International students caught in the crosshairs of shifting policies are questioning whether the rewards of studying in the US still outweigh the risks
As a teenager in military-ruled Myanmar, Muang* viewed a US college degree as the ultimate escape – a passport to freedom, stability and a future unbound by the limits of a junta-run state.
At 19, he made it. A full scholarship to one of America’s most prestigious universities marked the culmination of years of perseverance. But today, that hard-won dream feels precarious.
“You grow up in a country where it’s a dictatorship and you don’t have any opportunities to build your own life,” Muang said. “Every kid’s dream is to get a scholarship, go abroad, get their education, and work their way up to build a life and career. I was like that once.”
“Sometimes I feel the American dream is more alive in Myanmar than it is in America.”
