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. 

Shirley Wang, an international student from China who started her journey long before college, shares some of the challenges she faced when it came to language, culture, and reaching out. Shirley describes the concept of "hitting the wall" as the moment when life seems hard, tedious, and strenuous, but takes it a step further by describing how she was able to get past the wall. 

With so many choices available to you at Universities, how do you go about choosing a major? There's so much that goes into picking a major these days between finding something that will provide secure income, open job opportunities, and pleasing your parents and family. In this episode, Raghav talks about how he started his college journey as a Physics and Math major and ended up as an Environmental Studies major as well as what drove him to make such a change. 

In this episode, Benita Manzengo, an Augustana International Student, shares her journey travelling from her home country, Congo, and beginning her life as an international student in High School. In addition, she tells the story of how her journey not only gave her the opportunity to travel across borders, but outside of her comfort zone as she quickly picked up a new language, adapted to a new culture, and learned more about herself and her country.

The transition to university as an international student at times has the unintended effect of bruising one's confidence and affecting the way students perceive themselves and show up in their communities. In this episode, Kirtana, a former student of Augustana University from India, tells the story of how she used the principles of compassion and courage to not only show up as herself in her education, but to respectfully learn about the people and cultures around her. 

Although studying abroad for 2 - 4 years may seem intimidating and nerve-wracking, participating in a semester exchange program is a good way to get a similar experience for a shorter amount of time. In this episode, Georgios, an exchange student from Panama, shares his experience applying to study abroad through UGRAD (A semester exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government). In the retelling of his experience, he also shares what it was like for him to adapt and adjust to a new and diverse environment/culture.