St. Thomas broke records in welcoming 62 new international students in-person this fall despite an ongoing pandemic as the university provided support to foreign applicants in an effort to keep cultural exchange a priority on campus.

Even as vaccination rates climbed in the U.S. in 2021 and institutions eased COVID-19 restrictions, international students faced unique obstacles in their attempts to access higher-education in America.

“The main obstacle we’ve encountered was the closure of (U.S.) embassies because of the pandemic,” International Admissions counselor Amanda Hager said. “But the U.S. government has made a more concentrated effort on making sure students could get visas.”

Onella Nkurunziza, a second-semester freshman from Rwanda who started college remotely at a Canadian university and transferred to St. Thomas this fall, said she did not experience any visa-related problems when entering the U.S.

“The priority in the U.S. embassies at home was the students,” Nkurunziza said. “So I did not have to go through a lot because everything was smooth. I also had a lot of help from Ethan (Olson, Associate Director of International Admissions) and Amanda (Hager) … they really made the process easier for me.”

Nkurunziza is one of the many who started college online last spring semester and are just now experiencing college in-person this fall.

While a total of 25 St. Thomas international students reported to be outside of the U.S. during last spring semester, all but one were able to be on campus this fall – some for the very first time – which made the incoming class of international students “feel even larger,” Hager said.

“Getting to go through orientation, and be here in person, and march through the arches, and be here, finally,” Hager said. “That was like an extra happiness on top of the new students.”

For some international students, the pandemic played a major role in the decision to leave home; after having their lives paused, they felt ready to take on the challenge and start college in another country.

Emilia Zuniga, a first-year student from Honduras, said she had to choose between staying in her country or following her dream of moving to the U.S. to study.

“I think the pandemic helped me to discover what I really wanted,” Zúniga said.

The large number of incoming international students this semester is also a result of a partnership with domestic admissions in a communications effort and St. Thomas’ growth, Hager said. One of the elements of this growth is the Division I move, she said.

Nicole Vallario, a first-year student athlete of the women’s hockey team from Switzerland, was recruited by the athletics department and started her application process in November 2020 after the NCAA approved the St. Thomas transition to DI, in July.

“That’s one of the main reasons why I came here,” Vallario said. “It didn’t make any sense to me to come here and play Division III.”

The growing number of international students on campus this fall will give students – both domestic and foreign – the opportunity to learn and grow with different backgrounds and cultures.

“It’s been great going out of my comfort zone and go to events and make new friends,” Nkurunziza said. “It’s overwhelming, but being an international student is such a unique experience. We come so far away from home … we see different cultures and how people do things differently here and it opens you to other perspectives.”

Luana Karl can be reached at karl2414@stthomas.edu.