USU's international students tell why they came here, why they stay

By Julie Oliver

December 23, 2004 | Each year Utah State University accepts more than 1,200 new international students from all over the world, according to the Office of International Students and Scholars. USU's student body represents all 50 states and more than 83 countries, according to Utah State admissions. Most international students at USU have a unique story about why they choose to come to Utah State University.

Maria "Camila" Quezada, a native of Colombia, was registered at Los Andes, "the best university in Colombia," where she planned to study industrial engineering. Her parents were paying for her entire education, but before school began Quezada decided to travel to the United States.

However, her parents did not approve of her decision. "They didn't give me any money to come here. I sold sandwiches at high school to earn enough money," Quezada said.

Quezada moved to Utah in 2001 because of a family-friend connection, where she stayed until she felt comfortable in her new environment. She intended on staying for only a year, in which time she planned to learn about the culture and the English language. That intention, however, was quickly dismissed as she was swept off her feet by a new love. Quezada met a Chilean man in her first year of living in Utah and together they began attending USU.

Now, almost three years later, she lives in Logan with a husband and a two-year-old boy. Quezada, a mechanical engineering student at USU, said "Utah State University is one of the best schools for engineering in the United States." Quezada's story is not common, but it seems many students have unconventional reasons for coming to USU.

Leon D'Souza, an international student from India who is studying journalism at USU, had an unusual approach in choosing Utah State University. D'Souza applied to Cornell and was accepted. The problem D'Souza faced was financial. His father could not afford Cornell's tuition and D'Souza was asked to choose another school.

D'Souza picked up an encyclopedia that listed every college and university in the United States. He opened it at random and found his finger pointing to the listing for Brigham Young University. D'Souza decided against attending a religious school, so he quickly turned the page to find Utah State University. His decision was final. USU would be his future destination. D'Souza's decision to come to USU is definitely unique; however he has never regretted it.

Some international students have good intentions for coming to USU, although their reasoning may not make sense to others. Shumit Vatfal, a native of India, for instance, wanted to come to school in Utah because he liked the Utah Jazz.

"I like underdogs," Vatfal said. In 1997, the Jazz lost to the Chicago Bulls. "The Jazz lost, so I liked them," Vatfal said. Vatfal, who is working on his Ph.D. in natural resources, said before coming here he didn't know anything about Utah besides the Jazz. Vatfal only applied to schools in Utah, one of which was USU.

Vatfal, like some international students, knew very little about Utah and its culture. He recalled a comical experience while attending USU. "The first time someone asked me if I was LDS -- I thought it was a sexual disease," Vatfal said.

Although at first Vatfal experienced confusion about the culture, he has a much different view of Utah now. "I really like it. It's peaceful. It's like a second home. This place has definitely made me a nicer person," Vatfal said. "The best thing about Utah is the chicks. Everyone that is living in Utah is beautiful."

Ram Swaminathan, working on a master's in business information systems at USU, said "The coolest part [about Utah] is it's an outdoor paradise."

Quezada said, "I look outside at the snow. It's beautiful. I think, 'man, I'm out of Colombia and I feel good.'" Quezada said, "[Logan] is a good town to live in if you want to study -- not a lot of distractions. I really like the people. They make me feel like I am a part of them."

D'Souza and his parents are happy he is in the United States. "They definitely think I'm better off. They want me to stay here because they think I have a better future, and I do," D'Souza said.

"The number of international students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions decreased by 2.4 percent in 2003-04 to a total of 572,509," according to Deborah Gardner and Sharon Witherell at Open Doors 2004. This may be, in part due to "international students who went home for summer vacation or were accepted for the 2002-03 academic year found they were not able to get their visas and re-entry visas in time for the fall semester. Some students have reported delays of up to six months," according to Robert Sedgwick at World Education News and Reviews.

However, Negar Davis, previously the director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at USU said "there has not been a significant change in the number of undergraduate applications," according to Tyler Riggs.

D'Souza, Swaminathan and Vatfal have not been home to India since they began attending USU because they know about the difficulties related to getting back into the United States. "Since Sept. 11, 2001, international students and scholars seeking to study and work in America have faced increasing difficulties due to visa restrictions, background checks, and other security initiatives implemented by the U.S. government," according to misc.activism.progressive.

Although the difficulties exist for international students, many of them think making the effort to get their papers in order and come to the United States is worth the struggle. Especially for students like Quezada, who said, "They pay me to come here." She receives a scholarship from the engineering program and the multicultural center. "I'm left with $1,500 after everything has been paid for," Quezada said. Many international students are not as fortunate as Quezada, but these incentives are available and that makes attending USU a pretty good choice.

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