My international student group helped me through the hurricane

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While earning her PhD at McGill University (right), Sherry McDowell worried about the devastation wrought by Hurricane Elsa in Barbados (left), where she grew up, Credit: Nigel Brown/Reuters; Sherry McDowell

On the morning of July 5, I was glued to pictures on social media of Hurricane Elsa hitting Barbados, the Caribbean island where I grew up.

As my lab colleagues at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where I am studying for my Ph.D., discuss weekends and the results of their recent experiments, I’ve been haunted by videos showing torrential rains, floods, uprooted trees and torn-roofed buildings. I waited for news from my parents who still live there (I learned later that they are still alive and well).

This was not the only natural disaster this year in the Caribbean, where most of my family resides. There have been volcanic eruptions and mass evacuations in Saint Vincent, and an earthquake in Haiti that killed more than 2,000 people.

On the Monday after the hurricane, I told myself to breathe and focus on lab work: I needed to focus on something other than the news on my phone.

This story is just one example of the emotional toll many international students face when their home countries experience crises, an outcome generally exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of us have not returned to our countries of origin or seen our families for two years or more.

When crises like this affect us, it can be hard to share what we are going through. We fear that we appear incompetent or unsuitable for the rigors of academic research. There can be an unspoken expectation in academia for all students to come to work, attend meetings, answer emails, and continue to perform at the same level of productivity as their peers, regardless of outside events. My own experience and that of others I’ve spoken to, this can be very challenging. Unfortunately, many institutions fail to realize this, and expect students to operate as if it were “business as usual,” without realizing the impact of these events.

Create a support group

How can we best support international students who are struggling during these times? I had a place to turn: a commission I created in 2020 in response to global injustice, including the fatal shooting by US police of Breonna Taylor, an African American woman, in March of that year, and the killing of George Floyd, an African American. , After two months. We call ourselves the Student Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (SAFE), and operate from the McGill College of Medicine and Health Sciences.

To form this group, I reached out to my doctoral advisor and some faculty at my research institute, the Rosalind and Maurice Goodman Cancer Institute, about my desire to create an interns-led group to help and support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from under. Representative groups, to educate the academic community on issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and to level the playing field in our part of academia.

I have been contacted with the associate dean of the faculty I am a part of at McGill to discuss this idea. The Dean allowed me to send email invitations to graduate and postdocs. The group currently has ten interns, and two faculty members who provide guidance and advice support us as we build our supportive community.

We host monthly virtual sessions, which serve as a space for students and postdocs to network with each other about world events, alumni school life, or any current topics. Having a group of people who can relate to shared experiences during difficult times has been very helpful. When Hurricane Elsa hit the Caribbean, I felt that no one, except the students in my SAFE group, understood what I was going through. I felt seen, heard and supported, and I was more productive as a result.

Being able to connect with other people who have experiences similar to yours is a relief. Another major advantage of a group like SAFE is to raise awareness of the issues international students face, so that they are not left out when anything from global disasters to small personal problems occurs. SAFE is currently launching a monthly series of workshops, in collaboration with McGill College of Medicine and Health Sciences and another student-led group, to make the broader university more sensitive to specific issues, such as the burdens international students face during times of stress. events. We are currently unfunded, but we plan to apply for funding as the commission grows and we expand the number of initiatives we participate in.

For any international intern who has felt isolated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, you are not alone. My advice to you is to reach out to student groups, or any mentors or counselors who make you feel safe and supported. I was fortunate to have people I could connect with through my group, which made waiting for a response from my parents during a hurricane a lot easier. I started this important conversation, with the hope that one day all students will feel supported and listened to throughout their careers. For this to happen, others must continue this conversation, which I hope they will.

conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

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