Taiwanese students 'anxious' as Harvard dreams left in limbo

Bangkok Post Group

Thousands of foreign students, including Taiwanese student Yu-Hsuan Lin at Harvard University, were left in administrative limbo after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration revoked Harvard's ability to enroll students from abroad.  - REUTERS

Transcript

00:00The path towards my dream is actually harder and tougher than I expected.

00:04Taiwanese student Yushuan Lin was set to attend Harvard this coming fall.

00:09But now, like thousands of international students, her future hangs in limbo.

00:15The Trump administration revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign

00:19students this week, citing alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party and anti-Semitism among

00:26its reasons. Harvard called the order a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution and said

00:33it would have an immediate and devastating effect on the university and more than 7,000

00:38visa holders. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration's order.

00:44The move is the latest escalation in a broader battle between Harvard and the White House,

00:49as President Donald Trump seeks to compel universities, law firms, news media, courts,

00:54and other institutions to align with his agenda. Lin says the move by the Trump administration

01:01has made her feel anxious as her dreams hang in the balance.

01:05There are so many uncertainties. And yeah, so that's why I think, I thought that I could

01:13accept all the changes along the way as what we have gone through in the past half year.

01:19Lin is among 52 Taiwanese students currently enrolled at Harvard University, according to data from

01:37Taiwan's Education Ministry, local media reported. Another Taiwanese student who gave his name as

01:44Vins says he is trying to stay optimistic. The program that me and a lot of our peers were studying

01:51in the Ivy League or in other universities, we're trying to acquire the skills that can benefit us

01:57in our home country and we can go back and make a meaningful change to our society. And I think that

02:03this is the best that the United States can offer. So I would like to plead to the president that

02:08please, I hope that this generosity can be continued.

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