The first time Patrick Thaw saw his University of Michigan friends together since the end of their sophomore year was bittersweet. They were starting a new semester in Ann Arbor, while he was FaceTiming from Singapore, stranded halfway around the world.
One day last June, he was interviewing to renew his student visa in the United States, and the next day his world was turned upside down by President Donald Trump’s decision. travel ban On people from 12 countries, including Myanmar, Thao’s native country.
“If I had known things would go this way, I would not have left the United States,” he said of his decision to leave Michigan for a summer internship in Singapore.
The ban was one of many ways the Trump administration made life more difficult International students During his first year in the White House, including interrupted visa appointments and Additional layers of screening Which contributed to Decrease in foreign enrollment of first-time students. The new students had to look elsewhere, but the obstacles made life particularly complicated for those like Thaw who were in their university careers in the United States.
Sarah Spreitzer, associate vice president for government relations at the American Council on Education, said universities have had to come up with increasingly flexible solutions, such as remaking pandemic-era distance learning arrangements or offering admissions to international universities with which they partner.
In Thaw’s case, a Michigan official highlighted studying abroad as an option. As long as the travel ban remained in place, the program in Australia seemed viable – at least initially.
Meanwhile, Tho had little to do in Singapore, just wait. He made friends, but they were busy with school or work. After his internship ended, he killed time by checking email, talking, and eating out.
“Mentally I’m back in Ann Arbor,” the 21-year-old said. “But physically, I’m trapped in Singapore.”
When Thaw arrived in Ann Arbor in 2023, he immersed himself in campus life. He immediately fell in with his roommate’s group of friends, who went to high school together about an hour away. He majored in neuroscience, and also joined the biology fraternity and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Laboratory.
His curiosity led him to explore a wide range of courses, including a Jewish studies class. Professor Kara Rock-Singer said Thaw told her his interest stemmed from reading the works of Philip Roth.
“I’m really working on making it a place where everyone not only feels comfortable, but is invested in contributing,” Rock Singer said. “But Patrick didn’t need encouragement. He was always there to think and take risks.”
When Tho obtained his clinical research training at a medical school in Singapore, it seemed like just another step towards success.
He heard speculation about it Trump administration It may impose travel restrictions, but it wasn’t just an afterthought — something he said he joked about with friends before leaving.
then travel ban It has been announced.
Thaw’s dream of attending university in the United States had been his whole life, but was undone – at least for the time being – by one trip abroad. Stuck in Singapore, he couldn’t sleep and his mind was focused on one question: “Why did you come here?”
As a child, Thaw set his sights on attending American University. This desire became more urgent as opportunities for higher education diminished after a Civil war broke out in Myanmar.
For a time, tensions were so high that Thu and his mother took turns watching to make sure the bamboo in their front yard didn’t catch fire from Molotov cocktails. He said that he was once late for his algebra exam because a bomb exploded in front of his house.
So, when he was accepted to the University of Michigan after applying to colleges “around the clock,” Thaw was ecstatic.
“The moment I landed in the United States, I felt like I had found my feet, and that was it,” Tho said. “This is where I start my new life.”
When Thu talked about life in Myanmar, it often led to deep conversations, said Allison Foto, one of his friends. She said he was one of the first people she met whose background was so different from her own, which made her “more understanding of the world.”
During the 2024-2025 academic year, the United States hosted approximately 1.2 million international students. As of the summer of 2024, more than 1,400 people from Myanmar had US student visas, making it one of the most representative countries among the countries affected by the travel ban.
A Michigan official said the school recognizes the challenges facing some international students and is committed to ensuring they have all the support and options it can offer. The university declined to comment specifically on Thaw’s situation.
While the study abroad program in Australia raised some hope that Thaw would be able to remain enrolled in Michigan, the uncertainty of travel bans and visa hurdles ultimately led him to decide against it.
He left Myanmar to get an education, and it’s time to finish what he started, which means moving forward.
“I cannot wait until the travel ban ends and then lift it and come back, because that will be an indefinite period of time,” he said.
Application has begun Colleges outside the United Statesand retrieve acceptance letters from schools in Australia and Canada. He hopes to attend the University of Toronto, which would put his friends in Ann Arbor just a four-hour drive away from his visit.
“If he approaches me anywhere, basically on the North American continent, I will go see him,” said Votto, whose recent friendship with Thaw has been marked by daylong gaps in their text conversations. “I mean it’s Patrick, you know? This is worth it.”
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