The Class of 2024 carries the distinction of being the one that started in the midst of the pandemic when learning was online and international students' travel to the U.S. halted. But for new graduates like Gaella Hawi, it’s what she did in the years that followed that global shock that matters most.
From Lebanon, Hawi was looking forward to starting at USF’s INTO program for international students in the fall of 2020. The oldest of four siblings in her family, Hawi said she was interested in studying abroad as Lebanon’s economy struggled and her father encouraged her to pursue a degree at an American university. Family friends in the Tampa area knew USF and encouraged her to apply. But the pandemic upended those plans.
Arriving at USF a year later than she’d planned to pursue a mechanical engineering degree. Hawi said she encountered the same homesickness and feeling out of place that many international students do, compounded by circumstances that campus life still wasn’t completely back to normal. “Loneliness was the biggest thing for me,” she said. “This was a huge leap to come here on my own and start from the ground up. From day one, I knew I didn’t want to be in this bubble.”
She got involved in the hall council at her residence hall and joined the team at USF World’s International Student Support to help plan events and then secured a position as a resident assistant. She was named First Year Student Staff Member of the Year and represented USF at a student leadership conference at Florida Atlantic University. She started an organization called INTO America, to reach out to other international students, and it went on to win awards for its programming and outreach.
“I was able to be a part of some healing journeys for some people,” she said of her outreach to other students. “It didn’t just help them but helped me at the same time. It’s so powerful if you do it correctly.”
Hawi also gained valuable research experience as a part of the team at the Smart Sustainable Systems (S2) Lab founded by Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Nancy Diaz-Elsayed.
“I was able to be a part of some healing journeys for some people,” she said of her outreach to other students. “It didn’t just help them but helped me at the same time. It’s so powerful if you do it correctly.”
On Aug. 3, she was one of 187 students from 61 countries graduating at summer commencement and in the fall she’ll start a master’s degree at Boston University, where she’ll pursue her interest in robotics.
Before the USF-wide ceremony where more than 2,600 degrees were conferred, Hawi and her family gathered with other international students for the USF World sash ceremony. USF World Vice President Kiki Caruson reminded the graduates how much they contributed to the learning environment for other USF students too, many of whom don’t have the opportunity to travel beyond U.S. borders. “Never underestimate the power of your presence on campus,” Caruson said.
USF Student Body Vice President Sumit Subhash Jadhav, an international student from India, echoed the sentiment, reminding the graduating students that beyond academic achievements the diversity they bring to campus enriches the environment. “Being an international student means creating a home away from home,” he said. “We are part of something bigger. Each of us has our own version of the American Dream.”
For Hawi, that’s a lesson she wants to share with other international students too. “It was a culture shock when I first came here,” she said. “If there’s one thing I would tell an international student is to not imagine how life is here, just come and live it. Get to know people. Get out of your comfort zone.”
The USF World International Student Sash ceremony is a time-honored tradition. You may view the event photo album here.