A Prospective on International Students’ Life and Education in the United States

Dr. Hassan Alkandari, Kuwait Education Attaché in US

Dr. Alkandari arrived in the US 34 years ago from Kuwait when he was 18 years old with an intense desire to achieve his educational dreams. He faced many challenges that he had not anticipated— culture, education, language, and the lifestyle shock. Dr. Alkandari will present a quick overview of his experiences as an undergraduate student until he earned his doctorate in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. He will then present four major issues confronting the international students today and what we can do for a better future recognizing that international students play a major role in building the cultural diversity on the university campuses across the United States. Over the past decades, the population of international students in the United States increased significantly until 2019; then, it began to decline as a result of Covid-19 health problems, world economic slowdown, and as countries like Australia, Canada, and UK provided more access to the foreign students.

Dr. Alkandari received B.S. in petroleum engineering from Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio in 1993; and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in petroleum engineering from Colorado School of Mines in 1997 and 2002, respectively. The following is a short list of his educational career: Acting Vice Dean for Students Affairs, Collage of Engineering and Petroleum, Kuwait University; Students Affairs Consultant, Kuwait University; Member of the Board of Directors, Kuwait Society of Engineers; Acting Chair, Petroleum Engineering Department; Cultural Attaché, Kuwait Cultural Office, Los Angeles (Current).