By Danny Brady
More than 120 international students from 40 different countries attend Springfield College. As the 2024 presidential election looms, these students bring a unique perspective of United States politics.
Meraj Husen, a junior from Nepal, believes that this election is important because of the U.S.’ global influence.
“U.S. politics influences almost every other country in the world because they are one of the supreme powers,” Husen said. “They have huge control in the sense of money, power and nuclear weapons.”
Tim Norin, a junior from Sweden, agrees with the importance of this election, but for different reasons.
“This election can impact [Sweden’s] safety,” Norin said. “The U.S. is a major factor in the Ukrainian war, and a crucial NATO member.”
Marc Villanueva Abad, a junior from Spain who currently lives in Mexico, sees differences in U.S. politics compared to his home country.
“People take [politics] way more seriously here,” Villanueva Abad said. “Of course it’s a big topic back at home, but many people here are extremely invested in the upcoming election.”
Norin offered a different perspective when comparing U.S. politics to Sweden.
“There is more hate between the two sides [in the U.S.],” Norin said.“You don’t see this separation as much in Sweden because it is a multi-party system with eight different parties.”
Husen added that despite being underdeveloped, his home country of Nepal and the U.S. share a similar political problem: low literacy rate.
“I used to think that political problems like low literacy rates were only for underdeveloped countries, but when I came here I found that it can be a problem everywhere,” Husen said.
An issue of particular importance to these students is adjusting policy so that international students can work in the U.S. after graduation. While there are some means of obtaining a post-study work visa, current policy states that international students have just 60 days after completion of their program to leave the U.S.
“If you graduate with a degree as an international student from the U.S., you should have the ability to get a green card,” Norin said. “I want to be able to support and contribute to the country in the future.”
Work policies also affect international students while they are still in school. Husen noted that internship and job opportunities are extremely limited in the U.S.
“It doesn’t make sense because we are getting the same education as everyone else,” Husen said. “All of these opportunities should be open and available for international students like they are for others.”
Villanueva Abad agrees that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.
“They don’t let international students work off campus at all,” Villanueva Abad said. “They could come up with creative solutions that allow us to at least get internships that can help us in our future careers.”
Photo courtesy of Springfield Athletics.