Employing Intern-national Students

International students have been a population that is near and dear to my heart. Being one myself, I have personally experienced the struggles foreign students face in our education, career, and social life in the United States. The situation worsened when I realized my fellow international students were at risk of not graduating because they could not secure internships. So, for the culminating project of my Social Innovation master's degree, I decided to dive into one of the most frustrating realities of being an international student— employment.

Finding a Piece of Home Abroad

Many have found it peculiar that I attended Grand Valley partially because it had little to no other Malaysian students. As a product of a collectivist society, I knew being alone was the only way I could leave my comfort zone. Years later, I began yearning to connect to my roots and others from similar cultures.  That's when I got involved with the Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Foundation (GRAPF). Through GRAPF, I was able to meet inspiring leaders who look like me, highlight stories of Asian figures, and share my culture with my network. 

Teaching High Schoolers about Money

I rarely claim to be good at teaching financial literacy, especially not to the younger generation. So, when I was brought into the Financially Lit (FinLit) Program, I knew I had some significant challenges ahead. FinLit sought to teach marginalized, inner-city high schoolers financial know-how by paying them to research and make instructional TikTok videos. With a program this ambitious, the backend project management became a tricky, iterative process, and it was up to me to ensure students were on the right learning path and getting paid for their work. 

Easing into Difficult Topics

Days after arriving in Michigan, I was warn to not "talk about politics, religion, money... it's taboo," at my new international student orientation. So, I was shocked when I discovered the Teach-In sessions on my campus, events that deliberately addressed hard topics. However, not every student felt comfortable about those conversations. To encourage more student participation, the organizers decided to include a team of students in the planning committee. I was one of the selected. Bringing my design skills, I injected new styles into the Teach-In brand to win over the wary, younger audience.