Student projects: The international student experience through oral histories
This oral history project focused on the experiences of international students at Middlebury College, with the aim of exploring how they integrated into the campus community, found a sense of belonging, and what insights they hoped to pass on to current or future international students who may struggle to feel at home. Through this project, Shloka and Sajia conducted interviews with several international students, listening to their reflections on academic, social, and emotional aspects of life at Middlebury.
The interviewees spoke openly about their journeys, how they navigated cultural transitions, built connections, and whether they felt supported both inside and outside the classroom. A recurring theme was the strong sense of support many felt from the faculty, which played a crucial role in shaping their positive experiences. While many students described their time at Middlebury as rewarding, the project also shed light on the challenges they faced, especially during their early days on campus.
Check out an interview with Huthefa Abdullahi-Maalim, Class of 2024, on the Internet Archive.
Despite efforts to reach a larger pool of participants, the team encountered difficulties in securing interviews. They used platforms like Midd2Midd to connect with potential participants, but the response rate was lower than expected. Nevertheless, the stories gathered offered meaningful insight into the international student experience and highlighted the importance of community, faculty support, and cultural understanding in fostering belonging at Middlebury.
–Sajia Yaqouby, ‘25.5 and Shloka Raghavan ‘27
Shloka and Sajia contributed five oral history interviews with international Middlebury alumni (with graduation years from 2010 to 2024) to the College Archives. Listen to Shloka and Sajia’s interviews at the Internet Archive!
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