Written by Diana Radenko, Audiovisual Storytelling Team Lead, Bachelor of Arts in Book and Media Studies
With the start of the Fall-Winter term looming close, the Innovation Hub is finally ready to reveal a new initiative that is happening this year: the International Students: Life After Graduation project. International students bring a wealth of diverse and unique perspectives to the University of Toronto, but their experiences are not just a source of strength when these students are attending U of T—they are equally valuable after these students have graduated and started new journeys. This upcoming project seeks to better understand the needs of recent international student graduates and alumni as they embark on life after the University of Toronto, whether that path keeps them in Canada or takes them abroad.
We’re excited to collaborate again with the Office of the Vice-Provost, International Student Experience, and the Centre for International Experience. Our last project together was the International Student First 48 Hours documentary, which was screened privately last spring and will premiere to the public this fall. Both researchers and participants on this project expressed how valuable sharing these stories was to them. Design Researcher June, herself an international student, reflected on how stories bring people together:
June: Stories are our most powerful tool to connect and bridge gaps between people. By sharing these stories, we hope to support fellow international students to ease the fears of the unknown, affirming that they are not alone in their journey: a welcoming community is ready to celebrate their unique stories and experiences.
For this project, we similarly seek to collaborate with a small group of international Alumni and students in their final year of study who are willing to document life after graduation on camera.
Why Life After Graduation?
At the Innovation Hub, all our projects address the student experience, but not many examine students’ lives after university. Most students learn from hearing from other students, but after graduation the opportunities to connect with student peers are much more infrequent. With this in mind, we wanted to use this project to connect graduates with each other and provide them with a renewed sense of community while also exploring the varied paths they follow.
The Life After Graduation project will culminate in a documentary short that captures recent graduates’ and fourth-year students’ lives as a period of transition. By featuring participants in their home and in their workplace, we aim to explore the many paths that are open for international students and provide them with a platform to have their voices be heard by the U of T community at large. This documentary is set to premiere in 2025.
Call for Participants
Our projects wouldn’t be possible without our student participants. For this project, we’re looking for international students who are recent graduates/alumni or going into their fourth year this coming fall. Aside from the opportunity to reconnect with the university and share their unique story, all participants will receive a $500 honorarium as a thank you for their contribution.
If you’re an international student who is a recent graduate or going into your fourth year, we would love to work with you! The deadline to apply to the project is September 2nd, 2024 at 11:59 PM.
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