Senior Capstone Project Sheds Light on Immigration

By Stephanie Carson, COM 301
Edited and posted by Anna Littlefield, COM 303

He arrived from England seven years ago with a desire to make a fresh start in America at Berry College. But it was not an easy transition.

Aside from dealing with culture differences, he was bombarded with the responsibility of keeping up with a string of paperwork to maintain his eligibility to stay in the U.S. At one point, upon ending a visit home during his time as a student, he found himself unable to re-enter the U.S. and his stay turned into a two month leave, all because he was missing one form.

Liam Shannon was one of four panelists at an immigration panel held in Berry College's science auditorium Tuesday, April 8, 2008, as part of Berry student Hannah Carswell's senior capstone project. The other panelists included Lila Guerra, a Rome resident, Clarice Ford, associate dean of students and Xiaojing Zu, Berry College librarian.

Carswell's intent for the panel, called "Speak Out," was to put faces to the stories of immigration and the hardships they endured. Carswell explained that when people hear the word "immigration," they automatically assume the issue is of illegal immigration, thus giving the word a negative connotation. She wanted to show what people go through when trying to legally enter the country to live.

"You don't just decide to come to the U.S. and you write a letter and they say 'yes, you've got citizenship, please come over'," said Shannon. It's a very difficult and expensive process for those who attempt to immigrate to the U.S. for better opportunities, said Guerra, who emigrated from Colombia.

Ford, advisor of the International Student Association at Berry, explained that the process has even become increasingly harder since 2001 and it will continue to.

Dr. Clarice Ford
photo courtesy of Berry College Office of First Year Experience

Both she and Zu explained that the student visa is probably the easiest visa to obtain, but it only lasts for the length of study. Zu, who emigrated from China six years ago, received such a visa and later moved to a working visa, which then only lasts six years. Unfortunately for Zu, if she wanted to visit home for more than two weeks with such a visa, she would have to re-apply, pay $100 and spend a day in an office for processing.

Aside from the paperwork, each panelist described their memories of culture shock when entering the country for the first time.

Zu said she was expecting "New York City" when she arrived and was surprised to find something very different. She had a hard time adjusting to the differences in personal space in the U.S. She even found herself in a mild confrontation when she placed her hand on an individual's back on a crowded street, thinking little of it.

Guerra described the hardships of being considered well-off financially in one country and a "nobody" in another.

"It's a tremendous struggle," Guerra said. "It takes years to adjust to American life."

Shannon found it difficult to adjust to Berry College's rules on curfew and on-campus drinking. Though this received audience laughter and smiles, it does reflect the trials immigrants go through to acclimate themselves to a new environment.

After the event, Guerra explained her reason for wanting to participate in the panel.

"I think people are poorly informed. In some cases, they don't know or they don't care to know," said Guerra. "So if you speak, others may hear and be more receptive to people's needs. If people were informed more, we'd be able to help the community more and be more sensitive."

Carswell explained afterward that she had not expected as much audience interaction as the panel received. The audience was very diverse and included faculty members and students, as well as a good mix of males and females.

There are currently 43 international students enrolled at Berry College representing 17 countries, according to the Berry College Office of Admissions' Web page. The topic was also brought up April 1 at a screening of "Made in L.A." as well as a discussion following the film. These events were part of "Immigration Week" on campus.