1) The document describes an international student's experience graduating from a US liberal arts college and struggling to find permanent work in the US due to visa issues and lack of employer support for international candidates. 2) He did two internships in the US but was ultimately not offered a full-time job, which left him feeling disappointed, frustrated, and like an "alien" in both the US and India where he returned. 3) While he has found satisfying work in India, he still questions what he wants to do in the future and feels the unfairness of not having better work opportunities in the country where he studied.

1. DESIGN THINKING LAB
Alka Puri

2. ‘SAY’ section
• When I graduated, I was still applying for jobs
• Had a mixed set of feelings when I graduated – more about leaving college
and friends, a bit nostalgic; also apprehension at what I would do next –
you have to suddenly think like an adult about your life! Also happy at
having graduated.
• Of my batch, about 30% had jobs, 15-20% wanted to go for medicine/ law
etc; the rest were either getting internships, or still applying
• For International students, it’s a lot worse – they are also dealing with visa
issues, employers not welcoming, not responding
• I suddenly had no support – the placement office would not be able to do
much
• People would not respond, or write beforehand about not applying – it was
a shock; when I joined, I thought we had a fairly decent placement scene
• It was a bittersweet time – graduating without a job in hand
• In my first internship, I was doing fine, got good feedback, but just a week
before it was to end they lost a very big account. I was not traumatized
because I still felt I had other options open – felt I could still apply to other
places/ talk to other people. Also, it was not my fault; it was an unexpected
blow

3. ‘SAY’ section
• Finding another internship was not tough – within 3 weeks, I got one in
Philly. A friend had worked in that agency and she told me they were looking
for people.
• They said they would consider me for a job – now I feel it was because they
didn’t know too much about this whole international student bit, so they just
said yes without thinking!
• They liked me, liked my work and offered to extend my internship, but didn’t
give a job. Maybe they didn’t need another writer – they offered jobs to only
2 out of 8 interns – a digital guy and a servicing person. Maybe it was my
international status! I don’t really know.
• I was more disheartened this time – I could have stayed on somehow, but I
wanted to stay in America doing good work, work I liked, not just to stay on.
Didn’t have too much time in hand. So I decided to come back to India.
• I wanted to work in the US – I had enjoyed studying there, felt I would have
enjoyed working too – but felt alien for the first time.
• Very weird feeling, of being not able to do anything. Why did I study in the
US? Could have studied in India itself! Why wasn’t I good enough to work,
yet good enough to be selected by one of the top 10 liberal arts colleges?

4. ‘SAY’ section
• Many international students felt the same – lot of them went back to
their own countries, not quite sure what to do, because there things
work different – we had not learnt all that here.
• Even writing a resume, the whole process is different between US
and India. Though I found a job within a month. I like it – pretty good.
• It was tough, very frustrating, going back was like a bit being in a new
country; I didn’t feel it was my fault. I could understand their problem,
but felt cheated all the same. Options would open up in India, but it
was being forced to do that…not a choice
• I feel fine today – it’s both a bit strange and familiar. I am ok, still have
a lot of question marks about what I want to do later in life. I guess
most people my age go through that. But I feel different here – having
been exposed to another totally different system – I am not fully
convinced what I want to do next
• I want to study more, maybe. But why in the US? I would love to, but
will the same thing happen again? Is there any welcome really, except
as a tuition-payer?
• Work is satisfying here, but clarity on future goals still has to come.

5. ‘DO’ Section
He was talking to me on Skype – he was talking normally
overall, but when he spoke about his feelings at having to
leave the US and shift, he became visibly more frustrated/
hurt; his voice rose a pitch higher, he gesticulated more,
was far more ‘feeling-oriented’ then.
He shared far more detail about processes & work-cultures
– how they are different between the 2 countries. It was
about 8 pm and he was still at work – in the US he would
have been paid overtime, here he is not and expected to be
as engaged. He was not complaining, just sharing
differences which he found he was less prepared for.
He expressed visible frustration at being an ‘alien’ at
different points in both countries, in small ways.

6. ‘THINK & FEEL’ Section
I feel this young man feels hurt about being denied work
opportunities in a land of his choice, simply because he
was from another country.
It’s not that he has not found work – he has, and he likes it.
But the unfairness, the lack of choice still upsets him. He
feels if it was easy for him to study there, why was he not
supported more in working there?
He is good at adapting to new circumstances, but I felt
some disappointment and hurt still lingered, which would
impact his plans going forward. His level of confidence was
certainly impacted.

7. EMPATHY MAP
DO
Express
more
emotion/
visibly
SAY
Slides 2/3/4
THINK
Why did I need to shift?
FEEL
Frustrated/
disappointed/ sense of
unfairness/ feeling like
an ‘alien’ at both places
PERSON
INSIGHT -- feels unsettled at the unfairness of not being welcome for
jobs in a country which welcomed him so much as a student.

8. PROBLEM STATEMENT
needs a way to…
because…
A very creative, talented young undergraduate in Liberal Arts, who
graduated as an
International student from a top liberal arts college a year ago, and
has found a job in his own country after doing 2 internships in the US
find better support in getting work
options in the US in the current
economic scenario
he feels unsettled at the unfairness of
not being welcome for jobs in a country
which welcomed him so much as a
student.