The international students office at Grossmont College in El Cajon is bustling with energy. Lots of students from around the world are here, about 14,000 of them, many in the Bay Area. These students are charged up to 10 times more than residents, which can be a shocker, but they still keep coming. The Trump administration is trying to fix some visa issues, but the tension is still high.
Kaung Lett Yhone, a student from Myanmar, set his sights on the U.S. for college. After searching online for the best community college, De Anza popped up as No. 1. Now, he’s studying biology at De Anza with dreams of transferring to Stanford or Berkeley. The Bay Area is where it’s at for many international students, with about 14,000 enrolled in California community colleges. These schools are not just for locals, they’re attracting students from all over the globe.
The visa crackdown under the Trump administration has put a damper on things, with some students having their visas yanked. But now, there’s talk of reinstating them. Nazy Galoyan, a dean at De Anza, is feeling the pressure. She’s seen students lose their visas and worries about the dream of studying in California being shattered. The situation is tense, but the hope is that things will get back on track soon.
