By: Kwan Segal
As global tensions escalate, travel becomes more uncertain, and the future of Optional Practical Training (OPT) remains at risk, international students in the U.S. are once again facing a precarious reality. OPT is not just a program—it’s a bridge between education and opportunity. Without it, years of academic effort can end not in fulfillment, but in forced departure.
These students are far more than visa categories. They are researchers, innovators, community builders, and cultural connectors. They carry the hopes of families and communities, yet many live in constant uncertainty—navigating job searches, cultural transitions, and shifting immigration policies that most domestic students never have to consider.
This spring, in conversations with two inspiring international student allies—Betsy Cohen, Philanthropic Futurist at FutureGood and former Executive Director of the St. Louis Mosaic Project, and Dania Javaid, a Fulbright Scholar, doctoral student, and instructor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln researching mindfulness and self-compassion—we explored what sustains international students through these challenges. Our shared podcast, Hope & Optimism, became a space to surface the emotional and structural burdens they face—and to reimagine what true support could look like.
In our latest episode, Dr. LaNitra M. Berger—former President and Chair of the Board of Directors at NAFSA: Association of International Educators and Director of African and African American Studies at George Mason University—offered a powerful reminder:
“Never give up. This work is too important to walk away.”
That call to persistence couldn’t be more timely. Statements of solidarity are not enough. International students deserve action.
So what does meaningful advocacy look like?
- It looks like institutions defending OPT and visa pathways proactively and publicly.
- It looks like international offices, faculty, and career services working in tandem to offer coordinated, culturally informed guidance.
- It looks like embedding cultural competence into hiring, advising, and classroom practices, and
- It looks like students being seen not as enrollment statistics, but as whole individuals with dreams worth protecting.
Every year, over 1 million international students choose the U.S.—not just to study, but to build lives and careers that fuel innovation and global connection. In 2023–2024, they contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 378,175 jobs.
Meanwhile, U.S. higher education faces a looming challenge: the demographic cliff. Beginning in 2025, the number of U.S. high school graduates is projected to drop by over 15%, threatening sharp enrollment declines. To stay strong, institutions must expand their global reach—and that means placing international student success at the center of their long-term strategy.
Advocacy means more than reacting to crises. It means building systems that reflect students’ value, affirm their place, and remove barriers to their success. It also means listening more closely. International students are not passive recipients of support. They are active participants in shaping our classrooms, campuses, and communities.
The burden of navigating complex systems shouldn’t fall on students alone. When we treat them as whole people—not just data points—we live up to the values we claim around inclusion and global citizenship.
Higher education leaders now face a choice: stay silent or step up.
Institutions that truly value international students must show it—through policies, partnerships, and persistent advocacy.
Because when international students thrive, so do we all.
And this work is far too important to walk away from.
