By Molly Stark
In 1950, BYU opened its doors to its first 181 international students. Today, there are over 2,000 international students from more than 100 countries at BYU.
According to an International Student Association press release, the rise in international students is because of “relatively safe communities, inexpensive tuition rates, association with others of the same faith, the opportunity to travel and the quality of BYU’s educational and athletic programs.”
The ISA held its first open house Thursday in the Harold R. Clark Building, and BYU students came from Kenya, Canada, Uruguay, China and Austria just to be there.
ISA’s goal is to help international students succeed spiritually, academically and professionally, said Emma Hernandez, 22, president of ISA and a marketing communications major from Uruguay.
“I’m a little biased, but I love international students,” Hernandez said.
Ken Luvai, a 22-year-old computer science major from Kenya, said he came to BYU because his brother was a student here. He said he also likes the environment.
Two years ago Luvai attended a university in Florida. He said living in the dorms there was hard because “people would yell swear words about every 10 minutes.”
Gabriel Gonzalez, a Spanish translation major from Uruguay, said his bishop encouraged him to attend BYU. He said before the talk with his bishop, he never wanted to come to BYU.
Gonzalez said he applied to BYU before leaving on a mission to Texas, but he still did not know if he really wanted to attend. He said an experience he had while serving his mission helped him decide.
Walking around a public university campus in Texas with his missionary companion, Gonzalez said he realized he didn’t want to go to “that type of school.”
Carlos Fuentes, a 1968 BYU graduate from Mexico, is an international student advisor in the career placement center.
Fuentes said the skills he learned at BYU set him apart from others when looking for a job in Mexico.
“My BYU experience allowed me for 30 years to stand out back in my country as a trustworthy individual,” Fuentes said.
Fuentes told students at the ISA open house not to feel like helpless minorities or underdogs.
“You have so much to offer to the world,” he said.
