"Wherever you're from, whoever you are, you are welcome here. " The sign—posted alongside world flags at the Pappajohn Business Building at the Tippie College of Business—celebrates diversity at the University of Iowa, where international students make up 13 percent of the overall population.

Qingyang Su, an undergraduate student in the College of Engineering, is an international student at the University of Iowa. Hailing from Beijing, China, Qingyang has embraced the opportunity to learn about American culture, meet new people, and challenge himself through research and teaching assistant experiences.

The first time Mousa Abuissa saw the University of Iowa campus, he was on a vacation with his parents and sister, who had traveled from Syria to visit his uncle in Iowa City. At the end of the trip, Abuissa’s parents asked him if he wanted to stay.

Navigating the employment rules and challenges faced by international students can be a considerably complicated affair for students, employers, and university staff.

Undergraduate engineering student Carli Brucker studied abroad in Hong Kong during the summer of 2015. To help fund her study abroad experience, Brucker used the Summer Hawk Tuition Grant. She also applied for and received a Global Engineering Scholarship.

Mandy Gavin, University of Iowa undergraduate engineering student, studied abroad in Hong Kong during the summer of 2015. She applied for and received several scholarships, including a Global Engineering Scholarship and a Center for Asian and Pacific Studies Study Abroad in Asia Scholarship.

Curious about what it's like to study abroad, but aren't sure where to begin? Get your questions answered and kick start your global experience at the upcoming fall study abroad fair! 

Standing in the middle of T. Anne Cleary walkway on the University of Iowa campus in 2005, Farfum Ladroma, of Manning, Iowa, saw his future: “This is where I need to be,” he thought. And, as with most things with Ladroma, thought turned into action.