My journey as an international student began in August 2022.

I arrived on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022 from Japan after a 12-hour flight, to pursue my academic goals here in California.

I had mixed emotions.

I was excited about my first semester at El Camino College, but also anxious about my new environment I would have to adapt to because I had no one to depend on.

I had already experienced studying abroad three times so I thought the anxiety would disappear eventually and I would begin to manage, somehow.

Since I’m the only one in my family to go to college and study in another country, I continued to tell myself that I have to be perfect for my family.

During my first semester, I often struggled to express my thoughts in English and ended up crying sometimes after classes, feeling the pressure to catch up with the local students’ level.

Beyond my speaking skills I was also struggling financially.

International students like myself are given an F1 Visa, which is a visa for foreigners who want to study in the United States. Those on with a F1 Visa are required to pay tuition and insurance fees.

According to El Camino’s website, non-resident students have to pay $296 per unit and those with F1 Visa have to pay $707.58 for insurance, while students who reside here pay only $46 per unit for enrollment fee.

In addition to these expenses, I had to pay $1,050 per month for homestay and this caused a huge financial burden on me which increased my stress.

This made me suffer from an intense skin condition causing itching and rashes all over my body.

I wish I could’ve received more support when I was going through such a tough time.

I finally needed someone to help me, so I decided to give my mother a call after months of not being in touch.

Following a medical emergency I had, I then decided to return to Japan for a month for rest and spend time with my family.

After some time in Japan I got back to California, ready for a new semester.

During Spring semester 2023 I was able to experience a newfound level of comfort in college, because this semester I began to involve myself with the journalism program.

Asked by my professor, Kate McLaughlin, I joined The Union as an illustrator for Warrior Life magazine and The Union newspaper.

As I became more involved in a new community with students whom I can share anything with I began to notice an improvement in my speaking ability, which I was not confident in before.

I began to enjoy my college life a lot more with the friends I met in the program, unlike the hard days I endured in the beginning of my transition.

However, I know that I’m not the only international student who faced simaler problems.

From my experience, there is a need for more on campus support and resources for international students.

Whether that support is financial, emotional or simply moral the help would be a big boost for international students and could help us be more involved in our college community.

Like I have become.

I had to overcome the struggles of being an international student by finally being a part of a team.

I wouldn’t want to see anyone encounter the same obstacles I did.