H1B separate from the H1B cap. They do not interfere with US workers because these are areas with high demand and not enough workings. Particularly in areas of health care and teachers, there is an opportunity to fulfill the needs of the workforce by offering reasonable pathways for students to permanent resident status. We are losing US trained talent to other markets. There has been a mass exodus to Canada for their ease of establishing landed immigrant status. As we all know, our system does not have an easy pathway particularly for those countries with a higher percentage of immigrants historically. An assessment of the SEVIS system should be considered to see what skills areas are high needs and see how the OPT STEM extension pathways could be accommodated better so we can keep that talent.
  • Carnegie Mellon encourages an entrepreneurial mindset. After completing their degrees, many CMU international students start their own businesses using their F-1 Post Completion OPT work authorization. But this lasts only 1 year, and many are left without a path forward after that one year period.
  • Engineering student (got Engineering PhD at TAMU in 2022) hoped Biden’s “green card for US international graduates” program would work, yet it did not and upon graduation the US company that wanted to hire could not secure an H1-B. she agreed to another job offer (in Canada)- she has a Canadian green card already. The U.S. lost a great engineer, she was promoted twice since.
  • Student 1- If I could get a green card more easily, I wouldn't need to study something I don't like so much in order to get a job more easily. And I don't necessarily need to have a full-time job in order to have legal status to stay in the United States. Student 2- If I had an easier access to a green card, maybe I get to deal with less documents when I’m trying to rent a place here in New York
  • The education program in my university accepts many international students. Our local schools benefit from these students, who do student teaching in local schools and often use their OPT at these schools. The local school district routinely faces difficulty in hiring new teachers, and these students are eager to fill those positions. However, they do not qualify for the STEM extension, and many of the schools do not have experience filing for H-1Bs. Many of these students go elsewhere, since there is no clear pathway to continue working here.

A story that explains how international students would benefit from not having to prove they have no intent of immigrating after their studies. (i.e. they could express dual intent, to both study and work in the U.S.)

  • Alabama has more than 9900 international students and a workforce shortage. Within that context, we are training and then not retaining students who could potentially work in our state. With more than 490 Foreign Direct Investment companies in Alabama, many of them would like multi-lingual and cross-culturally trained individuals to work in Alabama or internationally for them. Relationship-building for the legal pathways for international student enhances our economic footprint for talent for FDI employers.
  • It becomes cumbersome when students are in their Post Completion OPT work authorization period after completing their degree. Often their ideal plans are to continue employment in the U.S. in H-1B status,, but when they need to apply for a new visa they have to mention their plans to depart the U.S. after OPT.
  • An international graduate student in the last semester of their PhD program went to visit a family member in Canada. The student was denied re-entry to the United States despite having a valid visa and an outstanding academic record because it was assumed he had immigrant intent. The student had to defend his thesis online, was unable to attend his graduation ceremony, and was unable to apply for work authorization.
  • During the summer, the College of Engineering and the College of Arts & Sciences hosts a group of Short-term Scholars from Colombia and Peru for training opportunities in the fields of engineering, physics, and chemistry. Cohorts average around 30 participants and many return in subsequent years either again as Summer participants or as long-term Research Scholars. This past year, one such participant was denied their visa application twice due as their sibling was a U.S. permanent resident. This impacted both the scholar's opportunities for a training/cultural exchange but also the hosting department as well.
  • Student 1- The legal requirements of providing enough proof of “ties to home country” induce financial stress and is a very privileged bias to students that might not be able to indicate strong financial assets. Dual intent would level the field and provide opportunities to all classes of people.  
  • Student 2- I think it is too one-sided. It is hard for students to decide where they want to stay in the future since they are too young. I think the states should give students more time after graduation for them to decide their future. Even some students want to spend their gap year here, but they don’t have legal status.
  • A PhD student in clinical psychology went home to renew a visa, but faced difficulties in the process. The student comes from a country that is currently at war, so demonstrating non-immigrant intent is difficult. This is a student who has excelled during their time here and has participated in a lot of research in their field of study. Because of perceived immigrant intent, this student may not be able to return to the U.S. to complete their program.