Visa appointments are being canceled. Post-graduation work options OPT are being threatened. Policies are shifting toward exclusion and erasure.

We're launching a campaign called #WeAreGlobal to show the real impact of international students and scholars, not just as economic contributors, but as classmates, colleagues, friends, innovators, researchers, teachers, and neighbors.

For too long, international education has defended itself by pointing to the $44 billion “economic impact." But that framing is both reductive and dangerous, and it is now weaponized. Economic impact misses what truly matters: the intrinsic value of global community. Empathy. Collaboration. Cultural exchange. The courage to connect across difference. These are not things that can be quantified, but they can be shared.

We're collecting short videos and written stories from people like you: U.S. citizens, permanent residents, professors, staff, employers, community members, and international students and scholars themselves, about how your life has been changed by global engagement.

You don’t need fancy equipment or a perfect script. Just 15–60 seconds of honesty. You can upload a video, write your story, or send a voice recording. If you’re not comfortable being on camera, we can voice it over or anonymize it.

Together, let’s remind the United States, and the world, that #WeAreGlobal.

Thank you for sharing your story.

Submit your story here.

Submitted Stories