By: Megan Finlan ’21, co-editor in chief

While many students at LVC have decided to remain remote in light of COVID-19, international students are taking distance learning across oceans.

Currently, LVC has three full-time students completing classes while outside the U.S. Similar to students living inside the American borders, these students are completing course work through asynchronous assignments, recordings and Zoom lectures.

“The students have experienced many challenges, including time zone difficulties and technology failures,” Terri Rosenberg, assistant professor of English, said. “However, it definitely helped that all three students are seniors, and they were familiar with several of their professors and LVC.”

For one international student, distance learning isn’t the only challenge she’s had to overcome. My Ho, senior English and environmental science major, is still in New Zealand after studying abroad in the spring 2020 semester. Due to border closures, Ho has been unable to return home to Hanoi, Vietnam.

However, despite being unable to return home or travel back to campus, Ho is remaining dedicated to her classes and is making the best out of an unexpected situation.

“The biggest challenge so far is feeling out of touch with the materials and the people in my class,” Ho said. “I’m taking three science classes at the moment and all of them require lab attendance. I couldn’t perform the experiments myself, and I have to watch the lectures in recording, which makes it difficult for me to relate to the lessons.”

Ho explained that the aspects of being a real “student,” like attending in-person classes, meeting up with friends, taking weekend trips and working part-time are what she misses the most about life at LVC.

“At the moment, I feel like I’m more of a part-time student who spends most of her days inside the house and focusing more on having the best time here in New Zealand,” Ho said.

While COVID-19 continues to impact what college life looks like in the U.S. and internationally, all three students hope to return to campus this spring if protocols allow.