As an international student, I was scared about coming to a new country. Meeting new people and making friends was always a challenge, but it was a challenge that has helped me realize how important it is for universities to have a diverse group of students.
Learning about new cultures, languages, or religions not only helps a student enjoy college more; it helps a student look at a situation from different points of view. For example, when I first started talking to people about the month of Ramadan - which is a month in which Muslims fast every day from sunrise to sunset - most people didn’t know the main goal behind the whole month. After explaining to them that it is a month in which Muslims want to realize the pain that people who suffer from poverty have to go through in their everyday lives of not having enough food or water to consume, they not only loved the concept but also respected the religion.
We have leaders from political parties (not naming names) saying that immigration is a disease and we need to make America great again by kicking them out. He (or she) fails to realize that a cure is needed for the close-minded views and mere ignorance that some people have to only be stuck within the boundaries of the U.S and not care about the rest of the world. It is the way that the human race evolves, and becomes united. Some universities, such as the University of Virginia, have made it a mission to make the university as diverse as possible. The University of Virginia accepts students from different corners of the world, while creating an environment in which students can learn from each other.
Not every student who comes to the U.S for college wants to stay and work here afterwards. Having a diverse group of students allows these international students to take back with them whatever they have learned about the United States, teaching their natives that it is only a small portion of Americans who are racists or are against pure freedom of religion. People who live in other countries have a misconception about America by watching what the media is portraying. I believe that this misconception is not a core value that most Americans carry with them. The people I have personally met during my time here have been nothing less than amazing.
So America, do you really want to stop international students from wanting to come to your country by building a wall or kicking people out because of their beliefs? The U.K has exited the European Union because they want to stop immigration, and look how the rest of the world has reacted to it. Do you really want to be a country that discourages multiculturalism? Think about what you want to be as a country and a citizen of the world before you vote this year because whether you like it or not, you are humans before Americans.
