AbstractsCommunication

This study explored the lived experiences of international students, particularly Chinese students from mainland China, Taiwan, and Malaysia, who participated in the Summer Work Travel Program in a city in the United States. Drawing from the theoretical framework of postcolonial studies, this project situated the international labor flow in historical contexts. This study adopted in-depth interviews, participant observation, and autoethnography to collect data. I interviewed 12 Chinese student workers, 1 supervisor, 2 local Christians, and 3 local workers, and wrote down about 43,000 words of fieldnotes. Employing a grounded theory approach, I identified five major themes from the data: racialization, racism, internalized racism, personal transformation, and religious assimilation. This study revealed that the Chinese students had racial encounters with other ethnic groups, witnessed racism against other ethnic groups, and experienced racism against themselves. They endured pain, pressure and hardships, and harvested friendships and personal growth. Local Christians played an important role in providing practical assistance to the international students and engaging them in cultural exchange. This study also found violations of labor laws and inhumane treatment of the student workers by the employers. In addition, not every employer or sponsor made efforts in creating cultural exchange opportunities for the international student workers, which was required by the federal regulations on the Summer Work Travel Program. Lessons that can be learned from this project, and proposed suggestions to improve the operation of this program are presented at the end of this manuscript.