International
students: the few, the proud!
Clarification: The initial title of my previous
column was “Why my best friends hate me,”
and my sole intention for writing it was,
as I stated before, “to engender new seeds
of reconciliation” out of “historical roots
of conflict.” Surely, my views were highly
radical, but I in no way intended to degrade
either the Turkish government or the people
of Turkey. If one reads that piece within
reason and with sincerity, without being
succumbed to emotions, one will see that
my main argument was for the Turkish government
to “acknowledge,” and not to “apologize.”
Unfortunately, interpretation is part of
human nature, and — in this respect — I
would like to express my regret to those
Turks who felt renounced by my controversial
views.
Now let’s get on with my last official topic
— not considering, of course, my epilogue
that will come out in the graduation issue
next week — as a Forty-Niner columnist.
Serhat Yakar, 25, came to the United States
from Istanbul, Turkey, in 2001 to attain
a master’s degree from an American institution.
Having spent his entire life in Turkey,
and being merged into the traditions and
customs of his own culture, Yakar naturally
had a tough adaptation period. But after
overcoming initial feelings of uneasiness,
he realized his dreams quickly, surely and
with confidence. Today, only two-and-a-half
years after his first arrival to America,
Yakar is about to graduate with honors from
Cal State Long Beach as a sophisticated,
well-cultured individual, speaking in almost-perfect
English, and appreciating that “other” culture
immensely.
Yakar, however, is not the exception; his
situation relates to the majority of international
students studying in the United Stated.
Just on our campus, there are currently
about 1,500 international students joining
an immense population of 33,000 American
students. This is not an easy task, especially
considering that internationals not only
need to adapt to the American college life,
but also to the American lifestyle. By choosing
to get educated in a different society and
without an immediate family to support them,
they continually have to compromise their
learned habits, customs, traditions and
values.
As the maxim goes, no gain without pain!
But, international students are increasingly
finding comfort in numbers. Global changes
in economy, politics and the social system
are steadily escalating the amount of outsiders
studying in this country. American passports
issued in foreign nations, as a matter of
fact, have nearly doubled in the last decade,
from 3.6 million to more than seven million.
Even a host of new books and Web sites have
popped up recently to serve this growing
population of brave souls.
All the attention is prompting a paradigm
shift in how international students are
perceived. Once thought of as oddball nomads
or spoiled dilettantes, they are now more
widely viewed as savvy and accomplished
sophisticates who are comfortable anywhere.
These individuals may grow up playing in
the Amazonian jungle or commuting to school
on Tokyo’s crowded subways, but — after
being merged into the American society —
they acquire firsthand knowledge of everything,
from world geography and cuisine to high
culture and international politics.
Furthermore, international students learn
the English language swiftly and thoroughly.
They are precociously comfortable with adults
and mix effortlessly with people of all
ethnic backgrounds. All in all, they possess
an adaptability and a broad-mindedness that
is valued more than ever in today’s borderless
world. And that wisdom is increasingly translating
into both strong personalities and successful
careers.
A recent study showed that nearly 90 percent
of international students succeeded in earning,
at least, a bachelor’s degree, and their
native upbringings make them among the most
highly skilled students on campus. Seventy
percent reached even higher levels of education,
such as master’s or Ph.D., and were employed
in higher-ranking professions than their
peers at home. Two-thirds chose to travel
or live overseas after completing their
education. No wonder top universities like
CSULB are actively recruiting international
students.
As an international student about to graduate,
I am extremely thankful — just like every
other international student — to my extraordinary
parents for providing me with the opportunity
to become someone special, someone valuable:
a global citizen and thinker. My sincere
admiration, however, goes to my real heroes
— “the few, the proud” — the daring international
students. Despite our seeming differences,
as one of you, I salute all of you!
Barlas F. Esin is a journalism major
at Cal State Long Beach. He can be reached
at besin@csulb.edu.
|
