The coronavirus has negatively impacted students and their aspirations to complete internships, they said, border closures in countries also prevented them from returning home once their internships were completed. BYU–Hawaii professors suggested online internships as possible alternatives.
Tom Court, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education & Social Work, said as an internship coordinator, he has seen changes in the ways students complete internships.
Before COVID-19, online teaching internships were not accepted for the TESOL major. Court said since most teachers in the TESOL profession are teaching remotely, they changed that policy.
Stuck after doing internships
Court added how the most challenging situations have been for students who finished their internships, but travel restrictions prevented them from returning home.
Court shared, “One of our TESOL students was finally able to fly home to her country just last week after many months of waiting to be reunited with her family. That kind of physical separation from family and home during a pandemic is very stressful.”
Laura Vaitea Liu, an alumna from Tahiti who majored in TESOL, did her internship in Mauritius. Liu served her full-time mission in Mauritius and said she was happy when she found the internship through Handshake.
“When I received my acceptance letter for the internship, I got really excited. I could already see myself teaching and completing my degree while exploring the island and reuniting with all the people that I had met a couple of years ago.
“However, when I arrived in Mauritius, I started hearing about the sudden pandemic hitting the world.” She continued, “At first, I did not think I would be affected very much by the pandemic, but I quickly realized the great impact it would have on my life.”
Liu said she was blessed to complete her internship in March 2020. “Just when I completed my internship and was ready to enjoy the beauty of the island, the situation around the world got worse. COVID-19 cases started to show up in Mauritius, and the country closed its borders.
“At that moment, I knew I had a long journey ahead of me, and all I needed to do was trust the Lord,” Liu added. “I stayed in lockdown for several months, and I could not return to my home country until the end of July.”
During this time, she said she had to deal with financial pressure, mental and emotional stress, and the fear of uncertainty. “However, my faith has been put to the test, and I decided to trust the Lord during the process.”
Even though the pandemic disrupted her future, Liu said she is still grateful and sees the challenge as a blessing. “I was blessed through it all. The Lord reached out His hand to me through amazing people who helped me feel safe and at home.”
While she was in lockdown, Liu said she served others through church callings. “Despite the difficulty of my experience, I am grateful for all the lessons learned and the people met. I have no regret going through all these hardships, because I know I became a better person, and I got closer to my Heavenly Father.”
During the lockdown, Lui added that she kept contact with BYUH, and she is grateful for the help she received in finding her way home.
“Last but not least, I was still able to graduate from BYUH with a bachelor’s in TESOL, and I am grateful for it. I became a more independent individual and ambitious person,” Liu explained. “I learned that there is a solution to every problem. We can find it if we take the time to calmly ponder on it and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost.”
Internship cancellations
Court added, “At the onset of the pandemic, it was disappointing for our students who had already worked hard to secure their ideal internships, but then had to cancel and completely change their expectations about how their internship could be fulfilled.”
Otgonchimeg Chimedregzen, a senior from Mongolia majoring in social work, said an internship is required to complete her degree. She was about to do her internship in Hong Kong in Sept. 2020. After COVID-19 spiraled into a worldwide pandemic in March, it seemed less likely she could complete it.
Hong Kong closed its borders on March 25, so Chimedregzen’s plans changed. “Then, I tried to do my internship in Mongolia and found several organizations that were willing to hire me as an intern, but Mongolia also closed its borders and has not opened yet.”
Now, Chimedregzen said she decided to do her internship in Hawaii and is still searching for an internship.
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