Clemence Trevedy is one of the approximately 740 international students at CSUDH, who make up only 4.4% of the student population. Photo by Catalina Garcia
By Catalina Garcia, Staff Reporter
Clemence Trevedy, a film, media, and television major, knows the worry and stress of coming to a new country and the challenges the journey entails, from experiencing both the culture shock to the loneliness that intensifies during a global pandemic.
Trevedy is an international student from Paris, France studying at the University of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, and this is her first semester as a Toro.
In the beginning, Trevedy wasn’t on board with the thought of studying abroad, but that quickly changed once she heard about the opportunity to go to a new country and study. She decided this was an opportunity to go unmissed.
“[CSUDH] was my second choice of university but it was my first choice as a school in Los Angeles,” Trevedy said. “Being a film major it made sense for me to go to a school in Los Angeles because the city has the heart of the film industry, Hollywood.”
Being an international student, especially during a pandemic, is not just signing up, going to another country, and taking classes. It’s a lot of paperwork, meetings, and stress.
“It was stressful coming from France to America,” said Trevedy. “COVID has made it a little more stressful because we had to sign a paper saying that there was a possibility that due to COVID we would be doing our international studies in France. I got stressed because that is not what I signed up for.”
With the uncertainty of the new Delta variant, many professors opted to have their classes strictly online by constructing them through alternative instruction.
“I was a little disappointed to learn that the majority of classes were online because I really wanted to escape this and I’m getting back into it,” said Trevedy. “But I’m in another country and it’s not the same process of working … But it doesn’t change that I can’t meet anyone. All I wanted was to meet people.”
For Trevedy, after doing her studies in quarantine, she wanted something different or something that felt normal. She feels having her classes online while she is here restricted her ability to meet new people and make connections.
Dosha Bautista, the International Admissions coordinator at CSUDH, explains that 20 percent of the total International Student population coming to CSUDH stayed in their home countries during the initial lockdown to start their American studies. If they were already here at CSUDH, the international students were able to return to their home countries to continue their American Studies.
She not only has to worry about moving to a new country during an unpredictable time, she now has to worry about her roommates and sharing the apartment-style dorm with five other females. She was worried if they would accept her or if they would not acknowledge her.
“I was worried about sharing with them and living with them. But they have been very welcoming. They help me with a lot of things,” said Trevedy. “Like teaching me how to do things. Even doing the groceries! I don’t have a car so moving outside is difficult for me. So they’ve been taking me places {with] no questions asked. It’s really a good thing.”
With the new Delta variant, many things are uncertain. For Trevedy, the uncertainty of where the pandemic is going leaves her worried about finding a place to live until she can get a flight back home.
“The thing that I do worry about is the dorms closing down. And if that happens then I don’t know what I am going to do,” said Trevedy.
This is due to the lack of availability of flights going to France on short notice. Trevedy mentioned when she found out she was coming to Dominguez Hills she bought her plane ticket almost immediately. Finding a flight to France in a week’s time is nearly impossible to do.
Clemence has high hopes that she will be able to make new friends while she is here.“I have so much I want to see and do. It would be devastating if I don’t get to do at least half the things I want to.”
