I liked civil engineering from a very early age. After working on some science projects related to earthquakes, I started thinking differently about civil engineering, like maybe it’s a good major I can pursue.

I want to be one of the best civil engineers in the world. There’s no doubt about that. My first goal over here is to complete my Ph.D. It will take a toll on me, but that’s okay. I’m very passionate about it.”

Avipriyo, Ph.D. student in civil engineering from Bangladesh

Jackson State is like a family for me. I have no one here, other than my husband. But somehow, I really feel unconditional support, love, and most importantly, respect from this university. When I first enrolled here, as a native of India, I had problems with my communication – my language, my accent, and everything. But I never felt left out. Everyone from my department, and from the university, has supported me throughout this journey. They’ve treated me like family – regardless of my color, my gender or anything that could divide us. They’ve always supported me.

While here, I also became pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful daughter in September 2018. After six months, I was to take my comps exam for my public health degree. I thought at that moment that it wasn’t possible because I was a full-time breastfeeding mom. But my department said, ‘Listen, you can take the exam in the exam hall, but if you have an emergency situation and you have to go feed your daughter or just take care of her, you can go ahead and do that. It’s not going to hamper your exam.’ I can’t explain how much that means to a mother. My baby, at that time, was only five months old. So if I didn’t receive that kind of support, I would have never believed that I could finish my comps and get my degree. It was a dream for me. I really want to share this story with everyone.”

– Shinjita, Ph.D. student in environmental studies from India

At first, it was hard for my mom because I was the first of the family to leave. I can remember my mom crying every day because I was about to leave, and my sister told me my mom was sad that I wasn’t there. But my family knows that leaving has helped me to grow and become a better person, more responsible and all that stuff. So, they’re proud of me, and they’re happy I’m here. But of course, they miss me.

I was nervous to come, mostly because of my English. I can communicate, but I don’t speak like a native American. So when I got here, I was nervous that I wouldn’t understand people or they wouldn’t understand me. And the culture is also different. But once I got here, everyone was so nice, and I felt comfortable. I like it. Something I wasn’t used to was people saying hi to you, even if they don’t know you. Just people being nice without a reason.

– Mariana, sophomore civil engineering major from Sonora, Mexico

The best thing I learned through traveling is to have an open mind. Cultures are different, and you have to embrace different cultures. That’s part of the reason I came to Jackson State.

When I was applying for Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology, I wanted a program that had more of an emphasis on diversity issues, because I felt like I really didn’t get that much training in that in undergrad. And with Jackson State being in the deep south, there is a large population of African Americans and a decent population of Latino Americans as well. So I thought it would be a really good place to get some diversity training. And since I’ve been here, I’ve really liked it.”

– Sreenath, graduate clinical psychology student from Hyderabad, India

I am here learning how to teach English in China. One of the things I’m doing is a comparison study of Chinese students and American students. In China, we have a lot of people. So in English class, we have more than forty or fifty students in the class. But here, there are small groups of students. So it’s different.

And in China, students are not so willing to talk in the class. While learning a language, they should be stimulated to talk, to voice their opinions. However, they’re not so willing to do that. But the Americans are happy to talk in class and voice their opinions. It’s quite interesting.

The most difficult thing for me is finding something to kill my time. Sometimes, I’m a little bit lonely. I sit here and read a book and watch people pass by. But I’m really interested in the braids I see. I’m wondering how long it takes to make the braid. In China, more and more people are willing to make braids. People in China now love hip hop, so they are learning from the people here. I find that quite interesting.”

– Zhijun, visiting scholar from China

Kejun: “We’re from China, and we’ve been married for two years. We met in high school. But we didn’t start dating until we were in college back home in China. Then I came to Jackson State. And after I told him how much I like this place, he came over a year after I did. I graduated last year, and he graduates this year.

My favorite thing about him is that he’s very easy-going. He’s not easily angered. Even when you do something really unreasonable, he’ll be like, ‘Ok. I can take care of it.’

Yang: “My favorite thing about her? She’s pretty.”

– Kejun is an adjunct faculty member in the department of civil and environmental engineering. Yang is a graduate student in the same department.

I’m fortunate because of the help of my dad. He financed my private school education from daycare to high school, and he paid for my travel expenses and stuff. When my older sisters and I finished high school, he took us to the Embassy to get our Visas. He was my mentor. He meant everything to me. So, when he passed away in 2015, I reached my breaking point. I was like, that’s it for me.

We Facetimed each other a few hours before he passed away. He wasn’t sick or anything like that, so his death was shocking. But, before he passed away, he would always tell me, ‘It doesn’t matter how long I live. The most important thing is how I live. So, if I have to go today, keep praying and just know that in whatever kind of condition you find yourself, just have faith, keep pushing, and follow your dreams.’

Those words really meant a lot to me. Those words are the reason why I’m still here. Thank God, I’m here. Everything that I am today is because of my dad. He did everything for us. When he passed away, I became extra motivated to get my degree, get a good job, and provide for my mom. I hope that he’ll be proud of me some day.

I would really like to go back home and be a mentor or a role model for most of the kids back home, just to tell them to pursue their dreams. I would like to tell them to keep pushing, keep working hard, follow their dreams and I hope that the students in high school or middle school right now will have the same opportunities that I have and will be able to get some funding, some scholarships to pursue their dreams outside of Africa. I think that the main difference between people back home and people here is opportunities. There is nothing that we can’t do.”

–   Sheikh, senior computer engineering major from Gambia