Yangyi (Edward) Luo’s journey into U.S. education started earlier than many students who study abroad. At the age of 15, he moved from China to Florida’s east coast to attend high school. Although young and living more than 7,000 miles from his home and family, Edward enjoyed his high school years.

Reflecting on his academic journey, University of Iowa graduate student Frankline Matanji said, “Sometimes I just sit down and think, ‘I don’t know what happened—I can’t explain this.’” You see, Frankline wasn’t sure he would be able to complete high school, let alone a doctoral program.

Finishing her second year as a microbiology major at the University of Iowa, Ayushi Sood says she couldn’t have asked for a better experience. “I have grown so much as a person since I have been at Iowa,” said Sood. “As an international student, my experience has been that people are so welcoming here, which makes me feel that I am an essential part of the university.”

Following in the footsteps of her mother, a University of Iowa PhD alumna, Siau-Tong Ding enrolled as an undergraduate in 2018. Born and raised in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, Ding came to Iowa City to double-major in environmental policy and planning and anthropology. Now, in preparation for her third year at the university, she is also considering minors in geography or a certificate in Geographic Information Science (GIS).

Sojeong Nam is a PhD candidate in the counselor education and supervision program at the University of Iowa. The inspiration to attend the UI may have come from her father, Dr. Sangin Nam, who, over 30 years earlier, graduated from the same doctoral program at the UI, holding the distinction of being the first international student from South Korea to do so.

Yuchen Liu, a fourth-year Ph.D. student originally from Nanjing, China, joined the University of Iowa’s teaching and learning (foreign language and ESL education) graduate program through the College of Education in hopes of broadening and enhancing her language acquisition and teaching skills.

During a time of extreme uncertainty, leaving many students’ semesters or college careers cut short, some students are finding a silver lining in the current adversity they are facing. Classes are being moved online, commencements are now virtual, and many are finishing their University of Iowa experience from home. Heejin Kim is an international studies and Asian languages student who will be a Spring 2020 graduate from Seoul, South Korea. Showing true Hawkeye spirit, Kim says she wouldn’t have changed a thing about her three and a half years at the UI.

During her studies at the UI, Piroska Boros, international student from Hungary, realized many successes: co-authoring several published papers, presenting her research findings at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, as well as receiving a fellowship award to support her dissertation project. In addition to excelling in her studies at the University of Iowa, Piroska contributed to the university community through her role as co-chair of the International Student Advisory Board, Graduate Panel, and also as a volunteer with the Student Accountability Office as a Critical MASS Mentor.

Coming from both an international and transfer student background, Celine Kusnadi wished for nothing more than to find her home in the Hawkeye state. Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, Kusnadi packed her bags four years ago to pursue higher education. Now she is a senior graduating with a major in international relations under the perplexing circumstances of online education.     

“57 parents of Chinese students and young alumni worked together on purchasing and donating 8,000 medical masks to the UI Hospitals and Clinics. The masks were delivered to ’Love City’ yesterday,” Min Zou, mother of UI student Daniel Zhang, sent this message to a UI staff member via WeChat. ‘Love City’ is the Chinese nickname of Iowa City based on its pronunciation used by generations of Chinese-speaking students, alumni, families, and friends. 

Nearing completion of his PhD in biomedical engineering, Srivats reflected on the collaboration between UI Hospitals & Clinics and the UI College of Engineering, saying, “Lucky for me, both my masters project and my PhD dissertation have stemmed from collaboration with surgeons and doctors at the hospital. Really, Iowa is an amazing place for biomedical engineers because there is so much data available to researchers as well as access to doctors...” That collaboration between UI Hospitals & Clinics and the College of Engineering became even more evident shortly after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

“I do grieve for the experience,” says Knights. “It’s the little things – walking into Catlett Hall and seeing someone you know, spending time with friends, the campus environment…I miss the atmosphere of the whole place.”