International Students Thrilled To BE BAck At School After Chaotic Pandemic Experiences

The lockdowns began in March 2020, and with them an ocean of university students across the United States were sent back home. For most, this meant returning to their parents’ houses, driving to their home state or flying across the country.

However, many international students had strikingly different experiences. 

Some had to book last minute flights, barely making it home due to countless border closings, and others had to stay with friends in the US until their borders opened again. 

Still, their plight did not end there. 

For many of these students, COVID-19 meant not returning to Liberty University in the fall and possibly not returning for the spring either. 

Liberty University boasts over 800 international students who consider this school their “home away from home,” so for many of them, not returning to their normal life as college students was a huge disappointment. While for most American students, going to class over Microsoft Teams was only a momentary discomfort, for many internationals, Microsoft Teams became their official classroom. Despite the difficulties, many Liberty professors tried their hardest to accommodate their students who could not join them residentially. 

“In the beginning, it was all very complicated,” Caleb González, a commercial music major from Paraguay, said. “A lot of the times the Wi-Fi wasn’t even strong enough for all the video conferences I had daily. However, I am extremely thankful to my professors who did their best to help me complete my 18-credit semester even from a distance.” 

These unprecedented circumstances were especially hard for incoming international freshmen, who were unable to obtain their F-1 student visas because many US embassies were closed. Their hands tied, there was no other option but to complete their first semester of college online. Such was the case of freshman Sara Arocha, from the Dominican Republic, who was finally able to make it to Liberty for the spring of 2021. 

“The US embassy in the Dominican Republic was closed, so I had to go all the way to Guayaquil, Ecuador to get my student visa,” Arocha said. “Although I did not receive the typical freshman experience, and in some ways that has been hard, I am  so grateful to be here now                            enjoying Liberty.”

Like González, Arocha agreed that professors were key players in her success as a freshman online student. They were always at her disposal, alleviating all her doubts and questions.

Going from residential to online learning was definitely not the ideal situation, but Majo Pleitez, a junior from El Salvador, was able to see the silver lining. After spending the entire summer in the US because El Salvador’s borders were closed, Pleitez finally returned home in August. Even though this meant not returning to Liberty in the fall, it gave her the opportunity to spend some needed time with family. She also helped her dad with his business and completed CSER hours. 

“While I was home, I completed my CSER for the semester with a non-profit called ‘Sus Hijos’ [His Children],” Pleitez said. “Through this non-profit, I built houses for families that had lost theirs due to natural disasters. I also went to different prisons to share the gospel with the women there and handed out provisions at different public schools.” 

Many of these students were able to return for the spring semester, but they also admitted returning mid-school year involved other challenges they did not anticipate. After spending so much time at home, coming back to the US has meant experiencing culture shock all over again. It has also meant coping with the fact that, even though they were gone, the world kept spinning without them, and some things have changed.

“It almost seems as if I have two lives which are completely parallel,” González said. “After spending 10 months in Paraguay, I got used to the style of life there, and returning here was a huge contrast. There are so many new faces, people in the School of Music I’ve never seen before, and many of the people I do know are now engaged. Regardless, I feel blessed to be back.” 

However, this is still not the case for all of Liberty’s international students. Many of them are still in their home countries, unable to return. But, thanks to the temporary modifications made for non-immigrant students by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which allows students to continue remote attendance for the rest of the 2020-2021 school year, they will not be forced to forfeit their F-1 visas. 

“Finally returning to Liberty is such a cool feeling,” Pleitez said. “Having classes again, eating at the places again, getting back into my routine… even the smallest things… it’s very exciting, and I’m so happy to be back.”

Rosa Elias is a Social Media Manager. Follow her on Twitter at @rosaeliasnajri.