Defining student identity in the United States: an Autoethnographic account of an international student

The term “international student” is one which is loaded with diplomacy. Regulations for international students are set on federal levels and implemented on institutional levels. While being compliance-focused, it gets forgotten that international students are also a student group. Over a million international students call various universities across the nation their home. So as to humanize this population, educational leadership need to consider the voices and perceptions of international students, instead of solely relying on governmental guidelines in describing this student population. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand how the experiences of international students inform their student identity development process. Utilizing autoethnography as the methodology, this research study allows for the researcher to be the sole participant as well. Guided by the International Student Identity (ISI) model as the undergirding theoretical framework of this study, I analyze my academic journey of over a decade as a male, Indian, international student in the United States. The resulting autoethnographic account comprised of personal narratives gives birth to four themes, including a sub-theme that informs the gap in scholarly literature pertinent to international student identity development. Emerging themes from this dissertation are a) Policy is all-powerful, and it dictates the parameters within which to operate; b) Presence of a support structure is the key to overall success, which includes a sub-theme: Minority mentorship can do wonders; c) Clearing the path of immigration is a headlining goal; and d) Resiliency ensures surviving and thriving throughout the journey.Educational Leadership, Curriculum & InstructionCollege of Education and Human Developmen