A new policy insinuated international students who were not physically in classrooms or were receiving online instruction due to COVID-19 would have to return to their home country.
Many international students were shocked by the change.
LBCC student Rie Takayama said she “was in shock because [she]’d have to change everything.”
Rie Takayama is taking courses at LBCC while living in her hometown of Miyazaki, Japan.
She said returning to her home country was the best option because it allowed her to save money.
Due to Japan’s COVID-19 precautions, Takayama had to quarantine for 14 days, paying out of pocket for the hotel.
One of the difficulties Takayama has experienced during this time is adjusting to the time zone differences, but Takayama has reviewed the class meetings over a recording from her professor.
Takayama said she misses Long Beach and would like to return to the city at a better time.
Pablo Albillo, an international student from Guatemala, decided to move to Long Beach two years ago to advance his learning of the English language and be with his family.
When asked about how requirements to physically attend classes might affect international students, Albillo said “I couldn’t go back anyways because the borders are still closed. I had to stay and if Trump’s law was going to happen then I would have had to take classes that are not even in my educational plan, only [to] be able to stay at school and continue my studies.”
However, COVID-19 did affect his studies.
Before the virus he was expected to graduate in Fall 2021. Now that he can not progress with classes that are not offered online, he will be graduating in Spring 2022.
Although both Vikings have faced struggles with the outbreak and are unsure if the country will recover, they’ve both managed to push through with school. In hopes to further their education they continue with online courses.