Imagine boarding a ship to travel to another continent for your education as an international boarding student. During Morning Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 1, Dean for Inclusive Excellence Esperanza Borrero talked about how this daunting experience was the reality for the earliest international students who came to Masters. That same day marked the opening of the “Portals Home” exhibit, curated by the Center of Inclusive Excellence (CIE), featuring pictures representing international students’ homes.
Borrero said the CIE asked students to send photos that portray home, along with short descriptions of the scene and the country in which it is located. The Portals Home exhibit will serve as the permanent exhibit outside the Student Life Office this year, only to be taken down for two other temporary installations in the coming months.
While many Masters students have had the privilege of traveling abroad for vacation or for educational purposes through the Global Studies Program at Masters, these trips are not as long and demanding as the international boarding experience. Masters has partnered with other schools in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, which allows for international trips – such as the Spring trip to Shenzhen and Chengdu, China in 2024 – in which students are encouraged to participate in cultural activities and broaden their perspectives on global issues. International students do fulfill these goals, in addition to other expectations, such as immersing themselves in the culture and classes at Masters and forming close connections with peers.
Borrero said the goal of the exhibit was to portray the international student experience and create a greater understanding of the obstacles they face that other students may not recognize.
She said, “I think it’s a unique experience to be coming from another country at like 14, 15 years old and be far away from home, spending your whole day speaking a language that might not be the one you speak at home all the time.”
In one photograph, the camera focuses on the skyline of the road coming down from Beverly Hills in Kingston, Jamaica. The student wrote in the description, “It kind of represents Jamaica’s motto of ‘Out of many, one people.’”
The motto reflects Jamaica’s diverse origins and mirrors the diversity of the exhibit itself, which features photographs from seven different countries: Jamaica, England, Vietnam, Serbia, Croatia, China and Ukraine.
Another picture depicts a building located in the center of Kyiv, Ukraine, where the student said they have many memories of spending time with friends and family. The student noted that the photo was taken on Ukraine’s Independence Day, adding, “This building, with the Ukrainian flag, represents peace, support and a united people.”
Despite differences in location or meaning, all the photographs portray their respective countries’ cultures and the students’ unique experiences and memories.
Borrero said that she believes international students are resilient for taking the opportunity to explore a different culture and community despite challenges, such as homesickness and culture shock, that they might have to overcome.
Borrero also said, “I hope [other students] feel inspired to be international students. I hope it inspires people to say, ‘I think I could do that.’ International students are, I think, role models for us to go and [live] somewhere for a little while and sort of challenge ourselves.”
