This semester, classes and activities are transitioning back to in-person, and some serious conversations with the international student community need to happen – how did the pandemic usher them to adapt on a drastic measure, to reevaluate their identities in the United States, to persevere isolation and consequential independency? How much of these stories are a part of a more extensive, collective international student experience, and how can we as a community learn from their stories and help each other construct a brighter future instead of simply ‘celebrating’?