Munachim Amah is a second-year PhD student researching how journalists work, where they work, and what they produce.

Oluwatosin Opeoluwa, a native of Nigeria, is enrolled in the master of social work program at the University of Iowa. She talks about her journey to get, and stay here.

24 hours. That’s how fast Daniel Lowe’s life changed in March 2020. Lowe, a graduate of Lancaster University in Lancaster, United Kingdom, who studied abroad at the University of Iowa during the 2019-2020 academic year, found his time at Iowa cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Just like there are two sides of the same coin, the UI’s smaller number of international students could lead you to greater opportunities as a unique person who stands out. Be willing to accept new things and say yes to every opportunity that comes your way, because it will guide you to greater opportunities. If you can do it at Iowa, you will for sure become a global leader!”

When the plan to return to his homeland in Nigeria was interrupted by COVID-19, Ya’u Adamu decided to join the University of Iowa to start his doctoral studies in interdisciplinary human toxicology, which has been a great experience for him in many ways. Learn more about Ya’u.

Among more than 2,000 international students from over 100 countries and territories, Ifeoma Anyaoha, a graduate student in business analytics and finance from Nigeria, is set apart by her role as a Life in Iowa program assistant. 

University of Iowa student Gul Rukh Mehboob will return to Pakistan with a PhD, and through her art leave a piece of herself behind in Iowa. Her watercolor painting of Old Capitol was selected to celebrate the university’s 175 years as an institution and to commemorate the installation of President Barbara Wilson.

Established in Fall 2020 by the International Student Advisory Board (ISAB), the iPeer Mentorship Program (iPeer) pairs new international students (mentees) with returning international students (mentors). As the only peer-to-peer mentorship program designed for international students on campus, iPeer aims to provide support to new international students for their transition in the first semester and personal development, as well as to empower them to become leaders on campus.

Despite being an international student on paper, Pareen Mhatre, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in business administration, lists Iowa City as her hometown.

All across Asia, the arrival of spring is celebrated. For the Chinese, Koreans, and various Southeast Asian communities, it is marked with the beginning of the new year on the lunar calendar.

Ebenezer (“Eben”) Aidoo, PhD student in the UI Department of Communication Studies, had several admissions offers from other graduate programs, but chose the University of Iowa “…because of the outstanding teaching and learning resources available for graduate students, reasonable cost of living, stellar health insurance package for graduate teaching and research assistants, and the vibrant academic community in Iowa City.”

Hao Zhou, a third-year MFA student in film and video production, recently added a Student Academy Award to the list of film awards and nominations he has received over the years. As the University of Iowa’s first recipient of this honor, he won the Gold Medal award in the category of Alternative/Experimental for his film Frozen Out. He submitted Frozen Out for a 2022 Oscar nomination for Best Live Action Short Film and will learn soon whether it is selected.