While the COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on all college students, its effects are amplified for international students.
As campuses closed and classes moved online in mid-March, many students were forced out of their dorms. At the same time, flights were being canceled and borders were being closed, leaving some students with nowhere to go—not even home.
At Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, international students account for 19 percent of the total student body, according to the institution’s International Admission Office. While these students’ homes span the globe, their experiences and sentiments during the pandemic are largely shared by other international students across the U.S.
Mariam Nasraddin, a recent graduate from Indiana Tech’s communication program and an international student from Saudi Arabia, says she was saddened when the COVID-19 crisis hit because she was not able to travel to New York to complete her senior capstone project. When the stay-at-home order was put in place, Nasraddin, who lives alone in Fort Wayne, had a different experience than most domestic college students.
“Everyone had the chance to quarantine with their families,” she says. “Mine were very far away. My family was worried sick about me, especially since the airports were shut down. I was feeling very anxious and lonely with zero support.”
She says that Saudi Arabia is suggesting all of its students studying in the U.S. to be ready to leave the country within 48-hour’s notice. This expectation has forced students like herself to pack their belongings and wait for the call, leaving a lot of unanswered questions for those who have pets, cars, or other essentials to consider.
Nasraddin’s experience represents one of the many challenges that domestic students do not have to worry about during this crisis. As some international students are being forced to return home, others are being denied that opportunity. 
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Toto
As a junior biomedical engineering student at Indiana Tech, athlete, and resident assistant (RA), Kudzai Toto has been quarantining by himself in Fort Wayne during the pandemic. Originally from Windhoek, Namibia, he planned to return home after the spring semester. But since the pandemic started, his flight has been canceled, and Namibia’s borders have closed.
Toto says he was fortunate enough to have been selected as a summer RA, so he has a place to stay on campus and a job for the summer. If he had not been granted that position, he says he would have had to stay with teammates or other international friends who are staying in Fort Wayne this summer. Since he is not going home any time soon, he has made plans to make the most of his summer in Fort Wayne by working on his senior project ahead of time.
Nasraddin shares Toto’s sentiments about plans being canceled. She says her summer plans have been completely ruined as a result of the pandemic. Her family was planning to watch her walk across the stage at commencement—which was supposed to take place on May 9—and then spend the summer in the U.S. together.
“My plans for summer were completely different than what is happening right now,” Nasraddin says. “Due to the shutdown of airports, my family’s flights were canceled, and their tourist visas were denied.”
Not only are her summer plans disrupted by COVID-19, but also her career plans as an international graduate are affected, as well.
“As an international student graduate, I have the chance to work in the USA with an Optional Practical Training (OPT) permit,” she says. “This permit can be denied if I leave the country for any reason. The OPT is something I have dreamt about since the very first day I landed afoot in this country. Now that my country is requiring I come home, the fact that I might be denied that opportunity is making me feel like my whole educational experience in America is pointless.”
Although there are many aspects that weigh heavy on international students’ minds, Indiana Tech is working to assist them. Senior Vi Trinh from Vietnam is in a very similar situation as Nasraddin and Toto. Trinh says that the school has gone above and beyond to help her with living situations and her general well-being. 
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Trinh
“I think Indiana Tech has been handling the situation really well,” she says. “I know a lot of other schools have not refunded their students or have kicked them out with a five-day notice. Our school has been doing the most to help international and domestic students with their needs.”
She says Assistant Vice President of Student Services, Chris Dickson, has been particularly helpful to her.
“He called me in April and asked about how I have been,” Trinh says. “I was surprised because I didn’t think anyone from the school would think about me.”
As COVID-19 continues to impact international students differently than domestic students,
Trinh says it’s university leaders and mentors reaching out to students as individuals and helping them with basic needs that is making all the difference.
“My family and I are very thankful for (Dickson) helping me get food and figure out my living situation since I cannot go home,” she says.