“As a student, I’m technically in … training,” he said.
About 550 international MSU students are sponsored by foreign governments or private companies, who hope these students will return to their home countries with beneficial knowledge for their futures, said Mary Gebbia-Portice, coordinator for the International Sponsored Student Program . In most cases, the governments or companies pay for all or a portion of the students’ tuition and other fees.
“What the company or the government is getting is … someone trained in America who has an understanding of American culture and American citizens,” Gebbia-Portice said. “When they go back home, they can help internationalize that company.”
The sponsored students come from under-represented countries, including areas in Africa and Latin America, and typically, the only way the students can get to MSU is through the scholarships, she said.
