Emily*

The COVID-19 pandemic began in late November 2019 and rapidly spread across the globe, millions of people very severely impacted, unemployment was a widespread phenomenon, and the loss of life was devastating. As covid made its way across industries, obliterating all systems, the education sector was no exception. This was an unprecedented situation which mandated everyone to operate remotely and limit all interactions to tiny screens. Under these circumstances being an international student was a cumbersome task. I recently got the opportunity to interview Emily, an international student from Nigeria who graduated during the pandemic.

Through the course of our conversation Emily expressed that she was never ostracized as a foreign student. In fact, she appreciates the diversity in Canada because she enjoys meeting new people and learning from their experiences. However, the pandemic put into perspective the disadvantages of being nondomestic. She was in her second year when the lockdown and other restrictions were imposed and due to the uncertainty of flights, air transport bubbles, and other factors she couldn’t go back home. Dealing with academic stress was an altogether different issue. Emily postulated that the shift to a digital environment limited her interactions with fellow students and that’s why she didn’t know people in her courses. Keeping track of all assignments along with mustering attention for recorded lectures was strenuous.

Emily did acknowledge that UTSC equipped her with effective tools and right resources to manage her day-to-day activities. She also availed the counselling services that the university offered, which helped her navigate through the lockdown. Her parting comment that concluded the interview was that the students who were part of the system pre pandemic did make the most out of university life. Being an international student myself I could relate to events that occurred during her academic term. We are better prepared and aware of what the pandemic entails and moving forward we can leverage this knowledge for improving the state of affairs for all students.