Throughout our Spotlight Series, many ISO members have shared their stories to help shed insight on what it means to be an international student during the pandemic. Through the surveys we have sent out, we have come to understand more about the mutual struggles our members have experienced over the past couple of months and used this platform to show that you are not alone in the challenges you might be facing right now.
Luckily, with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continuing to progress, it is safe to finally look forward with some sense of optimism. Though there have been challenges, many people have also experienced some positive things during these trying times. With this, we reached out to our members to ask them to share some of the good that has happened to them recently. We’d like to shine the spotlight on three of those who participated.
The first person we would like to introduce is Fernando, a J1 scholar from Brazil currently in a research program at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. You may recognize his name as he has been featured in the Spotlight Series before. You can read his past features here and here.
Like many at the beginning of the pandemic, Fernando was initially pretty concerned with how the lockdown and visa restrictions were going to affect his time in the United States. When the stay-at-home orders were active between February and May, he was unable to access the laboratories necessary to conduct his research.
Luckily, Fernando has a positive attitude and focuses on the good happening around him. He has since returned to the labs and turned his internship into a full-time job with the same company, which he is grateful for.
The past year has also been crucial for Fernando’s personal growth. He used the time alone to focus on bettering his health and learned how to manage personal projects more efficiently. Fernando has shown just how much focusing on your fitness and eating habits can improve your work ethic and dedication.
“My motivation is always setting goals to become a better me. As an example, last year in February when I started exercising at home, I was doing a maximum of 50 push-ups and I challenged myself to do 100 push-ups. So, I set intermediary goals of 60, 75 and 90 to be reached in the following months, and I committed myself to make at least two attempts per day, no matter what. And then, since last Christmas, I am finally doing 100 push-ups. It is all about discipline and commitment.”
Though this is clearly a time of great stress, Fernando shows that you can always make the best out of a bad situation by appreciating how far you have come and your goals. Despite the recent events in the United States, Fernando says “I have dreamt about living here since I was four years old, and I could not be happier.”
The next person whose story we would like to share is Teodora! She is an F1 international student currently studying at Union College in Kentucky. 2020 wasn’t easy for Teodora either as her last semester of high school overlapped with the beginning of lockdowns in her home country of Australia. She did not have in-person graduation and travel restrictions did not allow her to arrive in the U.S. until the spring semester.
Moving from the beautiful beaches of Australia to snow-covered Kentucky has proven to be an adjustment for Teodora. Despite this, she says “I am enjoying adjusting to a totally different environment and another incredible side of Mother Nature I have never been exposed to before.”
As a freshman member of her school’s tennis team, she has had a lot on her plate but is grateful for the opportunity and hopes more women will be able to follow the same path as her. Though the beginning of her college experience may not have gone according to plan, Teodora still acknowledges how special her journey has been and what overcoming the challenges of the pandemic will mean in the long run.
“The pandemic has helped us slow down, realize and acknowledge social justice issues and fight for equality. It has given us time to reflect on what is important in life, and what we are truly passionate about. Instead of relying on others, we have had to look inside and see what we are capable of. I have had to grow so much in a short space of time, yet I am happy and proud of myself as we all should be for getting through this.”
This positive attitude has clearly shown in her accomplishments as she is on scholarship at her school and is showing tremendous success with her early tennis career. Over the past few months, Teodora mentions she has grown even closer to her loved ones and realized what truly makes her happy, which we think we all should strive to do as well.
Finally, we would like to introduce Shweta, an F1 international student from Canada currently studying at Pacific University in Oregon. She finds herself on the opposite end of the spectrum as she has already completed all of her courses and is currently working internships while working towards getting a full-time position after her studies end.
All these responsibilities forced Shweta to figure out how to keep moving towards her goals while also keeping both her and those around her safe. Though the virus has understandably created a lot of fear, Shweta understands that she needs to continue to find ways to live life similar to how she would outside of the pandemic.
“I’ve been meeting new people and moving around a lot and experiencing new things. All of this has helped keep me sane. Of course, I still take the required precautions to protect others but this is a virus, it will continue to mutate and will likely remain in our lives for a long time like the flu/cold. The sooner people accept that and choose to no longer live in fear, the faster we can move on and get back to our normal lives.
”Shweta currently finds herself in a unique position as her internship is in healthcare, so she was granted early access to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on the first day vaccines began being offered in her state. Despite her fear of needles and concern of the side effects, she received both doses of the Moderna vaccine and recommends everyone to get it when they can.
“I had heard about the side effects of the second dose from others so I took Tylenol as soon as I got the shot and every 6 hours or so that day and the next day which I think really helped. I took the 2nd dose on a Friday afternoon so I had the weekend to get over it and that worked out well.”
Beyond just her professional life, Shweta has experienced many new things during the pandemic, including visiting Yosemite National Park and Los Angeles for the winter holidays. Though the way we are allowed to interact with each other is different right now, she has shown that you do not need to put your life on pause. Keep finding ways to enjoy your experience in the U.S. safely!
Additional quotes from our featured members:
We hope these stories have helped you reflect on the past couple of months and given you tips on how to stay positive if you’ve struggling to do so recently. It has been nearly a year since the lockdowns initially started in the United States but there is finally some optimism that we are nearing the end of this pandemic. Please continue to stay safe and keep a positive mindset as we all clear the final hurdles before returning to a new state of normalcy.
ISO would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has participated or followed us throughout our Spotlight Series. We will continue to feature the stories of students like you in our blog posts. If you want to share your experience with us and have your story be featured, email edwardz@isoa.org today!
