Student Union
- By Pete Musto
International Students Find Family at Community College
When Emma Seguy first arrived in the United States for school, she spent most nights reading the dictionary.
And crying.
Seguy was 16 when she arrived in Arizona from France, after convincing her parents to let her become an exchange student at an American high school. But adapting was more challenging than she expected. Her English language skills were not as strong as she hoped. She missed her family back in Paris.
But with the help of a loving host family and community, Seguy, now 20, survived and thrived. The family — total strangers when they opened their home to Seguy —provided emotional support and helped her succeed in her studies. They became a second family.
She also made American friends in her French class by helping them learn her native language. Within this community, she decided to stay on in the same town as her high school, continuing her studies at Mesa Community College.
"It was supposed to be only for 10 months," Seguy said. "And I ended up staying with them for three years, and they are still a big part of my life."
Mesa Community College is a big public community college with about 20,400 students who typically earn associate degrees after two years of study. It is about 20 miles from Phoenix, the state capital and largest city, in the hot and dry American Southwest.
Community colleges cost less than most other schools. That was attractive to Fabrice Hampoh, 23, from the Ivory Coast, when he first considered international study. His family does not have much money, he said.
Hampoh started college at the Universite de Cocody in the Ivory Coast, where he sought a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2014. But he dreamed of studying in the United States. Through the U.S. embassy in Abijan, Hampoh learned of a special U.S. State Department program called the Community College Initiative (CCI).
CCI provides scholarships to international students to spend up to one academic year at U.S community colleges, including travel and living costs. Hampoh applied to the CCI program in 2017, was accepted and was sent to Mesa.
Like Seguy's family, Hampoh's did not want him to go. He convinced his mother that he would have a support system waiting for him.
And like Seguy, his host family was welcoming and supportive. Hampoh said they treated him like a son. And they taught him how to survive in a foreign country.
For example, because CCI requires students to volunteer 100 hours of community service, Hampoh’s host family asked him if he'd like to join their volunteer projects. He worked with them helping disadvantaged young Americans go to college and getting solar panel technology to Afghanistan.
Hampoh said his host father also taught him many important life lessons. Many international students like him arrive in the United States not knowing how to swim. In the U.S., many communities — especially in hot climates like Arizona — have public swimming pools or nearby beaches.
"He is actually the one who taught me from scratch how to swim," Hampoh said. "Now, I’m like a fish."
After completing her associate degree at Mesa last year, Seguy applied for Optional Practical Training (OPT), which allows international students with an F-1 visa to work in the U.S. for up to one year in a field related to their studies. She has applied her love of teaching and experience with a disabled aunt to working in special education at an elementary school in Mesa under the OPT program.
Seguy, like many graduates of community colleges, will move on to a four-year institution. She hopes to earn her bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University, starting this fall, she said. After that, she plans to return to France.
But like Hampoh, she said the family that chose to host her and made her feel so welcome will never be far from her heart.
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
- By VOA News
STEM, business top subjects for international students
The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.
STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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Safety and visa difficulties among misconceptions about US colleges
U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.
Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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Work opportunities help draw international students to US schools
US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)
- By VOA News
British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
Read the full story here. (December 2024)
