Educational and cultural experiences of Latin American and Asian women students at one of the United States Southwest border universities

This study examined issues encountered by 21 international women students (10 Latin American and 11 Asian) during their stay at Southwest Border University (pseudonym). The study employed qualitative research methodology. An in-depth phenomenological interviewing technique, which consisted of three 90-minutes interviews with each participant, was used for data collection.; Findings showed that, although most of the participants were aware of economic and social disadvantages, they failed to recognize discriminative gender discourses in education. The majority of the interviewees noted that women in their countries are validated by their roles as mother and homemakers and are often discouraged from getting advanced education. The data also exposed a crucial role of media, advertising, beauty, and toy industries in creating a body image and influencing women's perceptions of themselves.; Upon their arrival to the Southwest region, the participants had experienced extreme culture shock due to unexpected social and cultural conditions, such as a rural lifestyle, strong presence of Mexican cultural heritage, and cultural diversity and bilingualism of the local population. The participants also reported considerable difficulty in making friends with U.S. students, which could be partially explained by differences in socialization and sociolinguistic systems.; Both groups of participants were impressed by the tolerance of the U.S. society and agreed that American women enjoy a greater degree of gender equality. For this reason, some of the participants expressed their desire to stay in the United States or to become agents for change in their countries.; Because the participants came from traditional schooling, they experienced a significant discomfort with such aspects of the U.S. education as classroom discussions, group projects, and relationships with their professors and U.S. students. Many participants also reported concerns about their English skills and the quality of programs and advising.; To cope with the new environment, these women developed a strong sense of responsibility for their success. The most successful sojourners took an active approach to problem solving and building a social network, and they allowed for some acculturation to happen. The majority of the participants noticed that their new experiences had broadened their world-view and enhanced their personal skills.