On the 13th of October, Women and Gender Studies and African and African American Studies collaborative Fall for the Book event took place, hosting Rajika Bhandari to talk about her book America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility. Bhandari is an Indian immigrant in the US who initially came on an international student visa. She is now an international higher education expert, a widely published author, and a sought-after speaker on issues of international education, immigrants, and educational and cultural diplomacy. Her book highlights her experience of moving to the US, travails of international students in the US, the web of immigration they must navigate, and Bhandari's journey as a woman of color and Asian American immigrant.
During the event, Bhandari and Mason WGST associate director, Holly Mason Badra, had a conversation about her book. In their conversation, Bhandari reflected on how her experience as someone who is Indian, lived in India, is light-skinned, is a woman, and is an immigrant in the US shaped her perspectives of the world and injustice, and how her experiences differed in both contexts. Bhandari additionally discussed the complex process in which international student graduates seek a work visa, and the limitation and uncertainty caused by US policies concerning international students. The conversation was followed by a very interactive Q&A.
