My role as international student advisor and mentor allows me to build strong and meaningful relationships with students, helping them work toward achieving paths to success. Part of my responsibilities also involves recruiting new students from their home countries. It is one of my greatest joys to be able to speak directly with potential students and their families about all that Lycoming has to offer. What challenges do you see our international students face on campus, and how do you strive to meet their needs? How did these challenges change during the pandemic? An international student’s journey is not one they make alone. While this path often starts with a dream for an opportunity to receive a superior education, the realities involved in making this dream come true are often breathtaking. Most families have to make great sacrifices in order to afford the cost of an American education. Understandably, the pandemic only added to these challenges as countries shut down, economies faltered, and family resources evaporated. An astonishing number of international students found themselves facing shut borders that eliminated the possibility of returning to their loved ones, while others could not afford the unexpected expense for a flight. In fact, a group of students trying to return to Mauritius found their journey halted in Dubai and had to tearfully turn back to their home at Lycoming. Supporting these students was a College-wide effort, with even members of the Williamsport community chipping in with offers of meals and gifts of cash and supplies. Even today, we have international students on campus who have not been home for four years. The resilience international students have shown through these challenging times is inspiring. They have patiently faced repeated disappointment, bravely overcome obstacles they never expected to encounter, and steadfastly maintained their commitment to being excellent students. My role in these students' lives adapts to their ever-changing needs. I am the person they come to for help when they’re not familiar with over-the-counter brands, when they are exhausted to the point of tears and miss their families, when they are debating changing their course of study, or even when they are nervously preparing for their first oral presentation in an American classroom. What have been some of your greatest joys working with international students? Some of my greatest pleasure comes from being a constant presence in the students’ lives while at Lycoming. The self-discovery and personal growth that takes place during this period of time is astonishing. I have the privilege of seeing a student who always thought of herself as shy and tongue-tied stand in front of a group of professors and peers and give a gallery talk on her exhibition of compelling and thoughtprovoking photographs. I get to hear the excitement in the voice of a young man who grew up stargazing in his backyard and is now applying to doctoral programs in astrophysics. 21 www.lycoming.edu
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