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International students share stories of perseverance and celebrate at sash ceremony before summer 2024 commencement

By Vickie Chachere

TAMPA, FL (August 7, 2024) 鈥� The Class of 2024 carries the distinction of being the one that started in the midst of the pandemic when learning was online and international students' travel to the U.S. halted. But for new graduates like Gaella Hawi, it鈥檚 what she did in the years that followed that global shock that matters most.

From Lebanon, Hawi was looking forward to starting at USF鈥檚 INTO program for international students in the fall of 2020. The oldest of four siblings in her family, Hawi said she was interested in studying abroad as Lebanon鈥檚 economy struggled and her father encouraged her to pursue a degree at an American university. Family friends in the Tampa area knew USF and encouraged her to apply. But the pandemic upended those plans.

Arriving at USF a year later than she鈥檇 planned to pursue a mechanical engineering degree. Hawi said she encountered the same homesickness and feeling out of place that many international students do, compounded by circumstances that campus life still wasn鈥檛 completely back to normal. 鈥淟oneliness was the biggest thing for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his was a huge leap to come here on my own and start from the ground up. From day one, I knew I didn鈥檛 want to be in this bubble.鈥�

She got involved in the hall council at her residence hall and joined the team at USF World鈥檚 International Student Support to help plan events and then secured a position as a resident assistant. She was named First Year Student Staff Member of the Year and represented USF at a student leadership conference at 91社区 Atlantic University. She started an organization called INTO America, to reach out to other international students, and it went on to win awards for its programming and outreach.

Hawi also gained valuable research experience as a part of the team at the founded by Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Nancy Diaz-Elsayed.

鈥淚 had to be a part of some healing journeys for some people,鈥� she said of her outreach to other students. 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 just help them but helped me at the same time. It鈥檚 so powerful if you do it correctly.鈥�

On Aug. 3, she was one of 187 students from 61 countries graduating at summer commencement and in the fall she鈥檒l start a master鈥檚 degree at Boston University, where she鈥檒l pursue her interest in robotics.

Before the USF-wide ceremony where more than 2,600 degrees were conferred, Hawi and her family gathered with other international students for the USF World sash ceremony. USF World Vice President Kiki Caruson reminded the graduates how much they contributed to the learning environment for other USF students too, many of whom don鈥檛 have the opportunity to travel beyond U.S. borders. 鈥淣ever underestimate the power of your presence on campus,鈥� Caruson said.

USF Student Body Vice President Sumit Subhash Jadhav, an international student from India, echoed the sentiment, reminding the graduating students that beyond academic achievements the diversity they bring to campus enriches the environment. 鈥淏eing an international student means creating a home away from home,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are part of something bigger. Each of us has our own version of the American Dream.鈥�

For Hawi, that鈥檚 a lesson she wants to share with other international students too. 鈥淚t was a culture shock when I first came here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f there鈥檚 one thing I would tell an international student is to not imagine how life is here, just come and live it. Get to know people. Get out of your comfort zone.鈥�

The USF World International Student Sash ceremony is a time-honored tradition. You may view the event photo album .