As an international student from Syria when I first came to Stetson in the spring of 2020, I faced some hard times fitting in the American society as many international students do. I and a group of my Arab friends: Chama, Saif, Christa, and Noureen noticed that whenever we meet a new person, they would ask about our countries, cultures, and customs and people are curious about more Arab, North African, and Middle Eastern cultures. As we knew more people, we wanted to have a platform that represents our identity and let more people be aware of our culture. So, we thought about starting the Arab Student Organization at Stetson.
At the beginning of fall 2020, the organization advisor, Manal Ammagui, supported us to start a new student organization that will represent the Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African Cultures at Stetson.
Anyone can be a part of the Arab Student Organization (ASO,) regardless of their nationality or ethnicity. We love curious people as our mission is to share Arab culture with everyone and offer them an authentic look into the rich Arab culture that the media misrepresent sometimes.
We will do that through fun events and activities like movie nights, cultural celebrations, and food rushes. Moreover, ASO will be a platform for Arab students to express their cultural identity and connect with other fellow Arab students to help them feel that they do belong at Stetson and that their cultural belonging is celebrated. You can join ASO by contacting us through email or by requesting to join through the Engage platform: https://stetson.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/aso.
The organization has been official for less than a week now and we have been receiving amazing feedback and a lot of people are excited to be at our events and enjoy the good food and learn more about our culture. We would love to have you at (ASO.)
If you have any questions you can reach out to any of these individuals. Each and everyone played a part in making this student organization a reality for all of Stetson’s community.
Yahia Adla, Biology/Pre-medicine major, 2023′. Saif Mostafa, CS/Economics major, 2023’Noureen Saeed, International Business/Entrepreneurship major, 2024′ Christa Assi, International Studies major, 2024’ Chama Bouoad Fulbright FLTA Scholar 2020-2021.
During a time of chaos, uncertainty, and an upheaval from the norm, the WORLD team continued to push through all obstacles by continuing to offer the best service to our Stetson community. This year, the WORLD Center staff and student employees were recognized for all their hard work.
Paula Hentz, Director of International Learning, P.A.R. Award
During Stetson Annual Employee Recognition Award Ceremony, Paula Hentz received the P.A.R. Award which is given to an individual who embodies the three characteristics of professionalism, attitude, and reliability. Her nominator said that during this tumultuous year for international education, Paula “navigated the roller coaster of activity related to the pandemic from carefully building programs to seeing them come to a screeching halt, evacuating students across the globe, border restrictions, political battles, ICE complications, and other global dynamics that threaten international diplomacies and relationships that the WORLD Center worked for many, many years to build.” Paula is a consummate professional and has managed the delicate balance between family life while maintaining the strictest codes of professionalism while attending to her core work responsibilities. “No matter the situation, Paula remains poised, exuding the essence of calm competence so critical to the work of higher education,” said her nominator. Our Center is incredibly honored to work with an incredible leader who has helped our office come out of one of the most difficult times for our field. Paula was also nominated for the Morale Builder of the Year.
Roxanne Lewis, International Student and Scholar Services Coordinator, January 2021 Spirit of Stetson Winner
Roxanne Lewis (top right) receiving her Spirit of Stetson award
The Spirit of Stetson is awarded monthly to a member of the Stetson community who dedicates themselves every day to do a job well done. Roxanne received the award in January for all the incredible work she accomplished with our international student population. The Quality of Service Council recognized the incredible challenges she faced with the ever-changing landscape of immigration laws, changes for a virtual orientation, and the relationships she builds with our students. Her nominator also mentioned that Roxanne is an incredible member of the community and cares deeply for others. During the pandemic, Roxanne regularly reached out to colleagues to check in and see how they were doing. Her empathy and care embodies the Spirit of Stetson. Also, this year at the Employee Recognition Awards event, Roxanne was nominated for the Go Beyond Award for her work with our international students. She successfully worked with Grants, Development, and Financial Aid to find financial support for our students who were unable to support themselves due to the pandemic and/or political and social unrest at home. In addition, Roxanne was a part of a group of faculty and staff to receive recognition during the yearly Top Hatter Awards as a First-Year Advocate.
Morgan Egan, Student Marketing Coordinator, September 2020 Student Employee of the Month – Professionalism and Productivity.
The Office of Student Employment presenting the Student Employee of the Month award to Morgan Egan (top right)
Morgan worked tirelessly from the start of the pandemic assisting the WORLD office in processing refund requests for all the canceled study abroad programs. After the university went entirely virtual, Morgan created a biweekly student-driven program called the Virtual Culture Hour. The series, which continued through the 20/21 academic year, highlighted a different country or region of the world where our international or study abroad students would share the history, culture, misconceptions, brief language lesson, cooking demonstration, and a fun trivia game. Morgan also worked hard throughout the year to update the outdated WORLD websites and make them more visually appealing and easier to navigate. She also assisted in the creation and implementation of our Virtual Study Abroad Fair which we offered 3 times during the year. Morgan is graduating this upcoming weekend and we will miss her professionalism and productivity at the WORLD Center.
Anh Nguyen, Student Clerical Assistant, March 2021 Student Employee of the Month – Global and Intercultural Engagement
Anh Nguyen (bottom right) receiving the March 2021 Student Employee of the Month award
As the Clerical Assistant, Anh Nguyen, works closely with her supervisor, Roxanne Lewis, by designing posters, creating presentations, planning events, managing email communications, and helping fellow international students with the management of their residency status. Anh initially began working with WORLD as a WORLD Ambassador as a member of the Social Committee. She has always had the goal of assisting international students and make them feel at home at Stetson. From the moment she first entered the WORLD building, she knew she wanted to work there and help her fellow classmates. She loves being able to learn new skills that she can apply to all areas of her work and education. Not only is Anh a WORLD student employee, but she is also a Resident Assistant (RA), Vice President of APAC (Asian Pacific American Coalition), and a full-time International Business major.
Anh also was the recipient of the Stetson Values Leader Award for Global Citizenship during the Top Hatter Annual Award Ceremony. The award is given to one outstanding Stetson student that has demonstrated a commitment to Stetson’s Value of Global Citizenship in their involvements, leadership, and contributions to the community.
International student Evans Asuboah wanted to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as possible because the way he sees it, the virus is the enemy.
“I believe that we are on a battlefield, and to protect me and the community that I serve, I had to take this step,” said Asuboah, a Bonner Program Scholar, Honors Program Scholar and computer science major from Ghana. Read more.
When the world is asked to stay home and socially distance from others, it is easy to yearn for a simpler time when we didn’t stare at the same four walls day in and day out. But, as we creep into another month of social distancing, mask wearing, extensive hand sanitizer, and increasing cases, we reflect back on the good times. Those times when we could celebrate, interact, network, share a laugh and a meal with others outside of our house. Today, I reflect back on the NAFSA Region VII Conference held last November at the Hilton Orlando, Lake Buena Vista.
Conference attendees during the Plenary Session
NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and is comprised of eleven regions throughout the United States that offer conferences each year. The Region VII conference brings together international education professionals from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This conference was especially impactful for me as I had the honor of representing our home town of Orlando/Central Florida as the Local Arrangements Chair.
My role in the Leadership Team started back in November 2018 on the last day of the regional conference held in Memphis. We met as a team and discussed what worked and improvements we could implement during the Orlando conference. March 2019, the entire team joined together again, but this time in Orlando at the host hotel. Over the span of three days we strategized on workshops, layouts, sponsorships, exhibitors, plenary speakers, and more for the 2019 Orlando conference.
My team worked diligently to select a phenomenal plenary speaker that would highlight Orlando perfectly. We selected the Orlando Fringe to showcase how the longest-running Fringe Festival in the United States can bring over 75,000 people to a 14-day theater and arts festival each year. The festival prides itself on bringing together artists from all over the world for a truly inclusive, accessible, and uncensored cultural event.
The Orlando Fringe received the Community Volunteer Award in recognition of their longstanding commitment to globalization and empowerment through the free exchange of artistic expression.
Conference attendees were not only treated to a lively speech from the executive director on the history of the Fringe and their message of equity and inclusion, but also performances from two remarkable artists. Lindsay Taylor presented a monologue from the theater production, The Lightweight and Tymisha Harris brought down the house to roars and a standing ovation after performing two incredible songs from her one-woman burlesque cabaret, Josephine. The regional leadership team said that it was the first time a majority of conference attendees stayed until the very end of the plenary event instead of heading to the session rooms early. Walking the halls of the conference hotel, you could hear people buzzing about how fantastic the plenary event and that the performances gave them goosebumps.
Epcot Forever Fireworks
The biggest decision during the March planning meeting was where would we host the All-Conference Event. It is the main networking event of the conference and a time for the host city to really shine. The previous year it was held in a blues café in Memphis and included a full meal, drinks, and three levels of different live entertainment including an incredible Blues singer. Orlando needed to top that in a big way for no other reason than to showcase our Orlando pride! The decision was an easy one to make. By unanimous decision, they agreed to my proposal of busing the entire conference attendees to Disney’s Epcot for an unforgettable evening of drinks, desserts, and most importantly, fireworks. The bonus, and what probably sealed the deal for everyone, Disney would allow our guests 2 additional hours in the theme park after the fireworks to eat, shop, and enjoy all the attractions. How could we refuse?
Thanks to my fantastic Local Arrangements team, we successfully bussed 550 conference attendees to the backstage area of Epcot before being escorted to our private event area at the World Showcase. Our attendees were so excited to see a little of the backstage Disney magic and to be treated to a prime location to party, network, and watch the new firework show.
Conference attendees enjoying delicious sweets before the fireworks.
Attendees loved the opportunity to explore the theme park after hours and ride the attractions with little to no lines (unthinkable at Disney World). Throughout the night and the next morning, the conference was abuzz sharing stories of the remarkable night they had at Epcot. Many said it was a night they will never forget and cannot believe that any future conference could ever top this experience. Attendees from other NAFSA Regions as well as staff from the NAFSA National organization said it was by far one of these best conferences they have ever attended. I am so bless to have been a part of such a remarkable event and grateful for the hardworking team that supported all our events.
Wendy Viggiano and Kim Priebe presenting on International Faculty Development Programs
On top of organizing all the local events for the conference, I also had the honor of presenting two conference sessions with fantastic colleagues from the region. I partnered with Kim Priebe, Director of NC State Study Abroad, on the session Engaging Faculty through International Faculty Development Programming. The session room was at capacity with conference attendees as we discussed the various professional development opportunities our schools offer for faculty to encourage international programming and intercultural competency.
The second session, Retaining International Students through Student Programming and Events, was a lively discussion with Charlotte Bingham (Florida Gulf Coast University) and Maria Elena Gaborov Jones (UNC Wilmington) as co-presenters. We focused the presentation on the various robust initiatives and best practices our three institutions implement that aid in the retention and engagement of our international student populations. Both sessions were very well attended as well as received incredible feedback from conference session evaluations.
As that conference is well in the books, and the 2020 Region VII conference kicks off this week virtually, I reflect back on our All-Conference event and the closing line of the Epcot Forever firework display. It is as relevant today as much as it was a year ago: “May peace go with you forever and ever as you celebrate the future hand in hand.”
The transition between spring, summer, and fall 2020 semesters drew on the unshakable resilience of our international students and deep care by Stetson. The chronology below offers evidence to this end and showcases obstacles and wins experienced by students in order to successfully rejoin Stetson this fall.
March 2020
With the declared need to place health first, students were encouraged to leave campus. Our international population response was different to domestic students. For many, leaving campus to travel outside of the U.S. created fear of not being able to return to complete their studies. Students who could or desired to go left rapidly, but this represented only 21% of the population. Most students stayed on campus while others left to reside off-campus with friends and family.
April 2020
International students overwhelmingly communicated feeling safest at Stetson housing until the end of the term. This was especially true for our graduating seniors, many of whom were applying to participate in Optional Practical Training (OPT), a post-baccalaureate employment training program. Our student-athletes were also interested in completing the season in the event that they could play. Some students were concerned about the impact leaving might have on scholarships and academic progress. A smaller group wanted to simply prolong their time away from home. Several students had to stay because of airports closures worldwide. By the end of April, a growing number of students began requesting financial help for accommodations to reside in the U.S. during the summer or assistance with departure from the U.S. Unfortunately, the federal CARES Act had no provisions for international students.
May/June 2020
U.S. immigration laws prohibit the employment of international students. Without financial recourse, homelessness was certain. Recognizing the dire need, staff at WORLD: Rinker Center for International Learning initiated a collaboration with offices across the Deland campus to seek summer funding to support international students affected by the pandemic. For example, Financial Aid, Development and Alumni Engagement, and Grants, Sponsored Research and Strategic Initiatives worked aggressively with WORLD to offer students $250 mini grants from the Stetson Student Support Foundation to offset the cost of first week of food and housing. Friends of Stetson also stepped up to offer just-in-time financial help.
96.2% students return fall 2020 180 total enrolled
Then, a significant win arrived in the form of a $35,000 grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Foundation to assist 19 students with housing, food, toiletries, and travel.
By the end of summer, almost $50,000 raised in grants and donations for 2020 summer housing & meal support. As a result, students from Armenia, Bulgaria, Egypt, Kenya, Latvia, Mexico, Pakistan, Taiwan, and Uganda were supported. And, no international student at Stetson fell out of federal compliance for a pandemic-related reason.
Students communicated deep gratitude for the care they experienced. An International Student Emergency Endowment Fund was created to aid students with emergencies. The fund is in need of additional resources to reach the $25,000 minimum required for endowment status.
July 2020
On July 6, federal regulation changes threw the entire international learning community into upheaval. The ICE guidelines required international students to leave the country if universities offered required courses online. In addition, enrolled students were required to be physically present in the U.S. to complete studies online and maintain international student status. Our students indicated being afraid, angry, confused, uncertain, depressed, losing hope, and downright frantic over the possible loss of traction in continuing their studies. Frequent communication from Stetson to students and parents via webinars, emails and WhatsApp messaging became an imperative, as was translating how the ICE guidelines would impact each unique situation. Fortunately, the guidelines were overturned and returned to previous status quo.
August 2020
Students began arriving on campus early to complete the required 14-day quarantine. Several had to quarantine in another country before arriving at Stetson. Their willingness to self-isolate for as many as 28 days indicates students’ grit and a strong sense of connectedness and belonging to Stetson.
Today, our international students are thriving and taking courses while residing on-campus, off-campus, and abroad (above). In sum, students’ resilience and Stetson’s community of care created brighter futures and a powerful win for our students.
WORLD: The Rinker Center for International Learning invites you to participate in diverse week of activities in celebration of International Education Week 2020. Find here a Stetson’s schedule of events. Click on each event title in the chart to participate. Cultural Credit is available. Please share with students.
For more information, contact Wendy Viggiano, international programs coordinator.
International Education Week is November 12-16, 2018. IEW is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education “to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences”.
Mohammed H. Batarfi – a December 2019 Stetson graduate that is now completing his Post Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) with DuvaSawko got a promotion during the one-year-extension of his F1 visa status.
Mohammed Batarfi ’18
Mohammed is an international student from Saudi Arabia that graduated Stetson University with a bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Sciences focusing in Computer Information Systems. With the support of Stetson WORLD, Mohammed was able to apply for OPT, with the goal of stepping into a working space, putting his gained knowledge and skills to use, and starting a career. To do so, Mohammed began his research for jobs in all platforms possible. He recalls having to complete multiple interviews a week, especially during his last semester at Stetson. Mohammed’s efforts paid off and he was accepted to DuvaSawko – an emergency medicine RCM service founded and operated by Emergency Department physicians” in Ormond Beach, Florida. Mohammed assures that the hiring process was not overly complicated. To get the position, he completed interviews with the CIO of the company and the Department of Human Resources and took an evaluation test, which landed him the job.
Initially, Mohammed learned about the position during his last semester at Stetson. As the CIO of DuvaSawko, Tim Branz, was a Stetson graduate, when Duvasawko was in need of a Software Engineer expert, Branz contacted one of the professors in the Computer Science Department. Mohammed learned about the job via his professor and started the application process. He was able to work in the company as a part-time employee with a required CPT status – Curricular Practical Training. That international employment status is available to all F1 students meeting specific criteria set out by USDCIS. CPT allows international students to partake in any work/study, internship, fellowship opportunity that directly earns credit toward graduation in their selected major. After finishing Stetson, Mohammed changed his status to an OPT student.
Mohammed has worked in the company for around a year now, and DuvaSawko rewarded his hard work with a promotion from the position of Software Engineer to DevOps Technology Manager. In his new position, Mohammed is responsible for the whole technology stack of the company which includes all servers, systems, databases, application tools, third-party vendors, and security. Although the promotion multiplied his work responsibilities, Mohammed, who has completed OPT and is now working remotely from his home country, truly enjoys his job and finds it to be full of amazing opportunities.
To the current Stetson students who also plan on doing OPT, Mohammed recommends starting their research and application process as early as possible and to avoid getting discouraged by outrageous requirements from the employers. Saying so, Mohammed recommends applying for positions even in cases when the student does not entirely match the requirements of the employer. This is because he believes that companies may have strict requirements in hopes of finding the ideal employee, however, while interviewing the potential candidates, they usually make some compromises and select the best-suited candidate.
