This episode differs slightly from content I’ve released so far on the podcast. Although it still deals with studying abroad and international student status, we talked a lot about what happens once the study abroad program is done, and utilizing the phenomenal opportunity that is studying abroad to give back to the communities that raised us. In Nigeria–and this may be the case in several other countries as well–students use studying abroad as an opportunity to set the foundation to establish themselves in a foreign country, and eventually leave their country. While this path does present some surface appeal, we talk about some of the larger implications of such a move, where such ideas originate from, and why taking such a step matters. This isn’t necessarily to persuade listeners in a single direction, but rather to develop a more holistic understanding of immigration and what it looks like when taking into account study abroad and international students. There’s so much more on this in the episode, so stay tuned, and don’t forget to leave a rating and feedback after the episode.

Hello and Welcome to the Intie Section Podcast where I get the privilege of talking with and getting to know some phenomenal people, on phenomenal journeys, from phenomenal places. One of those people, Taha Afzal, sat down with me in this episode talking about his experience at Augustana as he prepares to graduate. In this episode, he gave some of his tips and experiences on how he “hacked his experience” during his Undergrad. Stay tuned, and don’t go anywhere.

The four years one spends in college is such an integral time not only to your career and education, but for the valuable mental and personal formation it provides. This is even more important when considering an international student. With such a drastic and monumental change in culture, environment, friends/family, it’s important to pay attention to the health of your mind and how you approach new situations and life in general. Benson Langat, a former international student, and mental health expert gives insight into navigating uncharted waters as an international student.